The Players // Infinite Edition

° the Fox °

Sungyeol POV

"The hunt?" I asked suspiciously. Ignoring my question, Dongwoo gives his full attention to Meera and begins to tell us a story.

Sensing Dongwoo going into storyteller mode, the children gather around him and sit down on the floor as we are all enraptured by his tale.

"Petrichor. Better known as the Land of the Orphans was given its unique name by the legend that surrounds this place. During dawn and dusk, Petrichor will always be enshrouded by fog which causes the birth of many mysteries and legends.

Many of the natives will lull their children to sleep while singing of this land's Birth Legend which is called The Hunt." Taking a dramatic pause for special effects, Dongwoo looks around him to make sure everyone is paying attention before continuing.

"On days when the fog is especially thick, many people have claimed witnessing a silver fox walking beside a small bunny with their heads together as if they're telling each other their hopes and dreams underneath the cover of twilight.

"Petrichor was once ruled by a prince who was considered very wise. Through his quick thing and wit, the Prince lead his country through many prosperous years. Suddenly, the Prince disappeard! For three years, the kingdom was left in chaos as evil and corruption bled through the small kingdom. But everything changed when an orphan girl who was abandoned by her family in the forest spotted a rare silver fox."

"Why was an orphan girl in the forest?"

"The villagers probably wanted her to die of starvation or get eaten by wolves." Eileen said so seriously that I became speechless.

""Seeing that he was injured, the orphan girl tried to help him. When she touched his blood, she immediately became a bunny. "What did you do to me?" she cried in fear when she realized what happened.

"I'm very sorry," said the fox as he looked down at her with worry. "The same thing happened to me three years ago."

"I'm scared..." she trembled as the world seemed to turn darker as time continued.

"Since it was my fault that you were turned into an animal, I promise to protect you." After he said that, the sound of hunting dogs echoed throughout the eerie forest. Starting to run, the fox led the bunny to a sage place where they lived for quiet a while.

Eventually the two grew to love each other and were never seen separate of each other.  Unfortunately, their pleasant days were over when they were again being chase by the hounds. "Hide or I will never forgive you!" the bunny warned as they found an abandoned tree to hide in. In order to protect her lover, the bunny sacrificed herself to the hounds so that he could escape.

When the hounds caught up with the bunny, they bit into her soft flesh and flung her around like a ragdoll as the fox watched in horror. Satisfying their blood lust, the hounds left the scene while the little bunny slowly died from blood loss. Quietly, the fox returned to his lover's side and cried tears for her.

"Why did you save me? I was the one who promised to protect you.....and yet here you are dying because of my cowardice."

The bunny simply smiled. "It's because you are a prince while I am but a small orphan girl who was abandoned by the world because I was different."