"Your Highness Lucien, you mustn't go!"
The old butler, Elif, quickly stepped forward when he realized Lucien intended to follow the knights into the forest. His voice trembled with urgency.
"You are the last hope of this territory. If something happens to you, the others will not survive this winter!"
The forest was dangerous enough in daylight. At night, when many monsters emerged to hunt, it became even more treacherous.
"I understand, Elif." Lucien pulled the hood of his cashmere cloak over his head, his tone calm but resolute. "Don't worry. Ryan and his men have already scouted this area. The risk is low. And if danger comes, Ryan and the others will protect me."
"That's right!"
With a metallic clang, Ryan drew his blade, his face set with determination.
The priority now was Anna's safety. If she had merely lost her way, that could be remedied. But if she had been cornered by a wild Pokémon… every moment wasted put her life in greater peril.
Besides, no one in the camp knew more about Pokémon than Lucien. If they encountered one, he needed to be there to identify it.
And as for the danger, running was no shame when victory was impossible.
Elif saw that Lucien's mind was made up. He could only sigh, worry etched across his face. "Then please, Your Highness… be careful."
With torches in hand, Ryan and the knights followed the trail of footprints into the forest, Lucien walking at their head.
As he had expected, they met no Pokémon along the way. The tracks stretched deeper and deeper, each imprint stark against the frozen ground. Lucien gave silent thanks that it hadn't snowed; if it had, Anna's trail would have been lost.
Before long, they reached a clearing. The ground bore the marks of a scuffle, prints trampled into chaos, human and Pokémon alike.
Ryan's voice grew tense. "Your Highness, here!"
Lucien crouched, studying the disturbed snow. "A fight. And not long ago."
His chest tightened.
'Could a ten-year-old girl have survived an encounter with a Pokémon? Humans of this world were hardy, yes, but not unbreakable.'
He traced the direction of the footprints. They dashed off in panic, then abruptly vanished, replaced by the deep furrows of something rolling violently.
Lucien lifted his gaze. Ahead, the land dropped away into a sheer cliff.
...
"Am I… dead?"
Anna stirred, groggy, her body aching. She tried to rise but a sharp stab of pain shot through her arm.
"Ahh… it hurts!" She clutched it, blinking at the shadows around her.
"Why… am I here?"
For a moment her thoughts were scattered. Then memory returned in a rush, the monster, the chase, the cliff.
Her face went pale. "That's right, I fell while running away!"
But then her eyes widened with sudden dread.
'Wait! Where's that little guy?!'
Anna quickly turned her head, scanning her surroundings.
The pale moonlight spilled across the snow, turning the world cold and silver.
That was when she saw it, a small figure trudging toward her, something clamped in its mouth.
Her eyes lit up. ;That little monster… it's safe!'
As it drew closer, Anna finally recognized it. It was the fox-like creature from before. And in its mouth…
Her breath caught. 'That's… a Vitality Root!'
Anna froze in shock as the Zorua padded right up to her side. It leaned toward her injured arm and bit down gently, squeezing the root until bitter juice dripped steadily onto her wounds.
And before her wide eyes, the gash began knitting itself closed, the pain fading as flesh mended at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Huh?!" Anna gasped, her mouth hanging open.
'Is it… saving me?'
From the time she was little, her mother and everyone else had told her the same thing: "Monsters are dangerous. If you ever meet one, run away immediately or you'll be killed."
Yet here was one, nursing her wounds instead of tearing her apart.
'Maybe not all monsters hurt humans.' The thought sprouted quietly in her heart.
The little Zorua gave a huge yawn, its fangs flashing in the moonlight, then padded over to a bare patch of snow and curled up to sleep.
"Hey! Aren't you cold?" Anna blurted.
Zorua cracked one eye open at her, then snorted softly and shut it again.
Anna grinned. "By the way, I never asked your name… Hello! My name's Anna!"
"Woo…" The fox gave a low murmur, almost like a reply.
Watching it curl up on the snow, Anna's chest tightened. She ignored its weak protests, scooped it into her arms, and hugged it against her chest.
"Hehe, see? You won't be cold now! Go to sleep."
Zorua stiffened in surprise, but after a moment realized it really was warmer this way. Slowly, cautiously, it let its eyes close.
But Anna's voice piped up again. "Hey, don't you want to go home? Won't your parents be worried about you?"
The little fox shook its head. "Woo…"
Anna's eyes widened. "You mean… you don't have a father or a mother?"
Zorua only stared at her. It didn't need words, she somehow understood.
Her throat tightened. 'No parents… no family. That's why it was waiting to die alone today.'
Her heart ached. She whispered, "You don't have a mother… and I don't have a father. We've both lost someone important."
"Woo…"
The fox gazed quietly at the girl, then pressed its tiny paw pad gently against her hand, as if to comfort her.
Anna's face suddenly brightened with excitement. "By the way, little monster! Do you want to live with me? I live with my mom now. If you come with us, you'll have a family too!"
The Zorua froze, startled.
Anna kept chattering, her joy tumbling into worry as her voice softened. She tilted her head back to stare at the starless sky.
It's just… we seem to be trapped here now."