TBF 11

Chapter 11

Early the Next Morning

When Nabom opened her eyes at dawn, she almost jumped off the bed in surprise.

A familiar boy was sitting in the dark room.

Louis?

Still wearing his pajamas, Louis had fallen asleep with his arms resting on the side of Nabom’s bed.

Blink. Blink.

Nabom stared at him in confusion.

Why is he sleeping here?

But before she could think any further, Louis mumbled in his sleep.

“…Mom.”

Just that one word.

His face twisted with pain, though his eyes remained closed.

Is he… talking in his sleep?

More importantly, what kind of dream was making him look so miserable?

I’ve never seen Louis make a face like that.

He had always been cheerful, bright, like a ray of sunshine. Seeing that expression shocked her even more than finding him asleep in her room.

Mom…

Come to think of it, she’d met Theodore, the father of the little bear brothers, but she’d never seen their mother.

In the original story, House Grizzly wasn’t an especially important family, so she barely remembered any mention of the mother.

If Louis missed her that much, why wasn’t he with her instead of sleeping here?

“I’m… sorry.”

Louis spoke again.

“I’m sorry… Mom…”

He whispered softly, biting his lower lip.

Tears slowly slipped from beneath his tightly shut eyelids.

“…”

Nabom sat quietly on the bed, staring at him.

As a tear rolled down his cheek, she instinctively reached out with her paw.

Her fluffy paw gently touched his face.

The tear soaked into her soft fur.

At that moment, Louis opened his eyes.

“…Snowy?”

Startled, Nabom quickly pulled her paw back.

She lost her balance and flopped onto her back.

Seeing that, Louis burst into laughter and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.

“Snowy, why are you here?”

That’s what I wanted to ask, you brat.

Nabom narrowed her eyes.

Just then, a faint blue light filtered through the window.

The sun hadn’t risen yet, but the pale moonlight made one thing clear.

The snow had stopped.

“Snowy.”

When she looked back, Louis was smiling.

“Want to go for an early morning walk together?”

His smile was a little different from usual, carrying a trace of exhaustion.

Nabom nodded.

I don’t think I should leave him alone right now.

The Secret Morning Walk

What do you mean I shouldn’t leave him alone…

Nabom immediately regretted thinking that as she clung tightly to Louis’s shoulders.

“We’re going down now!”

Louis shouted excitedly before changing direction on top of the castle wall.

Then he began climbing down.

Slowly—for him.

For Nabom, it felt like a terrifying free fall.

Finally, they reached the ground.

“All done, Snowy.”

Her legs trembling, Nabom climbed off his back.

Just how high was that…?

The wall felt as tall as the second floor of the hospital she’d stayed in.

Louis had climbed it effortlessly.

I thought we were just taking a walk… I didn’t know we were leaving the castle! Is this really okay…?

As Nabom nervously looked back at Grizzly Castle, Louis grinned.

“It’s fine. I sneak out like this all the time.”

He shrugged casually.

For him, this really was normal.

Today had actually taken longer because he’d climbed the wall in his human form so Snowy wouldn’t be frightened.

If he’d transformed into a bear, it would’ve been much faster.

“Come on! This way!”

He waved her over before hurrying ahead.

After checking that she was following, he picked up the pace.

The eastern sky was already beginning to brighten.

We need to hurry before the birds eat everything.

Soon, Louis arrived at his secret food stash.

Next to a large snow-covered boulder stood a tree with branches buried beneath snow.

He brushed away the snow, revealing several berries still hanging beneath the leaves.

Because of the shelter provided by the boulder, this tree always kept some fruit through the winter.

Whenever he got bored, he’d come here to eat them.

He picked a handful of berries and turned around.

Bending down, he held out his hand filled with dark berries.

“Snowy, look. Don’t these look deli—”

His voice suddenly stopped.

The berries slipped from his hand onto the snow.

Thud… thud…

Louis’s golden eyes widened in panic.

“…Snowy?”

The rabbit that had been following him…

Was gone.

Lost

The rabbit sprinted desperately before finally stopping.

Uh-oh…

I think I lost the second brother.

The trail was littered with enormous boulders.

Louis had walked through them without hesitation.

He even seemed excited, as though he had somewhere important to reach quickly.

Nabom had done her best to keep up.

But while Louis simply stepped over the rocks, they were far too large for a rabbit.

Every time she encountered one, she had to stop and go around it.

Somewhere along the way…

She’d lost sight of him.

What do I do?

She stood her ears upright, trying to hear footsteps.

Nothing.

Only the wind.

She sniffed repeatedly, searching for Louis’s scent.

Nothing.

She’d followed his smell all the way here.

Now even that had disappeared.

Did I come the wrong way? No… I’m sure his scent was here. So why did it suddenly disappear?

This is bad.

I don’t even know which direction Grizzly Castle is anymore.

As she looked around anxiously, another thought suddenly struck her.

…Wait.

Louis wasn’t here.

Neither were Anna, Theodore, nor the Sled Dog Knights.

There wasn’t a single guard nearby.

Even better…

For some reason, even the scent of predators had been blown away.

Isn’t this the perfect chance to escape?

If even the overwhelming smell of predators had vanished, there was no way they’d be able to track the scent of a tiny herbivore like her.

Nabom looked ahead.

The forest only grew deeper.

If I keep going this way… I’ll reach the Arctic—the territory of the White Wolves and the Arctic rabbits.

Which means…

She turned around.

Going the opposite direction would take her back past Grizzly Castle and eventually toward the western, eastern, or central regions.

She could find a kind beastman willing to keep an herbivore as a pet.

She could survive.

Live just a little longer.

Isn’t this my chance?

She turned to leave.

“…?”

Something drifted down from the sky.

Snow.

When she looked up, the clear blue sky from moments ago had vanished.

Dark gray clouds covered everything.

After years of living in the Arctic, Nabom knew exactly what that meant.

A blizzard.

The moment she realized it—

Whoooooosh!

A fierce wind roared through the forest.

Afraid she’d be blown away, Nabom grabbed onto a small rock and crouched low.

So that’s why…

The wind scattered Louis’s scent.

The snowstorm began almost immediately.

Soon, visibility would disappear completely.

The wind weakened for a brief moment.

Nabom stood and looked into the distance.

If I keep going now…

But then she shook her head.

Without another thought, she turned around and charged north, straight into the growing blizzard.

No matter how powerful a predator Louis might become…

No matter that he was the son of Theodore, the Bloody Butcher…

Right now—

He was still just a child.

If he got lost in a blizzard like this…

Maybe…

I have to find him.

I have to find the second brother!

Meanwhile…

Early that same morning…

Still wearing his pajamas, Ferdi headed toward Louis’s room.

He’s probably still asleep.

I’m sure he hasn’t even touched his homework.

He should at least take his lessons seriously once a month.

Louis was always saying things like:

“I’m only the second son anyway. I’ll just join the Imperial Knights or the Sled Dog Knights. Though… can only dog beastmen join the Sled Dog Knights?”

That’s exactly why Heinz is always mad at you.

If you want to join the Imperial Knights, you especially need to stay on good terms with the Hegwig family.

Skill matters, but connections matter too.

For Louis’s future, Ferdi had decided that today he would finally give his little brother a proper lecture.

“Louis, it’s time to wake up.”

The moment he reached the room, he opened the door without even knocking.

He strode inside the dim bedroom and pulled the curtains wide open.

“If you want to finish your homework, there’s no time to waste.”

Then he walked around the bed.

“…Louis?”

Confusion filled Ferdi’s eyes.