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Red Fox
墨書 Inktalez
"Brother Dashan, how's your luck today?"
From a distance at the village entrance, Er Gouzi shouted at me.
I waved my hand at him, feeling utterly frustrated. My luck today was as bad as it could get! In this deep mountain, I had nearly hunted all the rabbits to extinction. If I didn’t find a way to change locations soon, I would be lucky to even catch a glimpse of a wild chicken.
My name is Zhang Dashan, and I am a hunter from Ten-Mile Slope. Ever since my parents passed away when I was young, I’ve barely scraped by through hunting, living a tight life.
Ten-Mile Slope is a desolate place; the mountains are high and the forests dense, with plenty of wild beasts, but the danger level is also high. After struggling in these mountains for over a decade, I thought I knew them inside out. But today, my luck felt like it had been snatched away by a dog.
As I trudged deeper into the forest, I suddenly heard some rustling sounds.
I quickly crouched down, not daring to make a sound. Out from the bushes emerged a Red Fox, limping and clearly injured.
I felt a surge of joy; this was truly a gift from heaven! The fur of a Red Fox is worth quite a bit. If I could catch it and bring it back, it might fetch me several taels of silver—enough to keep me fed for quite some time.
I quietly pulled out my hunting bow, nocked an arrow, and steadied my aim at the Red Fox. I muttered softly to myself, "Don’t blame me for being ruthless; we mountain folks rely on the mountains for our livelihood. You’re just another creature of this mountain; you can’t blame anyone else."
However, as I prepared to release the arrow, an old villager's words echoed in my mind: "If you encounter a fox in the mountains that has turned into a spirit, be sure not to provoke it; otherwise, you will face retribution."
This thought flashed through my mind and caused my hand to tremble. The arrow went astray and struck the Red Fox in its hind leg instead.
The Red Fox yelped in pain and turned to look at me with eyes full of fear and sorrow. My heart softened instantly; I quickly lowered my bow and rushed over to hold it in my arms.
"Hey, I'm just trying to survive; please don’t hold it against me."
As I spoke, I examined its wound. The arrow had cut through its leg, blood flowing freely. I hurriedly tore off a piece of my clothing to bandage it up.
Holding the injured Red Fox in my arms, I couldn't shake the nagging thought:
"What if this fox really turns out to be something special? Have I gotten myself into trouble today?"
But looking into its pitiful little eyes, I decided to place it in a tree hollow and carefully bandaged its wounds with the corner of my clothing.
It let out a couple of soft whimpers, as if thanking me.
I sighed and said, "You just rest here and heal up. Once you're better, don't go running around everywhere; this mountain is too dangerous."
Little did I know that ever since rescuing the Red Fox, strange things began to happen.
Every time I ventured into the mountains to hunt, I felt as though a pair of eyes were watching me from behind.
Once, I nearly got hit by a falling rock, and suddenly felt a force pulling me aside.
Turning around, I saw the Red Fox crouching not far away, whimpering at me as if trying to warn me.
On another occasion, while chasing a wild rabbit to the riverbank, I slipped and almost fell into the water.
In that critical moment, the Red Fox suddenly sprang out from the bushes, biting my pant leg and dragging me back to safety on the shore.
Sitting there by the river, still shaken, I looked at the Red Fox with confusion swirling in my mind: "What does this fox really mean?"
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