On the way to the cave, the fox followed us, to my disappointment. I had hoped she would stay in her hunting grounds. At least, I had believed that our campsite and the surrounding area were part of her territory. But she followed us, or rather, she followed Dante, wagging her tail and it seemed I would have to deal with her from now on.

After a few hours, Dante grew tired and hungry, which wasn’t surprising. He wasn’t used to long journeys, and for every step I took, he made two of his own. He was still a child, and I still had no idea how he had managed to follow me in the first place.

I hunted for us, and we cooked our catch over a small fire. However, I was hesitant to let the fire burn for too long, fires could be seen from far away, and their smoke could be smelled even farther. That made us easy to find, so I had to rush Dante a little. I felt sorry for pushing him to keep moving, but the sooner we arrived, the better. I just hoped I wasn’t asking too much of my little cousin. That worry turned out to be unfounded. Once we had been walking for a while, Dante kept going farther and farther without needing to rest. After what felt like an eternity, we finally reached the part of the forest where the cave was. Just a short distance more, and we would be there.

Suddenly, the vixen stopped, causing Dante to nearly trip over her. Confused, Dante and I looked around. She must have sensed something, but what? Then I saw a flash of dark fur behind a bush. Immediately, I drew my bow and stepped in front of Dante.

"Stay behind me, little one. There’s something there. Whatever it is, you must move slowly and hide in a bush, okay?"

When he didn’t respond, I looked over my shoulder and saw the frightened face of a small boy. He was scared and maybe rightfully so, considering the color of the fur I had seen in the bushes.

After a moment, Dante nodded and did as I had told him. His orange-brown friend had placed herself in front of him and was growling continuously at whatever was lurking behind the bush.