"Anna—!"
The mountain paths at night were treacherous. Raven and his men struggled for quite some time before finally reaching the base of the cliff.
Beneath the cliff stretched a flat, open snowfield. A few hardy trees stood scattered in the distance.
Several small figures huddled beneath one of the trees, leaning against its trunk as though asleep.
But Lyon's shout stirred them awake, and the glow of torches blazing in the snowy dark drew their attention instantly.
The creatures turned toward the group.
"Beasts! Your Highness Raven, be careful!"
Lyon placed his hand on his sword, stepping protectively in front of Raven while eyeing the Pokémon warily.
They were small in stature, like squat palm trees wearing snow-white hoods.
Their bodies were a mix of white and brown, topped with what looked like snowy conical caps. At first glance, they resembled stubby fir trees blanketed in snow.
Snover?!
Raven recognized them at once.
The three Snover blinked curiously at the humans and their torches, wide eyes brimming not with hostility, but with fascination.
Raven knew it at once—what interested them wasn't the flames, but the strangers who had suddenly appeared in their territory.
"Snorrr?"
Under Lyon's tense gaze, the three Snover rose to their feet and slowly shuffled closer.
"Be on guard!"
Lyon's body tensed. Instinctively, he was about to draw his blade.
But a firm hand pressed down on his wrist.
"Don't attack," Raven commanded.
"Your Highness?!" Lyon's voice betrayed his disbelief. Beasts were dangerous!
But Raven simply shook his head, eyes steady on the trio. "They mean no harm."
Snover were known to be remarkably friendly toward humans.
Living high in snowbound mountains, they rarely encountered people, and the Pokédex recorded that whenever they found human footprints in the snow, Snover would gather curiously around.
Just like now.
The three Snover halted about three meters away, staring with round eyes at Raven's party.
No attack came. Instead, the little creatures only looked foolishly adorable.
Lyon blinked in shock. What… what was going on?
"They're curious," Raven explained quietly.
The knights turned toward him, confused.
"They've never seen beings like us before. Just as we'd stop and stare at something strange, they can't help themselves."
Lyon's jaw slackened.There were… beasts like this?
"Then… they won't attack us?" he asked hesitantly.
"Not unless we attack them first." Raven reached into his pocket and pulled out three almonds.
They'd been meant for Dratini, but looking at the harmless Snover, he couldn't resist. One by one, he offered the treats.
Then, turning back to his men, he said, "Let's move."
"Yes, Your Highness!" Reluctantly, Lyon and the others tore their eyes from the Snover and followed Raven onward.
The little snow-creatures remained, watching the humans' retreating backs.
Only when the strangers were gone did they look down at the nuts in their hands.
One sniffed, then nibbled.
"Snorrr~!"
Encouraged, the other two quickly ate theirs as well.
In the snowy night, the three Snover stared again at the footprints stretching far into the distance. Curiosity shone even brighter in their eyes.
"Anna!"
The cry echoed far across the snow.
Behind a windswept ridge, Anna clutched Zorua, her small body trembling from the cold.
"It's so cold… Little one, are we going to die out here tonight?" she whispered.
She was only ten years old. The thought of never seeing her mother again brought hot tears to her eyes.
If she never returned, her mother would be devastated… wouldn't she?
"Zou…"
Zorua fidgeted, unsure how to comfort her.
Then its ears twitched. From far across the snowfield, it caught faint sounds.
Instantly alert, Zorua pricked up its ears, staring toward the source.
"What is it?" Anna asked, panic flashing across her face.
Could it be… that terrifying beast again?
She followed its gaze—and her breath caught.
Faint lights glimmered in the distance. Torches.
The flames drew nearer. She couldn't make out the figures yet, but joy welled in her chest.
She leapt to her feet and cried out with all her strength:
"Over here! I'm here!"
The shapes turned at her voice and began to approach.
As the moonlight fell across their faces, Anna finally saw them clearly.
It was His Highness Raven!
Her eyes stung with sudden tears. He had come himself to find her!
"We've found her, Your Highness!" Lyon shouted, his voice brimming with relief.
Raven's chest eased. But then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the shadow cowering behind Anna—a small fox with wary blue eyes.
Zorua.
His pupils contracted sharply.
"Another beast!" Lyon and the others noticed it too, weapons at the ready.
"No!" Anna shielded it quickly. "It's not bad—it saved me!"
The knights exchanged baffled glances.
Raven studied the little fox, then asked, "Explain."
So Anna did—how she'd gone to gather herbs, how she'd met the Zorua, how another beast had chased her off the cliff, and how this one had healed her wounds with a vitality root.
"What—?!"
"Is that even possible?"
"A beast that saves a human?"
The knights were dumbfounded.
"It's true!" Anna insisted. Hugging Zorua tight, she looked up at Raven, pleading.
"Your Highness… this one isn't dangerous. Like me, it's lost its family. May I bring it back to camp? I'm scared something bad will happen to it if it stays alone here…"
To bring an uncontrollable, unknown beast into camp?
For men like Lyon, who had seen friends die to monsters, it was no different than inviting a wolf into the fold.
"Please, Your Highness!" Anna begged.
"Lyon," Raven said softly, "do you remember what I told you before?"
Lyon froze.
The words came back to him—Raven's voice that night:
Beasts aren't beyond reason. They are intelligent, capable of understanding human speech.
And if the girl spoke truth, then this fox had just proven it.
"…In any case, let's return first." Raven nodded. "Anna, keep it close."
Anna's face lit up with joy. "Yes, Your Highness!"
With Anna found, the party turned back.
Her leg was injured, so one knight carried her on his back. Together, they retraced their steps toward camp.
Not long after they left, however, three round figures emerged from the snowfield.
The Snover.
They stared at the human footprints stretching into the distance. Then, waddling side by side, they began to follow.
(End of Chapter 13)