Jojo was wary at first. He had heard stories about humans from his father. He had also once passed a human hunter in the forest, and was terrified when he saw that hunter kill a deer with just a single weapon.
His father had told him to hide or run away whenever he encountered a human, because most of them were up to no good. They would either capture him and skin him for his fur, or keep him as a pet, no different from a slave.
But this human showed no sign of being a threat. She looked weak, really weak. Once Jojo drew near, he could barely detect her faint breaths.
Her body was exceptionally hot, as if she were running a terrible fever.
She was covered in wounds—old and new, just like him—which made him wonder if she had also fallen from a hill.
Jojo stared at the human's face for a while and realized she was crying in her sleep. Her tears wouldn't stop falling, tugging at something in his small heart.
He was only four, and had lived his entire life with his father, so he had never seen a female cry before.
He didn't know how to make her feel better. Maybe she cried because her wounds were too painful.
"D-don't cry… Jojo's wounds are bad too, and I don't cry…" Jojo muttered. "If you cry, then you'll be eaten by a bear."
Jojo tried to make a fierce expression with his small face, a way to show he was tough, that no pain would make him cry. But his father often said he needed to grow more before he could intimidate anyone.
The cold wind blew again, seeping through the cracks and holes inside the shed.
Jojo trembled, losing his fierce look. His wounds were severe, and the wind made him ache down to his bones.
Thus, guided purely by instinct, he snuggled closer to the human girl. He curled up in his wolf form and tucked himself beneath her arm, brushing against her neck where her warmth eased his pain.
It didn't take long for the wolf cub to fall asleep.
**
Sisi always ran a high fever every time she was beaten and thrown into the shed. She felt as though she were taking her last breath and would die any minute.
But perhaps God was playing tricks on her, because she always woke up the next morning, still had enough strength to continue her daily tasks at the farm.
Sisi opened her eyes slowly, her gaze still hazy, but quickly snapped out of her daze when she felt something furry tickling her neck.
She looked down and gasped when she saw a little wolf cub nestled against her.
The cub's body was riddled with wounds, most already scabbed, leaving small patches of missing fur on his otherwise beautiful white coat. He looked harmless. No, even more than harmless. He looked adorable, if not for the injuries.
Sisi stared at the wolf cub, unsure what to do. But when the cub began to whimper and shiver the moment she tried to sit up, she realized how weak he must be. Wolves rarely shivered unless they were on the brink of freezing.
So Sisi gently lifted the cub and cradled him in her arms, just as she used to hold babies in the nursery long ago. She made sure the cub was warm.
She looked toward the shed entrance, checking if dawn had arrived. She needed to start working the moment dawn broke, or else Mr. Piker would find fault in her again and force himself on her that night.
Fortunately, dawn had not yet come, so she could rest a little while caring for this stray wolf cub.
Sisi stood up with difficulty and dragged her aching body toward the haystack in the corner. She sat and leaned against the wall while gently patting the cub's backside. She examined his scabs and guessed he must have sustained internal injuries, likely from falling from a great height. He wouldn't be at death's door from just a few surface wounds.
Sisi had cared for babies and toddlers before, but she knew little about animals. The only way she could check for internal injuries was to press certain spots and observe his reaction.
The cub whimpered when Sisi pressed on his rib and his left front leg.
"I see…" Sisi murmured once she located the injuries. She hoped it was only a fracture, not a broken bone. A broken bone would take far longer to heal.
As sunlight began to slip into the shed, she knew it was time to work.
She set the cub on the haystack carefully, making sure he wouldn't hurt himself in his sleep, then slipped out of the shed.
Mr. Piker would wake in about thirty minutes. She had enough time to grab the medicine box and some clean water.
She returned to the shed and cleaned the cub's scabs before gently bandaging his leg and rib.
"Thankfully, you're just a small cub, so there's enough bandage for you," Sisi said with a weak chuckle as she tended to the sleeping wolf. "Where did you come from anyway? Did you get separated from your mother?"
That was the most logical answer. The farm sat far from the nearest town and bordered Roc Forest, a deep and dangerous woodland. That was why Mr. Piker kept several guard dogs patrolling the farm, because several animals like foxes, wolves, and others frequently came searching for easy prey.
Sisi guessed something must have happened to the mother wolf in Roc Forest, and the cub had fled for safety.
"Ah, it's okay. I'll be your temporary mother. I'll nurse you until you're strong enough to return to the forest," Sisi said. After a moment of hesitation, her voice cracked as she added, "Maybe… maybe once you've grown a bit more, you can fend for yourself. The forest is dangerous, after all."