Surrounded by the scorching heat of the burning trees, I gazed at the Thunderquill Fox before me. It seemed she finally hit the snooze button on life. Despite being unconscious, the rise and fall of her chest indicated a tenacious grip on existence.
Down I crouched, shedding my cloak. Two tiny snouts eagerly emerged from my pockets, whimpering as they rushed to their mother's side. I allowed their reunion, swiftly tearing a section of my cloak to fashion makeshift bandages. Applying gentle pressure, I worked on stabilizing the chest wound, cautious not to exacerbate the injury. With nimble hands, I wrapped another piece around her hind leg.
I wasn't a healer, and my [adaptation] skill was strictly self-serving. Lacking sterile supplies or disinfectants, my cloak, already adorned in monster blood, was hardly ideal. I could only hope that Magical Beasts possessed an inherent resistance to mundane infections.
At this point, I was just winging it, unsure of my own actions.
The sorrow that gripped my heart was eerily familiar, a reflection of the moment I first encountered the lifeless vixen. The desperate desire for her survival was mirrored in this moment. I simply couldn't bear the thought of another innocent life being snuffed out.
Her little ones scampered around, their eyes reflecting a mix of anxiety and hope as they observed my attempt to stabilize their mother. Had I arrived a moment later, their fate might have been sealed. When the vixen was on the brink of summoning the thunder, I swiftly severed the legs of the nearest ape, plunging in to rescue her offsprings. Then, I sprinted away as fast as my legs could carry me, hoping the ensuing blaze would subside.
Yet, even with the immediate danger averted, the vixen's life still hung in the balance.
I formulated a plan, acknowledging its challenges.
After stabilizing her to the best of my abilities, I scurried around, searching for the tallest tree nearby. Finding one, I ascended its heights, surveying the surroundings from the pinnacle.
[Visionary Mastery]
Under the embrace of the night, my enhanced vision extended far and wide, capturing minute details with the added perk of night vision. Despite not delving too deeply into the forest, I anticipated spotting signs of the expedition. However, my hopes were met with disappointment.
The dense forest canopy played hide-and-seek with my viewpoint, making it challenging to identify any clear indicators. Smoke wafted up from various locations, creating a hazy puzzle. Pinpointing the campfire smoke or determining if it was even visible from my vantage point proved elusive.
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In my quest for clues, I resorted to [Keen Perception], hoping to follow the auditory trail. Alas, the forest was alive with a cacophony of sounds, making it a frustrating endeavor to discern the relevant noises. The struggle to filter through the auditory chaos left me with a mounting sense of vexation.
As I descended from my lofty perch, I mulled over my options. A spark of inspiration led me to recall a stream I had stumbled upon during my journey. If the expedition opted for a respite, it made sense for them to choose a location near a water source. Admittedly, it was a bit of a shot in the dark, but a shot nonetheless.
Swiftly navigating towards the vixen, I was met with mixed reactions from her kits. One growled defensively, while the other wore a melancholic expression, fixated on its injured mother. Ignoring the growls, I approached and assessed the situation.
Facing the challenge of carrying a fox nearly my own size, I resignedly removed my cloak. It seemed I was left with no choice but to devise an unconventional method for transporting the vixen. All while trying not to disrupt her injuries too much.
***
Navigating the terrain with an injured fox on my back and two disgruntled kits in my pockets, I soon stumbled upon the stream and decided to trace it back towards the county.
My aching feet and hands protested against the burden, but a touch of [Adaptation] applied to my them kept me moving forward.
As I walked, the kits provided a quirky soundtrack—one calm, the other constantly growling and attempting to take a nibble out of me. It dawned on me that I was essentially carrying a whole family on my back. Parenthood, an unexpected skill unlocked.
After what felt like an eternity, [Keen Perception] detected something familiar—human voices, and close by. The sound of laughter reached my ears, and a clearing emerged in the distance. My nimble fingers danced, casting [Twilight Veil] and shrouding myself in [Umbral Concealment].
Just in case the laughter belonged to vigilant patrollers, I intended to stay hidden.
As I surveyed the campsite, I spotted the distinctive Shadowstep insignia among the tents and armored figures milling about. Bingo. It was definitely the expedition.
In the wake of mandatory education on Magical Beasts, perceptions had shifted for most people. Calculatingly, I brought the vixen here, knowing Zach's stance on magical beasts. Later in the story, he even had his own familiar. There was no way they'd let this vixen perish if they found her.
I released the vixen's kits beside her. One remained silently observant, while the other, true to form, made a ruckus, attempting to dismantle the makeshift bandage. I gave the little shit a gentle swat to keep it in line.
Time was of the essence.
I spotted a nearby tree.
[Lethal Precision]
And punched it!
The cracked trunk sent a shower of leaves cascading down, the noise resonating through the stillness of the night and drawing the attention of the expedition members near the campfire.
As anticipated, several armored figures swiftly turned in my direction, hands instinctively reaching for the hilts of their weapons. Meanwhile, [Umbral Concealment] cloaked me in shadows, rendering me unseen in the darkness. The growling kit, having ceased its protests, now directed its attention toward the campsite.
All that remained was to wait patiently for them to investigate the disturbance and stumble upon the injured vixen and her kits.
Once their attention was captivated, I could slip away stealthily into the shadows.