After hunting one more time and trying to use magic, it was already getting dark. Then it's time for me to go home. Incidentally, before returning, I also found another quite small prey, a rodent-like hamster with gray fur. So I caught it and froze it, then took it home for a bedtime snack.

My home is still the same as before, a small cave that my mother made as our nest. The difference is now I'm there alone. Even though between me and my family sometimes see each other around the nest, it's just a short meeting that doesn't carry any wind.

Wild animals prefer to roam, try to be independent, and adventure to find their own way in life. Like my two siblings, after gaining their confidence as white foxes, they would leave the lair, try to live independently, and separate from their spoiled attitude towards their mother. The mother also leaves once her child-rearing and nurturing duties are over, she may leave to find a new territory, a new mate, or live wild as she pleases.

But I do not. In this second life, I prefer to live quietly and peacefully. Like an old person enjoying retirement. Even though I'm alone, I don't feel lonely. Instead, it created a serene atmosphere while I monopolized the beauty of nature. Just look around, the stunning white scenery from the top of the mountain, the sun that shines reddish in the south, and the clusters of stars that are charming to look at in the middle of the night. All of that is so reassuring. So until now, I'd rather live an easy life than a wandering life.

Besides, I'm afraid to meet other beasts. Before, when I saw how Mother defended us from her territorial intruders, I knew that the outside world was savage, too savage. I could likely die in the battle for survival if I were to encounter another soul beast of the same rank or higher.

But that was before I could learn magic. At that time I was still like a mama's child, who only lived under her territorial protection.

But after I could learn magic, I expected more. I want to live a relaxed and peaceful, but in decent conditions. You know, I've always wanted to eat proper food, not just plain bland raw meat, but barbecue with great aroma and taste, great toast, or at least with fresh and sweet fruit. This Arctic Ecosystem, which only has a tundra ecosystem, really doesn't fit the ideal life I dreamed of.

That's why I want to go to the human territory someday after I become proficient in the magic I use for self-defense. I know I'm a beast, or maybe called a monster? But at least I wanted to get my feet on fertile land, which could be made into fields and grow a variety of vegetables and fruits. As a nature lover, I also like agriculture. My parents also had their own farm and I often helped with the nurseries or harvesting. That is also the reason why I took the environmental science department in my university field of study.

While thinking of a hazy future, I keep my feet on the sea of white.

Unlike when I left, I walked home casually. So right when I got home, it was already dark and the clusters of stars were already brightly lit, shining through the darkness of the night. I lay down and curled up on a pile of snow. Perhaps due to the nature of the ice fox, we never once felt chilled by the cold or ice. Conversely, ice or cold temperatures are a comfort to us, not like humans who love warmth. Because of that, I never felt uncomfortable with the cold, but enjoyed it as if it were the ideal temperature. Of course, as a former human, I don't hate warmth either. It still gives me that comfortable nostalgic feeling.

While curled up, when I saw the snow that was continuously spreading in front of me, I suddenly had such an idea.

If I convert magical energy into heat energy, then that heat energy is directed to the snow to melt. That way I can get free water that can be used as an experiment, and maybe as drinking water.

It's not like I know, but it seems our kind of white fox is a type of beast that doesn't need much water. I rarely even feel thirsty. But that doesn't mean we don't need water. It seems we get our water supply from the animals we eat. From their blood or the liquid that comes out of the flesh of their prey. That's how we get our water supply. And there's also a lake across our territory. But since we are not heavy drinkers, we only use it as a gathering source for our prey. Plants such as grasses and shrubs often grow around water areas, and those plants will become fields for herbivores. So when our prey gathers, it becomes a boon for us as well.

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Back to the topic, I immediately tried what was on my mind while staring at the spot I wanted to try.

That way, wouldn't this allow me to make frozen meat completely? You know, usually, Mother or I just use freezing magic where the wound is, so the blood doesn't keep flowing. If we freeze it completely, we can't eat, and waiting for the ice to melt is pointless because this is a region that is always below freezing.

Like the law of the conservation of energy, energy can neither be created nor destroyed. So I'm guessing that magical energy is needed to temporarily renew natural laws when activated by the user, then once it's done it will return to its original form which was pure energy. And I also suspect that this energy is not only present in the bodies of living beings but also spreads everywhere in the form of pure energy that cannot be felt.

I got such a guess because when my mother formed flat ice, they floated as if ignoring the laws of gravity and accelerated with a steady momentum as if they were being controlled by the user's mind.

I also get an answer why when I try to make flat ice it ends up exploding, whereas mother succeeds without error.

The answer is probably because I want to make the flat ice out of the void, while mom makes it from the air she collects. Just then, my mother concentrated the cold air in front of her muzzle first and blended it into flat ice. I didn't think about it then, but now that I've done various experiments, I understand. That magical energy is used to create supernatural phenomena by bending existing natural laws, not making new ones. So it's impossible to make something out of nothing.

And after I ate my evening snack, cleaned myself up, and pooped, I decided to sleep.

***

Morning came again and now I planned to go looking for water sources. I still remember, when my brothers and I and my mother went around practicing our hunting skills. We've been to the lake. The lake was formed from a crater which was eventually used to accommodate melting snow. This lake is also the headwaters of the river that flows beneath it. This is a source of water that we can use. But, as I said before, we don't need water because the fluids we get are already in the bodies of our prey. But that doesn't mean we don't need water. Sometimes we need it when the liquid we get from food is very little or due to lack of food. Previously my two brothers and I got fluids from food and also breast milk, but because at that time my mother was no longer producing breast milk, and we were required to live independently, that's why we were brought here.

This lake is the source of life in this tundra ecosystem. The grass was scattered and small animals like rabbits came to harvest their breakfast. It is also a hunting ground for predators, such as white foxes or arctic wolves. So this place is definitely very competitive. But since this is the territory of the white fox, especially a bit under my mother's territory, so maybe there's some guarantee of safety? Or at least because this is still the territory of the white fox, it's rare for other predators like the arctic wolf to intervene. Besides, I didn't come here to hunt, so as long as I didn't disturb their breakfast, it would be fine, probably.

This time, I came alone to learn water-derived magic techniques. The previous blood test had proven that I could use magic. So instead of using blood, this time I'll use straight water. And as a former human, there's one thing I want to do. That's right, it's a bath. It was one of the things I wanted to do ever since I could use magic.

And this time while taking a bath, I will also practice my magic here. Especially magic related to water manipulation.

I could just use the snow to get water by melting it, but I need a container to store it so I can soak myself. Although it can be used to wash, soaking is the best. That's why I have to go to the lake that is on the slope of my mother's territorial mountain.

Even though it was maybe a few meters deep, luckily the bank was shallow enough for me to take a bath. I also took this opportunity to learn how to swim with this new body, in case I drifted off to the middle. In my previous life, I was quite good at swimming. But with this new body, I need to adjust myself so I can swim again. I remember how dogs swim, so I imitated them.

Still, I have made sure that the place where I bathe and learn to swim is protected so I don't get washed away.

That was also the reason I came here, which was to perfect my magical energy control to cast freeze magic.

With freeze magic, I create a wall of ice surrounding the place where I bathe and practice swimming. It needs perfect control so that only some of the water freezes and forms a neat wall. And after succeeding, then I practice swimming without fear of being washed away.

Instead of cleaning myself by licking, I prefer to bathe this way. Maybe for ordinary people, this water is very cold, but for me, it's like I'm bathing in a hot spring. However cold temperature is a pleasure for this body.

Even though I could use the same method I used to melt snow to heat the meat, I would only end up with bland meat. Although it's better than eating meat directly.

Well, I'll think about it if I get some salt.

After a few hours of me learning magical energy control and manipulating water using freezing magic, I got tired and headed home.