Chapter 16: Hunger
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Foxy slumped against the cracked stone steps of the ruined temple, her once-proud posture now crumbling like the walls around them. Her head drooped low as if weighed down by guilt—or worse, hunger.
Next to her, Yu Sheng sat quietly, his head hanging too, though for a much more literal reason. A fresh wound on his arm throbbed painfully, the result of Foxy’s sharp bite. The fox spirit girl had torn into him, ripping away a piece of flesh without hesitation. He winced, the sting still fresh in his mind.
He knew animals could be possessive of their food, but he hadn’t expected a fox spirit to react with such viciousness.
“Benefactor…” Foxy’s voice trembled, barely above a whisper. Her usually sleek and elegant white fur now shimmered under the fading light as if on the verge of tears. “I… I’m so sorry. I couldn’t stop myself. I’ve hurt you again…”
Yu Sheng let out a sigh that seemed to drain what little energy he had left. “Yes, you’ve hurt me again.” His tone was weary, not angry. “But this time, it’s not as bad as the first.” His eyes drifted to the blood at the corner of her mouth, red against her snowy fur. It wasn’t a deep wound, he thought, certainly not as bad as the last time, when her supersonic headbutt had nearly broken every bone below his neck.
Foxy tilted her head, a puzzled frown crossing her face. She still had no memory of that “first meeting” Yu Sheng spoke about. Every time he tried to bring it up, she responded the same way, as if the memory had been wiped clean from her mind.
“Benefactor, are you sure we met before… outside the temple?” she asked, blinking with confusion.
“You really don’t remember?” Yu Sheng frowned, the frustration clear in his voice. “I was fighting some strange creature, and you showed up, said you’d help. Then—bam—you knocked me out cold. Next thing I knew, I woke up here, and you were wandering around outside.”