In the Sea of Chaos, night had deepened, stars filled the sky, and a lone boat drifted quietly across the dark waters, its fluorite lamp casting a faint glow.
At the stern, a handsome man crouched in a plain white robe, its hood joined seamlessly to the upper garment. A cloak hung from his left shoulder, the broad turned-back collar trimmed in red, several throwing knives tucked into the wide belt cinched tight at his waist, and a greatsword strapped across his back. Staring at the catch he had just hauled up in his net, he rubbed his chin and fell into thought.
He knew the sea was full of all sorts of things. Fish, sea monsters, even bizarre junk dragged up from the depths, all of that was within reason.
But who could explain to him why the deep waters of the Sea of Chaos had produced a pure land animal?
"Mmnh…"
A small head with pale golden fur and a pointed little chin poked out through the seaweed caught in the net, and a soft, plaintive cry reached the man's ears.
"Sorry. I got so lost in thought I almost forgot about you, little thing."
At that moment, a certain scoundrel, dressed in classic Assassin's Creed garb just to indulge his own bad taste and look deep and mysterious, blinked with amusement in his eyes, pulled out a dagger, casually sliced open the fishing net, and lifted the fluffy little creature out. With a pulse of Ether, he dried its soaked fur, revealing the land creature's true appearance.
Hm. A fox…
Smiling, Samael rubbed the little fox's head. The soft texture reminded the Ancient Serpent of what it had once felt like petting big sis Atalanta, and he found himself enjoying it immensely.
Likewise, the well-practiced pressure of his fingers and the perfectly chosen spots he stroked left the little fox comfortably sprawled on the deck. It raised its chin to expose the soft white fur beneath, clearly inviting him to continue.
Go on. Don't stop.
The little thing's casual movements carried an effortless elegance, lazy to the bone. The more one looked at that pointed fox face, the more delicate and alluring it seemed. Even its pleased little nasal sounds were soft and lingering enough to seep into the bones.
For a moment, Samael found himself dazed.
By the time he came back to himself, he realized he had already curled his left arm around the little thing and drawn it lightly into his arms, while his right hand scratched gently beneath its chin.
"How does a fox even end up in the sea…"
The Ancient Serpent looked down, smacked his lips, and muttered to himself. His eyes flickered strangely. Then, holding up the golden fox by its forelegs with both hands, he lifted the still slightly dazed little thing high into the air, leaned in with a grave expression to inspect its soft belly, and muttered under his breath,
"By the way… male or female?"
In an instant, the little creature, which had just been enjoying the sea breeze, went rigid. Then its hind legs kicked out explosively, and the air around the fox suddenly warped and blurred, several iridescent streaks faintly appearing.
Boom!
Caught completely off guard, Samael saw stars. His hands loosened, and he fell flat on his back.
Hmph! What a frivolous man. No matter how impatient he is, that is no way to treat a lady!
Landing lightly, the fox ground her little white fangs in irritation and shot the man collapsed in the boat a resentful glare.
Wait… did I hit him too hard and kill him? Whatever the case, he did save me from the sea.
The little thing's heart tightened at once. She hurriedly jumped onto Samael's chest and pressed in close to listen.
The strong heartbeat made the fox let out a small sigh of relief. Then, inwardly rolling her eyes, she leaned down toward his face, extended one tiny paw, and irritably patted the side of the molester's cheek. A layer of blue-green light spread from between her claws and seeped into his body.
Samael slowly came to, then touched the cheek that now bore several bloody scratches and muttered resentfully,
"If you didn't want me looking, fine, don't let me look. But did you really have to scratch me? You were clearly enjoying being touched before…"
The golden fox, having jumped down off the Ancient Serpent, looked at her own fluffy paws and froze for a moment. Then she gave a light snort, padded off, turned, and slipped into a quiet little corner of the cabin, curling herself up with her head and tail tucked together before closing her eyes to rest.
Still, the trace of embarrassment and indignation clinging to the little thing gradually faded.
Under the faint glow of the fluorite lamp, the boat rocked gently as it drifted steadily over the sea. Samael cast a casual, seemingly unintentional glance toward a certain spot in the cabin, his eyes drifting.
Hmm, so it's a female…
The night stretched on, and sailing alone in such a tiny boat across that vast, gloomy sea inevitably brought a certain loneliness with it.
The side-to-side rocking of the hull left the golden-furred fox lying in the cabin tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
Then, through the haze, a rich, intense aroma drifted over. The little thing, who had not been all that sleepy to begin with, instantly pricked up her ears, her golden eyes lighting up.
Meat! That's meat!
The golden fox took a deep breath and closed her eyes in bliss, growing more and more alert, utterly certain.
Not fish or shrimp! Not crab! Not squid!
It was definitely meat from livestock or fowl, beef or lamb, maybe chicken or duck!
After drifting on the Sea of Chaos for so long she had lost count, she had almost forgotten what those carefully raised beasts and birds from the land tasted like.
The more she thought about it, the dreamier her gaze became. Before she knew it, she had stepped over the threshold, scampered onto the deck, and stopped in front of the charcoal brazier crackling with sparks, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on the sizzling, dripping poultry leg.
"You're awake? Hungry, huh? Here, this is for you. Eat a little first to take the edge off."
Noticing the little thing lingering by the fire, Samael smiled and showed his goodwill. He thoughtfully fetched a plate, carved up the roasted poultry from the iron skewer, sprinkled it with cumin, pepper, and other spices, and gave half to his new passenger.
The golden fox held back for a moment, but the instant the plate was pushed toward her, she buried her head in it and began eating eagerly, happily tearing into the crisp-skinned, juicy meat.
The flesh was firm, carrying a dried, smoky flavor, probably from whatever preservation method humans had used to keep it from spoiling on long journeys.
It was not as tempting as fresh meat, but judging by the fox crouched on the deck crunching even the bones with audible enthusiasm, she was clearly quite pleased with this humble supper.
"Want some smoked lamb ribs? When I left Vulture's Nest, that girl Serenity insisted on stuffing a huge piece into my pack."
Samael looked at the fox happily working through a pile of chicken bones and, smiling, pulled out a chunk of lamb ribs from behind him.
Lamb…
Catching the scent, the fox raised her eyes brightly and nodded over and over.
But the moment the little thing stepped forward, Samael immediately drew the tender lamb back, pointed at the scratch marks on one side of his cheek, and shot the fox a displeased look.
"I saved you out of sheer goodwill, and while I was at it, I even checked you over to see whether you were hurt, and you still scratched me. Don't you think that was a bit much?
It's not that I can't let you eat this, but shouldn't you show a little goodwill first? Call it making peace between us."
The Ancient Serpent waved the smoked meat in one hand and rubbed his chin in thought. Then, as if struck by inspiration, his eyes suddenly lit up.
"I'm not asking for much. For example, just give me a proper fox cry. That's not too much, right?"
"Woo… aoo, aoo…"
Hearing such a simple request, and lured on by the feast, the golden fox promptly opened her mouth.
But the moment she made a sound, the man in front of her sternly pressed a hand over her mouth.
"No, that's wrong. A proper fox doesn't sound like that!"
"?!"
The tiny figure froze in bewilderment.
Had she been calling wrong all these years?
"Come on, don't panic. I'll teach you!"
Samael rested a hand lightly on the golden fox's slender body, stroked her smooth fur, and earnestly demonstrated.
"Repeat after me: 'The Rebellion Shall Rise, And A King Shall Be Crowned!!'"
A solemn atmosphere spread between them. Those deep eyes opposite her were absurdly serious as he taught.
And as though under some strange spell, the golden fox, using vocal cords completely unsuited to human speech, let out a muddled cry that was close, yet not close at all.
"Mii… migu?"