Wen Xian jumped in surprise and stepped forward to cautiously touch its massive head. The wolf leaned in on its own, nuzzling her hand, its warm, wet tongue licking her palm. Wen Xian heard a childish, almost boyish voice: “Wuwu… it hurts.”
She was stunned, she could actually hear the voice of a mutated animal?
And it looked so huge, yet the voice was so innocent.
“How old are you?” she asked.
“Almost one year.”
Wolves generally live 12–16 years, and a one-year-old wolf is still a pup, roughly equivalent to a six- or seven-year-old human child, which matched the sound of its voice.
She asked a few more questions, and the white wolf answered almost everything.
Wen Xian learned that the two white wolves that had died in the valley were its parents. Its father had been the leader of the pack. They had originally lived deep in the mountains, but after the apocalypse, not only did their family become mutated, a massive and ferocious plant appeared in their territory, occupying most of a mountainside. Its jagged maw devoured many wolves.
With no other choice, the alpha led the pack to search for new territory. The outside world had changed drastically, and they suffered greatly along the way, losing many of their kind. Finally, not long ago, they settled near the valley where Wen Xian later discovered them.
But unexpectedly, a huge mutated black snake also lived nearby. After a period of hibernation, it awoke extremely hungry, and the nearby wolf pack became its prey. The wolves fought fiercely, but in the end they were no match for the snake. If Wen Xian hadn’t appeared, the pack would have been wiped out entirely.
The white wolf hadn’t originally been white; like its siblings, it had been mixed-colored. But after mutation, it transformed into a white wolf. White wolves are natural leaders, they hold grudges, but they also remember kindness. Wen Xian emitted a scent that made it feel comfortable, so once it recovered, it tracked her by smell.
“You want to follow me?” Wen Xian asked, astonished.
“Yes. My entire pack is gone, and you’ve helped me,” the young voice said, weak but unexpectedly mature and resolute.
Wen Xian considered the possibilities. In this chaotic world, having such a wild beast by her side would greatly increase her chances of survival, but… could she actually control such a fierce creature?
She sat cross-legged and ran her hand over the wolf’s fur. Only then did she realize its coat was long, thick, and coarse, layered like natural armor, its defensive capabilities must be high.
She also thought about how it had stood up before, as tall as a horse. If it could serve as a mount…
The thought sparked her imagination. She couldn’t drive, and even if she could, the roads outside were probably unusable. But if she had a wolf as a mount, she could traverse plains and forests with ease, saving her a great deal of time.
Wen Xian quickly made a decision. “If you really want to follow me, you must obey me from now on. Otherwise, I won’t take you.”
The white wolf pressed its large head against her thigh, its childish voice replying: “I’ll listen to you.”
Wen Xian couldn’t help but smile, feeling a bit of happiness at not only gaining a helper but also having a little companion. The change in their relationship made her feel even closer to the white wolf.
She reached out and patted its triangular ears. “Do you have a name?”
The white wolf’s ears twitched. “My father is called Bai, I’m [1]“Xiao” (小) means “little” or “young” jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1829094_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1829094_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });Xiao Bai, and my mother is Xiao Xiao Bai.” There was a hint of sadness in its voice when it spoke of its parents.
Xiao Bai? Xiao Xiao Bai? Their family of three hardly seemed ‘small’ at all.
After a moment’s thought, she said, “But you’re so big… can I call you [2]“Da” means big. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1829094_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1829094_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });Da Bai? And then… you can call me ‘sister.'” She couldn’t continue treating a companion capable of understanding and communication like a pet.
“Okay, sister.”
Wen Xian chuckled, and her thoughts drifted to her younger brother far away in Hanshi, making even leisure feel a bit restless.
She asked about the white wolf’s injuries and learned that although its earlier wounds weren’t fully healed, it had later sustained internal injuries from the vine’s constriction. She went back into her space, added two drops of blood to a bottle of water, and gave it to the wolf to drink, expecting it would mostly recover.
She let it rest nearby and went into the mountains with the little vine. When they returned two hours later, the wolf had already stood up.
Its body was extremely agile. Although a bit lean, its muscles moved under its fur with every step, each movement exuding the explosive power of a predator. Wen Xian couldn’t take her eyes off it.
Da Bai trotted softly to her side, lowering its massive head to nuzzle her shoulder affectionately. “Sister.”
Wen Xian patted its large wolf head. “Are you fully healed?”
“All healed.”
She was surprised, but considering her blood’s restorative ability and the wolf’s mutated body, its strong constitution probably made the rapid recovery possible. Still, the speed was astonishing.
Glancing at the sun overhead, she took out a bucket of water and had the vine hold it like a makeshift shower. “You’re really dirty. Let’s get you cleaned first.”
Da Bai obediently let the water flow over its body as Wen Xian grabbed a brush and scrubbed vigorously, washing away the grime. Sunlight refracted through the splashing droplets, casting a soft golden glow over her.
It reminded Da Bai of last month, when its father had led the pack to a river. Exhausted and parched, they had rushed into the water as if mad, drinking and bathing. Its mother had called it close, gently cleaning and licking it.
Her gaze then had felt very much like Wen Xian’s now.
It couldn’t help but lick Wen Xian’s cheek. The warmth of its tongue surprised her, and seeing it playfully, she patted its face. “Behave. Wash quickly and get dried. I still have things to do later.”
Da Bai stood still, letting the water do its work. The bucket was enough, and as the dirt washed away, Wen Xian realized that not a single stray hair remained on its coat. It was immaculate, only a little thin, likely from the heavy toll of the recent battle.
After finishing its bath, Da Bai shook itself several times, tossing off most of the water. Wen Xian told it to go dry in the sun and then went into her space.
With the space expanded, the planting beds looked a bit messy, so she reorganized them. She decided to use the left side of the space entirely as farmland. Except for the outermost rows, she removed all the extra wooden planks and filled the gaps in the middle with soil, making the layout much more orderly.
She picked some flat stones as stepping stones for the planting beds, so that when she planted or harvested, she wouldn’t get muddy, and the whole area stayed clean.
Finally, she planted all the trees along the perimeter and divided the remaining space into two halves: medicinal herbs on the left, and wild vegetables and mushrooms on the right.
This way, she essentially had half an acre of usable land.
As for the pile of supplies, it couldn’t stay in a heap forever. Once she returned to the town, she would try to find some shelves or cabinets to organize everything.
When she left her space, she didn’t see Da Bai. Her first thought was that it had left, but then she remembered its still-flat stomach, probably off looking for food.
She didn’t worry too much. It was already past six in the evening, so she made herself a quick meal and rested for a bit before training with the vine. She continued until ten at night. During that time, Da Bai returned, and Wen Xian noticed its belly, now plump as expected.
Before going to sleep, she asked Da Bai, “Can I ride on your back when we travel?”
Da Bai was a little afraid of fire but still attached to her scent. Lying behind her, its large head pressed close to her thigh. Without hesitation, it replied, “Of course. Do you want to try now?”
Wen Xian’s eyes lit up. She stood up. “Alright.”
She didn’t know how to ride a horse, let alone a wolf, so she had to climb onto Da Bai while it was lying down. When it stood up, her view immediately rose much higher. She felt a bit nervous, instinctively gripping the wolf’s long fur. Fortunately, her grip was light, and Da Bai didn’t feel any pain, carrying her for two laps.
Although still young, Da Bai had a calm, steady temperament, unhurried and composed. Wen Xian went from nervous at first to gradually adapting, and she adjusted quickly.
Afterward, she patted its neck in thanks, though she felt some soreness in her backside and wondered if she could improve that.
The next day, she stayed in, spending most of her time sparring with the vine while riding Da Bai to get used to it. Da Bai even ran freely for a while, and Wen Xian adjusted to the motion quickly. It was a novel experience that lifted her spirits all day.
On the third day, she continued training. In the afternoon, she cooked a bowl of noodles, packed everything up, extinguished the fire, and after a reluctant farewell to the vine, she took Da Bai down the mountain.
She had been in the mountains for nearly ten days. Today was the eighteenth day since the apocalypse began.
By the time she left the forest, it was completely dark. Riding Da Bai, she navigated through the shadows to the ancient town, sending out a climbing plant to guide the way to the central square.
Perhaps Da Bai’s presence was intimidating, because she didn’t encounter any animals along the way. The plants remained obedient, yet strangely, even near the central square, she didn’t see a single person, nor any light.
Da Bai stepped silently, only occasionally brushing against plants, the faint sounds echoing clearly in the night. It felt as though the entire ancient town was left with just one person and one wolf.
Wen Xian tensed, touched Da Bai, and communicated with it in her mind: “Do you smell humans?”
Da Bai moved its large head. “I do.”
Wen Xian hurriedly asked, “Where?”
“Up ahead. A lot.”
“A lot?” Wen Xian looked into the dark distance, puzzled. Could they have known she returned and set a trap on purpose?
Then Da Bai muttered again: “They’re all dead. Smells awful.”
Wen Xian was shocked. All dead? How could that be possible?
“Are you serious? There’s not a single living person up ahead?”
Da Bai exhaled through its nose, clearly disgusted: “No. No humans, no animals. Only the stench of decay.”
What did that mean?
Wen Xian felt a surge of confusion, a thought flashing through her mind.
She had originally planned to sneak into the central square under the cover of darkness to settle the score with Ding Wei, but according to Da Bai, there wasn’t a single living person left inside?
What on earth had happened? Chen Lian, Ding Wei, the innkeeper, Qi Hao, and Xiang Yuyang, were they all dead?
References[+]