IBFER 13

Chapter 13

“……”

Heat rushed to Nabom’s tiny face.

Feeling suddenly guilty, she quickly stretched out a paw and brushed the snow off Louis’s face.

At least he doesn’t seem hurt.

Then she turned around and, on her trembling legs, pushed Louis’s round little body deeper into the cave.

Phew.

Rubbing her small chest with a shaky paw, Nabom let out a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness.

It’s much warmer inside the cave than outside.

She looked back at Louis, then widened her eyes and started trying to remove the clothes wrapped around the baby bear.

If he stayed here, the snow would inevitably melt and soak his clothes. And if he caught a cold because of that, it would be a disaster.

You can never let your guard down when it comes to colds.

Grunting with effort, Nabom tugged desperately at his clothes. Since she wasn’t strong enough to take them off by herself, she began using her teeth to tear them little by little.

Then she ran outside, grabbed mouthfuls of hay buried beneath the snow, and carried them back into the cave.

After several trips, she had gathered a decent pile and carefully covered Louis with it.

There. That should do it.

Nabom puffed out her chest proudly as she looked at Louis, now buried beneath the hay.

The remaining problem is…

She had no idea where they were.

And Louis still hadn’t woken up.

What do I do?

Even making the short trip to the cave had nearly exhausted her. There was no way she could carry Louis all the way back to Grizzly Castle.

She didn’t even know exactly where the castle was.

So first, I need to wake him up.

Having steeled herself, Nabom raised her little rabbit fist.

Then—

Her ears suddenly shot upright.

A strange roar echoed from far away.

Something enormous seemed to be collapsing. Trees were falling. Birds were taking flight in alarm.

All of those sounds blended together into a single thunderous rumble.

The world seemed to spin.

Nabom collapsed onto the spot.

She had never experienced anything like this before.

The sound had come from much farther away than the animal footsteps she had heard before finding Louis.

Far away…

From the massive mountain range that separated the Arctic from the North.

After only a brief moment of shock, Nabom sprang up and ran out of the cave.

She tried to look toward the mountains beyond the forest, but the trees blocked her view.

All she could see was a pale white blizzard.

And yet—

…That sound came from that far away?

For some reason she couldn’t explain, she was certain it had originated from the mountains.

She didn’t know what had caused it.

But she was certain of one more thing.

Whatever strange phenomenon had occurred in those mountains would eventually affect this place as well.

Nabom rushed back into the cave.

Louis, wake up!

She cried desperately while striking his body.

But Louis still didn’t wake.

Growing anxious, she climbed on top of him and began pounding his furry face with her rabbit fists.

Perhaps because he was still young, her attacks actually seemed to have an effect.

Yet Louis refused to open his eyes.

His cheeks were even beginning to swell.

Alarmed, Nabom finally stopped hitting him.

She thumped her own chest in frustration before reaching toward him again.

If you don’t wake up… we’re really in trouble…!

“Ugh… ngh!”

She tried prying his eyelids open with her paws.

It was useless.

Panting heavily, Nabom’s eyes darted everywhere.

What is this? Why won’t he wake up?

Why all of a sudden?

Then a possibility flashed through her mind.

Her toes twitched.

…Hibernation?

But something felt wrong.

“Bear hibernation isn’t really sleep. It’s closer to dormancy—a long period of rest. Even while hibernating, they can wake up and move around if stimulated.”

That was exactly what Grandpa had told her.

Yet even after being hit hard enough for his cheeks to swell, Louis still hadn’t awakened.

Besides, hibernation wasn’t supposed to start until next month.

No, it can’t be hibernation.

Actually, that doesn’t matter right now!

She had to find a way.

Any way.

A way to escape this forest with Louis.

As her eyes raced around searching for an answer, her paws suddenly twitched.

That strange sensation again.

She could feel it through her feet.

Through the ground beneath them.

Tiny vibrations.

The faint trembling caused by countless footsteps.

She was sure of it.

These were the same footsteps she had sensed before the thunderous roar.

She didn’t know how far away they were.

She didn’t know how many there were.

She didn’t know whether they were allies or enemies.

But—

Someone is coming this way.

Placing a paw on Louis’s body, she whispered inwardly:

Wait here. I’ll be back soon.

Then she dashed out of the cave and began running.

Across the snowy field.

Following the vibrations beneath her feet.

As she ran, she eventually began hearing the sounds as well.

Judging by the noise, they belonged to four-legged creatures.

Animals? Beastfolk?

She couldn’t tell.

But there were many.

At least twenty, by her estimate.

Please. Please be allies.

Please be beastfolk who can understand my body language.

Praying desperately, she ran.

Then—

BOOOOM!

A tremendous impact seemed to shake the entire earth.

Nabom nearly lost her balance and stumbled.

That sound again.

The same thunderous noise from the mountains.

This time accompanied by a disturbing vibration.

Nabom looked toward the distant mountain range beyond the forest.

From here she could finally see it.

The hazy cloud covering the upper slopes.

What it really was.

…An avalanche.

An avalanche started at the summit.

So that was the source of the roar she had heard from the cave.

But how did I hear a sound from that far away?

Though honestly, that question didn’t matter right now.

Her round black eyes quickly scanned ahead again.

Hurry.

I have to hurry.

If the avalanche was visible from here, then the snow would definitely reach this forest.

A tiny cave like theirs would be swept away without difficulty.

“…!”

Following the footsteps, she suddenly emerged into an open area.

A white hill stretched before her.

It hadn’t been there when she ventured deep into the forest searching for Louis.

The terrain bulged upward, and there were fewer trees than elsewhere.

It almost felt like she had stepped into a wide field.

The footsteps were coming from beyond that hill.

Without hesitation, Nabom charged forward.

The moment she reached the slope—

Rumble, rumble!

She looked up at the sound of something rolling downward.

Snow.

Snow was pouring down.

Like a great white river, an enormous stream of snow surged down the hillside.

The avalanche is already here?!

At this rate, the path ahead would soon be blocked.

But no matter how fast she ran, she couldn’t outrun it.

Swallowing hard, Nabom looked down at her feet.

Thick layers of fur covered all four paws.

Thanks to that fur, her feet didn’t sink into the snow.

She could glide across it.

I’m a rabbit.

It had been about two years since she woke up as an Arctic rabbit.

Until now, she had never truly thought of herself as one.

She had lived more like a human soul trapped inside a rabbit’s body.

But now things were different.

The thick fur covering her paws.

The powerful hind legs capable of incredible leaps.

She had to trust the abilities of her rabbit body.

More than ever before, she needed to recognize what she was.

I am… an Arctic rabbit!

Shouting inwardly, Nabom leaped directly into the rushing avalanche.

The instant she entered it, she gasped.

It felt like being caught in the current of a raging river.

If she relaxed for even a moment, she would be swept away.

Carried off to some unknown place.

Or worse—

But there was no time for fear.

A torrent of snow surged from her right side.

A massive snowball—larger than Nabom herself and likely rolled down all the way from the mountain peak—came hurtling toward her.

Yet Nabom didn’t even need to turn her head.

As an Arctic rabbit, her field of vision was far wider than a human’s.

And her hind legs possessed unimaginable power.

She pushed off with all her strength.

As if leaping straight into the sky itself.

Boing!

She vaulted over the rushing current.

Then landed on a snowball rolling beneath her feet and jumped again.

The added momentum launched her even farther.

She easily cleared a snowball larger than her own body.

The speed.

The height.

They exceeded anything she had imagined.

Her feet trembled.

Th-this is…

So much fun!

Was this what skating felt like?

Skiing?

Snowboarding?

Whatever it was, she wanted to keep doing it forever.

Experiencing the thrill of winter sports for the first time, Nabom completely forgot the terror of the avalanche.