The Snow Leopard Family's Peaceful Nap Turns Into a Heart-Stopping Panic!
The nest was warm and snug, nestled deep inside the cave to shield it from the icy wind outside.
I could feel the soft, cozy heat of the little snow leopard cubs pressed tightly against my body. It felt so nice and peaceful.
“Kyaaa~”
Whoa, this is way better than I thought.
“Hehe. Op-pa, these guys are super warm! Look how they’re all cuddling!”
Lumia was right next to me, sitting close. She carefully placed one tiny snow leopard cub on her lap and gently stroked its tail and belly.
We were rolling around in that pile of fluffy fur, time flying by.
“Krrroooorr~”
That loud rumbling sound woke us all up.
“Kyaa?”
What the heck is that…?
I shot my eyes open.
My own belly was growling, but not that loud, right?
“Huh? Op-pa hungry? Yeah, since I’m a pig… I get hungry at the right time.”
“Kyaang!”
You come here. You haven’t been organizing ranks lately? Always acting up?
I raised my front paws and glared at Lumia.
Krrk. Krrrooo. Shhh.
The little snow leopard cub that had been burying its face in my belly let out a soft groan and flopped tiredly onto my belly, mouth still twitching.
That rumbling I heard earlier… was it coming from this tiny guy’s belly?
“A! Op-pa, they’re all hungry! That sound was coming from the little ones’ bellies!”
“Kyung.”
Yeah, look at their bellies.
I turned my head to the snow leopard couple.
They were hiding their faces with their long tails, looking embarrassed and sneaking glances away.
“Kyung.”
Yeah, the wild is harsh. You can’t guarantee you’ll always succeed at hunting.
Their bellies looked sunken from not eating properly.
“Op-pa, what should we do? They look really hungry… it must be tough being hungry… Did we not bring any snacks?”
“Kyaa.”
I snuck out for a walk without anything. How was I supposed to bring meat?
“Heeing… what now… Should I go out and catch a rabbit?”
Lumia lifted one of the little snow leopards with sad eyes, hugging it tightly.
She must have remembered the loneliness of surviving alone in the wild.
The cubs had no more energy to cry and just stayed quietly pressed against me, falling asleep again.
I watched them for a second, then suddenly jumped up from my spot.
“Kyaa.”
Big brother’s going to feed these hungry little lambs.
The little ones clinging to me looked up at me with confused expressions.
I closed my eyes and pulled up the pure white sacred energy burning inside me, gathering it into one concentrated bundle.
“Whoa… Op-pa’s body is glowing! It’s so pretty!”
Lumia clapped her hands together in delight.
The sacred energy bundle floated out from my body and settled in the nest, then transformed into various shapes of meat.
“Kyaa!”
Here, eat a lot. You have to grow up strong.
Piles of red meat sat piled high on the floor.
The savory smell of meat mixed with the powerful scent of sacred energy from the living energy filled the entire nest.
“Op-pa… you’re like a magician! Way more amazing than Aunt Rosalia!”
Lumia bounced in place, her tail wagging happily.
“Squeak… shhh…”
“Grng…”
But the little snow leopards didn’t dare approach.
They drooled at the corner of their mouths but just stared at the suddenly appearing meat piles, unable to move.
“Shh… nab… shhh…”
“Kyung.”
Why won’t you eat? This is delicious. Just one bite.
I pushed the meat toward them with my front paw, but the cubs kept looking at their mother and whining.
The snow leopard parents cautiously approached, sniffing the meat scent with their big noses.
“Sniff sniff. Ssss.”
The mother snow leopard’s eyes widened in surprise.
Her wild instincts knew this was extremely nutritious and delicious food.
“Chomp, chomp.”
The mother immediately bit into the meat, chewing a few times before swallowing it with her eyes half-closed.
Every time the mother snow leopard swallowed a piece of meat, something amazing happened.
Her dull fur started to shine with a healthy glow. The tiny scars she had faded away, leaving only faint white smoke. Her tired eyes filled with new life.
“Kyaa!”
Yeah, how rare is this. See? It’s tasty, right?
Once the parents had their eyes rolled back in ecstasy from the meat, the cubs finally let their guard down completely.
“Pyaak! Shh! Kyaang!”
The little snow leopards ran over on their tiny legs and nuzzled into the meat.
Their tails whipped around fast as they chewed the meat with their small teeth.
With their bellies full after eating fresh food, their cheeks got round from stuffing themselves with meat.
They look so cute when they eat.
“Here, there’s way more! Eat this too. Good job. Ah!”
Lumia was so happy watching the little ones eat that she grabbed more meat piles and stuffed them into their mouths one after another.
The cubs even licked Lumia’s fingers while eating the meat.
“Buvi-buvi. Grng grng.”
The snow leopard family, their bellies full and energy restored, all rushed over to me at once.
Like they were repaying a debt, they rubbed their fluffy cheeks and chins all over my face and body.
The happy rumbling sounds filled the cave with noise.
“Kyaang!”
Hey, that tickles! Stop licking! My fur’s all wet!
“Hehe, Op-pa these guys really like Op-pa! Me too! Me too, lick me!”
Without realizing it, the corners of my mouth lifted up.
Helping someone is always so satisfying and feels good.
“Kyuu…?”
While I was receiving all that affection, I unconsciously glanced outside the cave and my body suddenly went stiff.
“Ky… kyuu…?”
When did… time pass so much?
We had left for a walk at dawn.
But now the sun was blazing brightly.
By this time the butlers should have already woken up. And the most important thing was that we hadn’t said a single word — we just slipped out without a trace.
Cold sweat ran down my back.
I could see the look of shock on the butlers’ faces when they realized I was gone.
“Kyuuu…”
Ah… what now…? If I go and act spoiled, maybe they’ll forgive me…?
I tucked my tail between my legs and started trembling.
“Op-pa…? Why are you like this? Are you hurt? Suddenly stomachache?”
Lumia, who had been stroking the little snow leopard, noticed something was wrong and tilted her head.
Lumia followed my gaze to the bright sun outside and her eyes grew wide.
“Eh… the sun… when did it get so high…?”
Lumia’s ears drooped. She too realized how serious the situation was and her whole body went rigid.
…………………………………………
“Sssrruck.”
On the bed, Kailian’s eyelids slowly opened under the thick blanket.
“Umm… Blanc… did you sleep well…?”
She must have slept deeply because yesterday she was so drained.
Kailian stretched and started to grope the empty spot beside her out of habit.
She always reached for the soft, warm fluffy bundle that greeted her every morning.
“Grope… grope…”
“…Eh?”
But her hand only touched the cold, empty sheet of the bed.
Kailian looked at the empty spot beside her with half-closed sleepy eyes. The bed was completely bare.
Not a single strand of Blanc’s fur or even a shadow remained.
“Blanc…? Where did you go since morning? Were you hungry?”
Kailian jumped out of bed and quickly scanned the room.
Rosalia was asleep face-down on the desk.
Lina was drooling with a weird smile while pretending to sleep.
Haetae was quietly sleeping.
They were exactly as they had been last night. But the one who was always there — Blanc — was nowhere to be seen.
“Blanc…? Lumia?”
Kailian’s voice trembled slightly.
She quickly searched the closet, under the table, even the bathroom corner.
Nothing.
Blanc’s trace was nowhere in the room.
“Bl-Blanc…? Don’t lie! Come out right now! It’s not time for hide-and-seek! Blanc!”
Even with her desperate cry, there was no answer.
Kailian’s red eyes shook violently, as if an earthquake had hit.
Her hand trembled on its own, and her breathing grew rough.
The sound of her heartbeat thumped loudly in her ears.
Frightening memories flooded in like a tidal wave.
Before meeting Blanc. The bloody daily life. A world with not even a shred of warmth. An extreme loneliness as if the entire world had abandoned her.
“No…”
The thought that she might never feel that warm belly again wouldn’t leave her mind.
She might be sent back to that cold world.
That extreme fear covered Kailian’s eyes.
“…Blanngg!!!”
A heartbroken scream tore from her throat.
“Hah…! W-What is the matter, Your Highness?!”
“Why are you like this?!”
At the sound of that scream, Rosalia, Lina, and Haetae all shot up like springs.
In front of them, still half-asleep, Kailian stood staggering, her face looking like she might collapse any second.
“Blanc… Blanc disappeared… Lumia… they must have taken her…”
“Eh? What do you mean? What are you talking about, Your Highness? If you’ve lost the Saint, what…?”
Just like that, the room turned into a battlefield of chaos.
“Outside… he probably just went out for a short breath of fresh air… There are no signs of forced entry…”
Rosalia adjusted her glasses with trembling hands.
“…Ah…”
Lina sat slumped on the floor, staring blankly into space and muttering.
“Whoever… I don’t know, but if they took Blanc…”
Haetae felt her vision spin and grabbed her chest.
Her chest felt heavy, as if someone was strangling her.
Her eyes blurred with madness from the overwhelming stress, and she couldn’t see anything.
It felt like someone was about to tear her chest apart.
Haetae could no longer hold back the shock and sat down heavily.