The Fox couldn’t help but sit in silence for some time. There was just too much going through his brain at this point. The Fox truly didn’t understand this fox or I suppose “The Many” should be his form of address now, besides he didn’t even have a solid form of a fox. How can we call him as such?
‘Well I suppose that was an interesting experience if I must say so. Nevertheless we are alive and that is something to be valued is it not?’
True, the fact that they were still alive was the most important point, they had lived another day despite the strange encounter and strange forest.
‘But, why can’t he find food himself and needs our help? He is obviously far stronger than us and could kill far stronger creatures than we could? So why would he spare us to gather food?’
‘To be honest, I don’t get this at all myself. This world is kill or be killed, even we started with you trying to eat me and then me later trying to eat you. Casually keeping a random creature to just amuse yourself and gather petty amounts of food makes no sense.’
‘Is there really something special enough about us that let him spare us? What could that be? Perhaps it's the fact that we are two beings stuck together from this weird evolution or whatever it is?’
‘That is also the only thing I can think about that is special’
‘Well despite The Many being incomprehensible in “Many” ways, hehe…. We need to heal up first and foremost. After All this really really HURTS.
‘....’
The Black Lily found it above herself to even acknowledge the faint pun The Fox just made. On another note, the injuries are truly the most pressing problem and needs to be solved immediately. Yet even if they want to solve it, they don’t really have that many options. What do they even need to heal?
‘Ah right, what we need right now is Qi….. haaaa how are we supposed to get that when you can’t even move properly?? Useless furball has now become even more useless. Truly an impressive feat!’
The Fox came to a sudden halt as The Black Lily shouted at him (mentally). Ah, he actually did become a useless furball this time…. Crap. Also he will be leaching away her Qi to heal himself….. There really is no way to refute her this time. He himself agreed with her this time.
As he settled down The Fox then started to groan. He once again was feeling the pain in his abdomen flare up. He was happy that most of his major wounds had healed before this whole mess, yet it wasn in no way a full recovery.
‘Ughhh…. This pain sure is persistent.’
‘Oh, the useless furball has decided to continue to complain! Brilliant solution!’
‘....’
Honestly, The Fox felt quite ashamed of his overall performance in the recent fight. He decided to just accept the insults and move on as he had no way to really refute them at the moment. Besides, it was rather comforting to hear the familiar mocking of The Black Lily. They may not have been together that long, but he had never really interacted with others before so the mocking was special in its own way.
‘Whatever… Ughhh, we should go ahead and get out of this forest before anything.’
Groaning as he stood up, The Fox prepared to make his move to leave the forest. Even if there was some unknown reason behind this all, it was best to do as The Many says. At least this way they should live longer, after all pissing off something that brings such fear to his heart is less than advised.
‘Hey, Complaint ball, which way do we go….’
The Fox paused…. They didn’t ask for the way out at all when The Many was here, well it's not like they knew how to ask either. After a moment he decided that the best guess to make was to turn around and go the opposite direction of The Many. The Many had likely gone deeper into the forest.
‘Well we have never gone hunting together before have we? Got anything you could do that would be worth a single strand of fur?’
‘Welllll…. You know that I don’t know anything about my evolution….’
The Fox could feel that The Black Lily was currently pouting at him for asking a question he already knew the answer to. He couldn’t help but let out a little internal chuckle as he got back at her a little. Unfortunately for him, the chuckle did not escape the perception of The Black Lily.
‘Oh what! You think you are SOOOOOO much better than me! If it wasn’t for me you would be BEYOND DEAD! Stupid ungreatfull smelling dirty filthy disgusting repulsing pile of useless fur!’
Wow, she was really trying her best there to come up with as many insults as she could huh. Though The Fox did have to begrudgingly admit that he was currently alive mostly because The Black Lily was here.
‘Hey I just thought of something.’
‘Hmph!’
‘..heh..heh.. Well uhhh, anyway, I was thinking, The Many is a title or something that we should call him by right?’
‘.....’
She was definitely still angry at The Fox at this point. He couldn’t help but feel a little helpless about dealing with the attitude of The Black Lily, despite it was obviously his own fault for setting her off.
‘*cough* man you aren’t making this easy.’ The Fox was honestly just trying to ease up the atmosphere but he was also rather interested in the conversation he wanted to bring up.
‘AN-Y-WAY….. I wanted to know what you would think of making our own titles’
‘?’ he had evidently caught her attention with the topic at this moment.
‘Afterall, can I really be considered a “White Fox” or “The Fox” anymore? And can you be considered a “Black Lily”? Besides, it seems too weird to just refer to each other as such…. And “useless ball of fur” isn’t the greatest way to be referred to either.’
Part of this comes from The Fox wanting to get away from the “useless ball of fur” title that he had already gotten from The Black Lily.
‘Hmmmm, good idea! Well then, I will be the Goddess and Savior Lily from now on!’
Well…. He shoulda known better than to let The Black Lily come up with her own title…
‘...uhhh that is kind of …. Excessive?.... Ummm, how about we each come up with eachothers titles!’
‘What do you mean it’s Excessive! It’s totally a normal and appropriate title! But if you insist so much then fine. What will I be called from now on.’
The Fox couldn’t help but feel strangely pressured from The Black Lily at this moment. He felt if he came up with a bad title she would make his life a living hell. Yet even with such pressure The Fox had a sudden flash of inspiration.
‘How about Snow?’
‘Snow? Why that?’
‘Why? … uhhh because it just fits…’
He had really chosen it as a way to slightly get back at her for calling him useless furball. He came up with snow as it represents something pure, white, and cold, and she represents literally the opposite of all of those.
‘Well…. It’s… fine? I guess? I still don’t really get why you chose that but it sounds nice at least. Hmmmm, well snow is white, yet I’m a Black Lily…. Oddly opposite…. Well since you named me as something white I will name you after something black!.... Well, lets see here, you are idiotic and rash, so a hot head, yet you also somehow seem to still be alive after screwing up so many times….. Ah! So let's go with Cinder! The dregs after a hot fire, that still can be lit again even after being burned the first time. Also it can oftentimes be black… hehehe yes! Cinders it is.’
The Fox had to admit one thing, Snow was at least transparent with her reasoning unlike himself who had a snide comment hidden in his naming. Well it also can’t be considered a completely kind name for himself either, but he feels oddly satisfied with the name anyway. But on a slightly different note…. Why does The Bl- uh Snow know so much about fire….. Eh, not my problem…. I think.
‘...Well that works. So from now on I’ll call you Snow and you can call me Cinder.’
‘Sounds fine to me. So why did you feel the need to make titles all of a sudden usele- Cinder?’
‘Hehehe, well I just wanted to ease up the tension, besides I felt like having a cool title to call myself later anyway.’
‘Wait, so you literally only decided to do this to make me happy?’
‘Uh, sure? I just hate hearing/feeling you pouting constantly in my head.’ and hate being called useless furball.
‘Well, whatever, let's just get to hunting already. I really wanna see how you, a useless ball of fur, hunts.’
Cinder couldn’t help but feel a little sad that even with the whole title ordeal he still didn’t get rid of his previous title of “useless ball of fur”. Nevertheless he started to journey out of the forest. Strangely he didn’t feel the pressure from the surrounding trees anymore, but that likely had to do with The Many.
