When Leon arrived home, the ‘important guest’ Grandma had mentioned that morning was standing by the door. Seeing the doctor, who had come all the way to the cabin in the woods wearing a white gown and carrying a royal blue bag, Leon couldn’t help but sigh.
Despite the doctor repeatedly saying that Grandma’s frail body was beyond medical help, she couldn’t give up hope.
‘I should just tell him to go.’
As he scratched his neck with a grin, Leon suddenly felt the weightiness of the basket. A spark of realization flashed in Leon’s mind.
“Teacher!”
The man, about to knock on the door, turned around. Elegant, long blonde hair swayed, and beyond thin glasses, blue eyes scrutinized Leon. The man had excessively pale skin, and the scent of disinfectant wafted from his entire body.
“Hello. You came for the examination, right?”
“Yes. Is the patient inside?”
“No. The patient is here.”
As Leon lifted the basket, the doctor squinted his eyes and adjusted his glasses.
“I’m not a veterinarian. I came to examine someone weak.”
“But you can still do first aid and disinfection, right? Please.”
The doctor, still focused on the basket, observed the puppy inside. To be precise, the silvery fur that, despite being stained with blood, still gleamed with luster.
“Let’s take a look inside.”
Leon led the way, holding the basket. Grandma, who was in the living room, put down her needlework upon seeing Leon return earlier than expected.
“I thought you’d come much later. Did you meet the doctor?”
“I met him on the way here. But more importantly, I found an injured puppy in the woods…”
“Another injured creature you brought home.”
Grandma grumbled, putting away her needle and the cloth. Then, she spread a clean cloth on the table, tapped the center, and said,
“Put it here.”
With careful movements, Leon placed the puppy on the table. The puppy, who had slept soundly on the way here, struggled to open its eyelids. Its blurry pupils darted aimlessly before they finally stopped on Leon.
Whimper.
Feeling like it was calling him, Leon gently placed his hand on the puppy’s back. As he gently stroked the unharmed back, the puppy opened its mouth and panted happily. The tiny tongue that peeked out was a lovely shade of pink.
“Let me take a look.”
The doctor approached as he set down his bag. The puppy, which had comfortably entrusted its body to Leon, suddenly jumped up.
Woof! Woof!
Blood gradually splattered onto the white cloth. Startled, Leon withdrew his hand, but the puppy, with its fur bristling, barked wildly at the doctor. Understanding the situation, the doctor took a step back, creating some distance from the puppy.
Once the distance was secured, the puppy looked back at Leon. Resentment flickered in its blue eyes.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
I trusted you! How could you hand me over to a stranger? This is betrayal! Grrr, bark, bark!
“…”
It was a very specific gaze.
Nevertheless, they couldn’t ignore the treatment. The doctor, who had been awkwardly observing the puppy, knelt down and opened a leather bag on the floor. Various-sized syringes, a bottle of transparent liquid, cotton and bandages, pills, and basic medical tools appeared.
“Because it’s cautious, you’ll have to treat it yourself. Is that okay?”
“Yes. I’ll do it.”
“First, we need to clean the wound with antiseptic.”
As instructed by the doctor, Leon poured antiseptic onto the cotton and the smell of alcohol pierced his nose. Leon gently held the fur around the nose, where there were tooth marks, and applied the cotton to the wound. The puppy flinched for a moment but didn’t resist or struggle like before.
“We need to check this side as well.”
“Yes.”
The puppy behaved quietly this time too. Thanks to that, Leon could carefully wipe the deep wound without making it more painful. Wanting to avoid causing more pain, he moved very cautiously.
“Good puppy. Well-behaved puppy.”
The puppy licked Leon’s palm with its pink tongue. It was warm and slightly rough. A misty smile appeared on Leon’s lips. Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be dying as quickly as he had feared.
“It would be good to cover the wound with something to prevent it from being touched. Unfortunately, I don’t have anything. Please take care not to let it lick or bite the wound.”
The doctor closed the royal blue bag. Grandma, who had quietly disappeared, returned with a few bronze coins and handed them to the doctor. The doctor counted the number of coins on his palm.
“Sorry, but… it would be more if you include the royal fee.”
“Hmm, has the royal fee gone up since then?”
Grandma raised her head and pointed the glass bottle filled with coins towards the doctor. At that moment, the puppy, which had been leaning on Leon’s arm, slightly growled, revealing less-developed gums.
Grrr.
The doctor raised an eyebrow. Meanwhile, Grandma brought a few more coins and handed them to the doctor. After counting the coins again, the doctor finally lifted his bag.
“That should be enough. Well then, take care, Grandma.”
“Thank you, dear. Actually, I had called you here because of my unemployed boy at home.”
“Haha. Your grandson looks healthy, though. Well then, I’ll be on my way.”
“Goodbye.”
Leon also nodded in farewell. Grandma escorted the doctor to the entrance, leaving only the puppy and Leon in the living room. The puppy, through the corridor, stared persistently at the departing doctor.
“Why is it like that? He even disinfected it.”
The puppy whimpered, shaking its ears. Grrr.
“Of course, the doctor didn’t do the disinfection; I did it. Anyway, he lent us the medicine. Our stock of disinfectant had run out.”
Kiing, kiiing.
“Did you hear what the doctor said? Don’t lick or bite the wound. It might itch as it heals, so be careful.”
The puppy turned its head, showing a haughty attitude as if saying, ‘Do you think I wouldn’t know such basics?’ Compared to when it was slouched in the basket, it was quite lively now.
Leon, who was scratching the puppy’s silver-gray neck, chuckled. It seemed energetic already, in contrast to its previous immobile state.
“It’s a bit strange… it seemed like a very deep wound.”
At that moment, Grandma came back, locking the front door with a grim expression. Her small mouth was tightened as if she was displeased. She shuffled back to the chair she had been sitting on and picked up her needlework as Leon discreetly rolled his eyes.
“Grandma, are you upset?”
Grandma’s nostrils flared.
“Sorry. Anyway, you had the examination, right?”
“I called him not because of you but because of the puppy. The doctor said my body is weak and can’t be fixed even if he comes. And you, worrying about the puppy for no reason.”
Leon gently picked up the puppy, avoiding the injured area. Watching the puppy wag its tail, Grandma snorted.
“Hmph. It seemed almost dead a while ago, but it’s lively now because it’s a puppy.”
“Is that so? It seems to be getting better quickly, so it might be able to return to the forest soon.”
The puppy blinked its blue eyes once. As Leon lifted its head and looked into its fluffy forehead, he gently gave it a small kiss.
“Don’t worry. You’ll get back home quickly.”
The puppy stared at Leon without moving a muscle.
Kiiing…
Suddenly, it collapsed. Its tongue hanging out, eyes closed, it fell limp without any sign of consciousness. Leon’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Uh-oh. Grandma, I’ll put him on the bed and come back. And I need to give him some water.”
As if regaining its strength, the puppy quickly recovered after appearing weak for a moment. Leon, who had just looked after it, disappeared into the inner room. Grandma, watching Leon vanish with a concerned look, clicked her tongue.
‘It seems like you picked up a fox cub, not a puppy.’
***
Whether it was a puppy or a fox, the adorable and warm silvery furball quickly regained its energy within a few days. Occasionally, when met with Leon’s earnest gaze, it would suddenly act weak, but other than that, it roamed around the house lively and energetically.
If the puppy had grown a bit more, it would have likely chewed up all the cloth inside the house, gnawed on every piece of wood, and probably tipped over the trash bin daily. Fortunately, its size was still small, and it hadn’t caused any major disasters.
Thunk, thunk!
The puppy barked loudly and stood up on its hind legs. When its thick front paws touched Grandma’s knee, Grandma, who was sewing, reached out her hand.
“That’s right, that’s right. It even pees outside. Such a good boy. Want some petting?”
Woof.
As soon as the hand reached its head, the puppy lowered its front paws and turned its body. Grandma’s wrinkled mouth puckered more than usual.
“Playing hard to get.”
The silvery puppy that Leon brought home clearly had some discriminatory tendencies. Although it would approach Grandma and let her pet it, it absolutely didn’t allow anyone to touch its body. However, when Leon approached,
“Grandma, I’m back.”
Woof, woof! Woof!
Swiftly, the puppy dashed out and leaped up, urging Leon to embrace it. Its fluffy furball bounced as if it were a lively little creature. Unable to resist its cuteness, Leon quickly lifted it. when the puppy nestled into Leon’s chest, it contentedly purred with its snout against him.
“That fox-like rascal stole some berries earlier.”
Grandma grumbled discontentedly. Leon checked the puppy’s mouth at eye level. Indeed, its silver snout was stained with a purplish hue close to black.
The puppy extended its long tongue, licked its snout, and then playfully wagged its head as if innocent. Leon patted the puppy’s snout with his forehead and chuckled.
“That’s not okay. Why did you steal? Are you hungry because you’re still a little pup?”
“If you don’t want it to eat everything, you have to train it unless you plan to keep it tied up outside. What’s the point of a frail unemployed guy going through all the trouble to bring it back if it’s going to steal everything?”
“I’m fine, Grandma. I can bring more if needed.”
“You’re fine, you rascal! If you collapse again in the forest, this old woman’s blood vessels will burst and I’ll die!”
“Oh dear, Grandma is angry. Let’s run away.”
Holding the puppy, Leon swiftly escaped outside.
The yard was filled with white laundry. White blankets, swaying in the dazzling sunlight and occasionally dropping cold water droplets from the edges, created a peaceful scene.
Observing the serene landscape for a moment, Leon sat on the worn-out chair outside with the puppy in his arms. No matter how much it licked, the berry stain on its snout wouldn’t come off.
Pretending to be serious, Leon clenched his fist.
“Grandma is right. Until all the wounds are healed, you have to live with us but you can’t cause too many accidents.”
The puppy yawned widely, displaying its teeth that appeared like fresh sprouts on its pink gums. All the fur around its snout had turned purplish, creating a sweet and charming image that hit Leon’s heart.
“No. Don’t try to pass with cuteness.”
He spread out his palms sternly. After all, it would be better to teach it the most basic things first.
“Sit.”
…
“Sit. I said sit.”
…
“Oh my. Can’t you sit quickly?”
Keehee. Leon’s face went blank at the snort that came back instead of an answer.
“Did you just snort?”
The grandma is completely right, that’s not a wolf cub, with how sly and cunning it is that’s clearly a fox in disguise 😂
It’s really no wonder that when it grows up, Leon is unable to resist him in any way 😂😂 I wonder if it’ll develop a bottom line? And you know, be mischievous upto a certain point, but not so naughty that it becomes too much and crosses the line 🤔
Thank you very much for the translation 💖
ur welcomeee💛💛💛
<3 slow start~ hoping there will be some action adventure too to look forward to?