SDIWD - Chapter 52
Chapter 52
Hati still held Luna in its embrace, not letting go for a single moment, as if clutching a beloved doll. Luna seemed to have completely surrendered, only crying out a few times when the licking became truly unbearable.
Hua Mu had no time to deal with the two spirit animals for the moment; she wanted to get some food and water into Bai Zhen first. Water was more urgent than food, as Bai Zhen's lips were already pale and peeling. Hua Mu tried to part her lips and trickle water in from the corner of her mouth.
This crude method of administering water was clearly ineffective for a patient; most of it trickled out from the corner of the Sentinel's mouth. Growing anxious, Hua Mu tried a few more times—she clearly had no talent for this.
What was she to do?
Hua Mu felt a wave of despair, her nose tingling as she fought back tears. Without Bai Zhen, she was useless. She couldn't even manage to give her water, let alone bring her consciousness back.
"Bai Zhen, please wake up soon, won't you?"
She knew it was impossible, yet she couldn't stop herself from pleading with the unconscious Sentinel.
Luna seemed to sense its master's sorrow. It stretched out its neck and let out a soft "eee" sound, as if in comfort. Hati lifted an eyelid to glance at Hua Mu, then used a paw to press Luna's small head back into its embrace before resuming its vigorous licking.
Luna whimpered under the licking, even letting out a series of sheep-like bleats so coquettish they could make one's skin crawl. A pleased rumble emanated from Hati's throat as it retracted its claws to scratch Luna's trembling back.
Hua Mu noticed the two spirit animals were "showing off their affection" again. She was so incensed she nearly fainted, and her sorrow abated slightly.
Blaming the heavens was useless; she could only rely on herself now. Since this method of feeding wasn't working, she would have to try another.
Mouth-to-mouth... that seemed to work. That's how they always wrote it in novels!
Hua Mu looked at the water in her hand, then at Bai Zhen's lips, and then at the two spirit animals licking each other with gusto—Luna, whether in reciprocation or retaliation, had begun to lick the tuft of white fur on Hati's chest in return.
If their spirit animals were already doing that, what did she have to be shy about? This was to save a life, not to take advantage of someone. When they had first washed ashore on this island, the Sentinel had given her artificial respiration, and she hadn't uttered a single word of blame!
Deciding to act, Hua Mu took a deep breath, held the fresh water in her mouth, and leaned down to feed it to Bai Zhen.
Her lips were soft—of course, lips were soft. Hua Mu forced herself not to dwell on the sensation, carefully transferring the water into Bai Zhen's mouth, bit by bit.
She didn't pull away until Bai Zhen made a swallowing motion, gently stroking her throat with her fingers. Hua Mu remembered her handmaiden doing the same thing when giving medicine to Feidie—a cat she used to have.
Thanks to her persistent efforts, Bai Zhen's throat finally moved.
Did she swallow it?
Hua Mu couldn't be sure, so she had no choice but to probe the Sentinel's mouth with her tongue to check.
Her tongue was so soft, too... No, wait. The water had indeed been swallowed.
Thank heavens!
Hua Mu nearly wept with joy. Covering her flushed face, she was about to administer a second mouthful when she noticed both spirit animals staring at her. Luna tilted its head, seemingly confused, while Hati's expression was utterly infuriating.
She could read that cold expression; the lecherous wolf was surely calling her a pervert in its mind!
"D-don't misunderstand! I'm giving your master water! I'm doing it to save her, not to kiss her!"
Hati tilted its head, as if to say, Whatever you say. It averted its gaze with utter indifference and resumed licking the unicorn in its embrace.
Speaking of perverts, this wolf was the real pervert! Doing such depraved things to her newborn baby unicorn, and so brazenly at that!
They said a spirit animal's actions were a manifestation of its master's will. Had that big oaf Bai Zhen already licked her ten thousand times in her mind?
For some reason, this thought made Hua Mu want to cry again. She couldn't help but gently pat Bai Zhen's arm, her voice thick with tears. "You haven't even licked me yet, how could you bear to die!"
The Sentinel, of course, couldn't hear her words. Hua Mu rambled on for a while before continuing to give her water.
Bai Zhen's swallowing reflex was still intact, but she couldn't chew. Hua Mu couldn't feed her solid food, so she cooked a pot of mush made from a mix of meat, fish, and breadfruit, and fed it to her one mouthful at a time.
After all this effort, the sky gradually darkened, and the first night without a conscious Sentinel began.
Hati had spent the entire afternoon lying outside the shelter licking Luna, not moving an inch. But as night fell, it decisively released the unicorn and nudged it toward Hua Mu with its nose.
The unicorn, deep in a daze, didn't react at first. But when it realized it was free, it jolted to its feet and charged toward Hua Mu.
Being hit by such a "dwarf horse" would leave one half-dead, if not worse. Hua Mu only had time to cry, "Luna, don't!" before the black figure was right in front of her.
It's over, she thought. I wasn't eaten by Hati, but I'm going to be trampled to death by my own spirit animal!
Had Luna gotten bigger?
Just as she was thinking this, the unicorn suddenly vanished before her eyes.
Hua Mu had a strange, mystical feeling that was difficult to describe with words, but she knew Luna had returned to her mental landscape. It seemed to be a point, yet also a line; like a plane, but more like a space; like the overlapping of countless interfaces, like... like a ball of light.
It seemed to exist at the tip of her nose, for that was where Luna had disappeared. No, perhaps it was in her field of vision, for the unicorn's figure had vanished right before her eyes.
No, perhaps it was everywhere.
She could feel her spirit animal right beside her, and could even sense Luna's current mood—happy, soaring, and full of wonder.
Luna seemed very happy.
For the first time, Hua Mu truly felt the reality of being a Guide, and not just the fear that came with it.
Her gaze shifted to Hati, which had lain down again at the entrance to the shelter. It hadn't returned.
Why?
"Hati?" After spending the better part of the day with the giant wolf, Hua Mu was no longer very afraid of it. She had discovered that Hati and Bai Zhen shared many similarities, such as their poker faces and their "just do it" attitude.
She cautiously approached the ice wolf and asked in a low voice, "Why don't you return to the mental landscape? Can you take me there?"
Hati puffed out a few breaths of cold air, wagging its tail leisurely, as if it hadn't heard her.
Hua Mu tried to reason with it for a long time to no avail. In the end, she had no choice but to go to sleep.
The Sentinel's body was not the least bit warm now, nor was it particularly soft, but Hua Mu held her all the same.
"Bai Zhen, you absolutely cannot die, or else I'll have no one to scold."
"When you come back, I'm going to give you a good talking-to."
"Your spirit animal is awful. It bullies me and it bullies Luna."
"You really are a pervert, aren't you..."
"Good night, Bai Zhen."
Hua Mu did not sleep well that night. Not only was she cold, but she also had a series of nightmares. To make matters worse, she was licked awake by Hati the next morning.
Opening her eyes to the gaping jaws of a giant wolf, Hua Mu was so frightened she nearly lost control again.
"Wh-what are you doing! Wait, wait, Hati... no, ah, don't lick! What are you doing! Hey..."
Hua Mu was nearly enveloped by the wolf's entire body, almost to the point of suffocation. Though there was no physical substance to it, she truly felt the sensation of being embraced by a wolf.
"Luna! Luna!"
With no other choice, Hua Mu once again called for her scapegoat... oh, no, her scape-unicorn.
This time, she not only "saw" the process of the unicorn's appearance more clearly, but also sensed the fundamental nature of the phenomenon.
Luna seemed to appear suddenly, but the process was more like a wisp of smoke materializing into a physical form. It happened so quickly that Hua Mu didn't truly see it, but rather, she simply understood it.
And to say smoke materialized into a body wasn't quite accurate, either. It was more like Luna emerging from a point connected to another dimension, its form expanding to its full size—all in a single instant.
As expected, Hati immediately abandoned her and turned to pounce on the unicorn.
The moment Luna landed, it saw the giant wolf pouncing toward it. Its knees went weak, and it immediately collapsed.
Hati caught it before it fell, rolled around happily in the sand a few times, and then began to lick it.
What a beautiful love story!
Hua Mu ignored Luna's whimpers and wiped away a moved tear.
The unicorn gave up even faster today; in no time, it was reduced to mere whimpers. Hua Mu realized that what she had seen yesterday was no illusion—her spirit animal had indeed grown a little larger.
Was this normal growth? But wasn't it a little too fast?
Hua Mu remembered her Guide instructor saying that under normal circumstances, a spirit animal took five to six years to mature. Of course, every spirit animal was different, but the deviation in natural growth shouldn't be this significant.
Perhaps because she had suppressed it for so many years, Luna was now growing exceptionally fast.
Unable to figure it out, Hua Mu decided not to dwell on it. She started a fire, boiled water, cooked breakfast, and then helped Bai Zhen brush her teeth, wash her face, and change her dressings.
After finishing these tasks, she first checked the smoke signal and the distress marker. Once she confirmed everything was in order, she went to the shore to gather some shellfish. She didn't plan on fishing until Bai Zhen woke up; their stored food was enough to last for a long time.
Her top priority now was to train her Guide abilities and bring Bai Zhen back. Of course, if rescue were to arrive immediately, that would be even better.
Hua Mu deeply regretted letting her lessons go in one ear and out the other. If only she had paid attention to just one or two more sentences, perhaps she could solve her current predicament.
"Hati, could you please give Luna back to me for a moment? I want to see what abilities she has."
What was worse, the giant wolf was monopolizing her spirit animal, and she couldn't even recall it, let alone test Luna's abilities or practice her own.
Hua Mu swore she had never been so deferential to anyone in her life—thankfully, a spirit animal wasn't a person!
Hati glanced at her and, for some reason, decisively released Luna, nudging its round little bottom with its nose to help it stand.
"My sincerest thanks!" Hua Mu lifted her skirt and offered the giant wolf a curtsy befitting a noble lady.
The moment it was free, Luna scrambled to its feet in a flurry of hooves and charged toward Hua Mu again.
"Stop, Luna!"
Hua Mu shouted the command to stop it. Luna slammed on the brakes with its front hooves, tumbling headfirst to the ground in a comical heap, and began to whimper pitifully.
Hati rushed over to help it up with its head, while Hua Mu covered her face in exasperation.
Her spirit animal was truly useless!
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