"Shinx, wake up."
In a daze, the Shinx felt someone calling it. It scratched its ear with a paw, but the voice persisted, growing louder.
"Shinx, it's about time to wake up."
Groggily, the Shinx opened its eyes to see a figure standing by the bed. Its gaze was filled with confusion and uncertainty; the prolonged coma had fragmented its memories.
Suddenly, its memories reconnected, causing its fur to stand on end—a natural reaction to perceived danger. Its last recollection was being hunted, fleeing multiple times, and eventually collapsing from exhaustion.
A human. The Shinx's eyes fixed on the human before it, and sparks of electricity began to flicker around its body.
Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!
The room was instantly enveloped in electric light, and the surroundings shattered into blinding brilliance, overwhelming its vision.
Panting heavily, the Shinx abruptly opened its eyes, lying on a wooden bed.
"Meow!"
(TN: Was thinking of changing but nah Shinx meowing is cute)
It quickly retreated to the bed's corner, eyes still wary. Gradually, it realized it had been dreaming—a dream so vivid it blurred the lines between reality and illusion.
Scanning its surroundings, it sighed in disappointment. It couldn't recall how much time had passed, but that familiar yet distant voice hadn't returned, nor had that indistinct figure reappeared.
Creak.
At that moment, the wooden door opened. The Shinx's ears twitched as it watched a young boy peek in.
Seeing the Shinx awake, Little Andy pushed the door open and ran in excitedly. "Shinx, you're awake! How are you feeling today?"
"Meow~"
The Shinx listlessly waved its paw. During this period, the human child had been its most frequent companion.
"Let me see, let me see." Little Andy approached the Shinx.
The Shinx promptly stood up, jumped off the bed, and paced around to show it was fully recovered.
"Looks like you're all better. That's great! Big Brother Aven will be so happy when he returns."
Upon hearing the name Aven, the Shinx's ears twitched. That human it had never clearly seen—his name seemed to be Aven.
"Shinx, since you're fine now, do you want to go outside for a walk?"
"Hehe, my parents aren't home today. We can sneak out and play for a while."
Little Andy was overjoyed. The continuous snowfall had kept him indoors for too long. Today, the snow had finally stopped, and the sun was out. He felt it was the perfect time to play outside.
The Shinx's eyes lit up at the mention of going out. It had longed to go outside but hadn't found the opportunity due to its injuries.
"Meow!"
Without hesitation, the Shinx agreed.
"Then let's go." Little Andy happily ran over to pick up the Shinx, but it dodged swiftly.
Scratching his head helplessly, Little Andy quickly opened the door, letting a beam of sunlight stream in.
The Shinx didn't hesitate to run out, and Andy hurriedly followed.
"Meow~" Bathing in the long-lost sunlight, the Shinx let out a soft, contented meow.
Looking around, it noticed that as winter was ending, the sky finally had sunlight, and much of the snow in the orchard had melted.
Soon, it spotted the distant berry orchard and quickly ran over.
At that moment, Uncle Mike was tending to the fruit trees, clearing the remaining snow. Seeing the intact trees, his eyes were filled with admiration.
In the past, even without magical beast invasions, fruit trees often suffered from frostbite and decay. This time, following Aven's advice—clearing snow, smoking the orchard, and watering with antifreeze—the trees remained unharmed as the weather warmed. It was a miracle.
Nearby, Auntie Erin held two Cherubis in her arms. These two had stayed indoors during this period. Now that the sun was out, she brought them outside to bask in the sunlight and grow.
Starly perched on a fruit tree, leisurely preening its feathers, enjoying the rare sunny day.
Suddenly, it noticed a blue figure darting through the orchard. Shortly after, Little Andy ran by, panting heavily.
"Ugh, how does the Shinx run so fast?" Little Andy looked around, frustrated. "Seriously, where did it go?"
The Shinx ran swiftly, relieved to have shaken off the annoying human child. It looked around, realizing it had unknowingly left the farm and entered the village.
At that moment, it saw two villagers carrying farming tools, chatting and laughing as they approached.
Startled, the Shinx's fur stood on end, memories of weapon-wielding humans flooding its mind. It began to gather electricity.
"Hey, it's a Shinx. So cute."
One villager noticed the Shinx and smiled. He rummaged through his clothes and pulled out an apple, crouching down to toss it over.
The Shinx was taken aback. It looked at the apple, then back at the two humans, a complex expression in its eyes.
Faintly, it heard another human say, "The cold winter is finally ending. That's wonderful."
Winter is ending... the Shinx silently repeated. It chose not to attack and instead turned to run toward the sun.
Reaching the grassy field outside the village, it suddenly stopped and looked into the distance, spotting a human figure walking slowly toward it.
Sunlight shone on the human's head, turning his black hair golden...
It stared blankly at the familiar yet unfamiliar figure. Then, that familiar voice echoed in its ears, "Shinx, long time no see."
(End of chapter)