The heavy rain continued to pour down without stopping.
If it were a normal, sunny day, this would be the time for the Zinogre family to go out and patrol their territory or find a sun-drenched slope to enjoy the sunshine.
But this continuous curtain of rain unexpectedly gave Lore, Luna, and Mother Zinogre more warm time to snuggle together.
The three massive Zinogres huddled closely together, using each other’s body heat to ward off the biting chill brought by the rainy day.
The Jade-Faced Golden Nine-Tailed Fox that Lore had rescued was placed in another dry corner of the den and was not surrounded by the Zinogres.
Lore had his own considerations:
Just think, if this little one woke up to find herself tightly surrounded by three apex predators, that intense sense of oppression might cause her to stress out instantly, fainting from fear or even dying on the spot.
It was better to let her wake up naturally in a relatively independent corner.
Lore recalled his experience raising cats and dogs before he transmigrated; when small animals arrive in a new environment, they always need some time to adapt and observe, and one cannot be too hasty.
Lore had already carefully licked the rainwater off the Jade-Faced Golden Nine-Tailed Fox; the corner where she lay was covered with dry moss, far away from the mist drifting in from the cave entrance.
Even the gruesome wound on her hind leg had been carefully dressed by Lore with the remaining medicinal herbs and secured with flexible vine fibers.
Everything that could be done had been done; now, it was just a matter of time.
Several hours passed quietly amidst the sound of the rain.
Luna lay on Lore’s broad, warm shoulder, letting out a satisfied and cute, faint purr, sleeping very sweetly.
Mother Zinogre, full of affection, licked the tops of Luna and Lore’s heads and their backs, one stroke at a time.
The rough yet warm sensation was like a pair of gentle, invisible hands, soothing her children and dispelling the cold of the rainy day.
“Roar-ow~?”
Just then, a yawn—extremely faint yet so sweet that it seemed to scratch at one’s heart—came from the corner of the cave.
Lore’s ears twitched sharply.
He gently lifted his head and looked toward the sound—it was that Jade-Faced Golden Nine-Tailed Fox; she had woken up!
Lore extracted his body from Mother Zinogre’s embrace with extreme gentleness, fearing he might disturb the still-sleeping Luna.
He walked with silent steps, slowly approaching that corner.
The little fox had just opened her sleepy eyes and seemed still a bit confused.
She subconsciously raised her head and looked around the strange environment, her gaze happening to meet Lore’s pale blue eyes, which were still bright in the dim light but trying hard to appear gentle.
Blink, blink.
The two pairs of eyes locked, and the air seemed to freeze for a moment.
“ROAR-OW!!!”
The next second, an extremely piercing, terrified, shrill cry instantly shattered the quiet of the den, seemingly overpowering even the sound of the rain.
This commotion caused Luna and Mother Zinogre in the distance to turn their heads in unison.
Fortunately, Lore had the foresight to keep a safe distance from the three Zinogres.
At this moment, all the gray-gold fur on the Jade-Faced Golden Nine-Tailed Fox stood on end, making her whole body look a size larger.
Her back was arched high, forming a tense little bridge, and she bared her still-tender little fangs, her entire body radiating a state of stress that screamed, “Stay away from me!”
However, just as she thought her life was over and was gathering the courage to deliver a “dignified strike” to the massive predator in front of her, she saw that the Zinogre did not move any closer.
Instead, he lowered his head slightly, let out a muffled rumble from his throat, and then opened his mouth, gently spitting something out and dropping it on the open ground in front of her.
The little fox instinctively shrank back, but when her gaze touched the object, she hesitated.
It was a piece of sashimi fish that looked very fresh and was even still twitching slightly!
The smell of blood and the fresh scent of fish permeating the air were an irresistible temptation to her hungry self.
Gradually, under the dual influence of the delicious food and Lore’s non-aggressive posture, the Jade-Faced Golden Nine-Tailed Fox’s bristling fur slowly smoothed out, and her arched back slowly relaxed.
She truly wore a look of “suspicion,” looking at the fish on the ground that gave off an enticing scent, then stealing a glance up at Lore.
Maybe it’s not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
“And If you’re enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!”