Adrian’s breath-mixed laughter touched the crown of its head. Rather than ridicule, it was laughter that burst out from finding it cute.
“Lions are large, dignified, and have sharp teeth, ready to bite anyone at any time. But you’re warm and soft, and far from biting, you’re just receiving honey, aren’t you? Your teeth are even small.”
He poked the fox’s soft belly with his finger. His finger sank between the fur and pressed the tender flesh. The fox opened its mouth wide in indignation.
What are you talking about! How much terrifying curse have I chewed up! You should’ve seen me chomping and swallowing that pitch-black snake-like thing. Then you would’ve given me a name even greater than a lion, like dragon or titan!
The fox tried to bare its sharp canines and bark with a “Grrr!” to prove its bravery.
“Kyuang!”
But what burst out wasn’t a beast’s roar, but a high-pitched sound like a newborn puppy looking for its mother.
“……”
“……”
Silence flowed. Adrian’s gaze turned to the tiny canines. The tips were quite sharp, but compared to a lion, they were adorably small. He covered his mouth with his hand. His shoulders trembled faintly.
Is this funny? Is this funny to you?
The fox huffed and growled. But that momentum didn’t last long either. Even to its own ears, its cry was far from a lion’s roar. It wasn’t resonant or threatening. Just insignificant.
“Whine…”
The fox folded its ears in shame and buried its head in Adrian’s stomach. Its ears were completely flattened back, and even its once-fluffy tail hung limply, burrowing between its legs.
‘I’m ruined.’
If there was a mouse hole, it wanted to crawl into it. No, it would rather actually become a mouse. It had tried to show the roar of a beast commanding the world, but what actually came out was the whimpering of a puppy looking for its mother’s milk. It was no wonder Adrian was laughing.
The fox covered its eyes with its front paws. Now Adrian would surely think of it as nothing more than a cowardly furball, let alone a lion.
Oh no. Adrian, who had been holding back his laughter, finally seemed to realize and comforted the fox.
“There’s no need to be so disappointed. It was threatening enough in my eyes.”
Lies. The fox snorted. It had seen him shaking his shoulders with laughter earlier, so where was he lying? When the fox turned its head away, Adrian let out a low laugh and grabbed the fox’s face to turn it back.
“It’s true. And if you want a strong name, Nox suits you well too. Night is as strong as a lion.”
Strong? The fox’s ears twitched. Really?
“No matter how fierce a lion is, it has to sleep when night comes. When darkness falls, hunting stops and they hide in their dens. But night covers all of that. Night is what embraces and puts to sleep lions, tigers, and everything in the world.”
To the simple fox, those words sounded quite plausible.
Lions lose to night? Then night is the best?
The hierarchy chart in the fox’s head was quickly revised. Lion < Night. In other words, the conclusion was that Nox was a higher predator than a lion. Adrian didn’t miss the fox’s expression subtly changing.
“How about it. Do you like it a bit more now? It’s a name as strong as a lion.”
The name “Nox” that Adrian had given suddenly looked different. Hearing it explained, it made sense. No matter how much a lion bares its teeth and growls, when night comes it has to sleep soundly. It wasn’t just darkness, but a very big and powerful name that swallowed up the entire world.
The fox unfolded its ears. It felt like its crumpled pride was straightening out a bit.
‘It might not be bad.’
Nox. Ruler of the night. It seemed pretty cool. Just as the fox was about to wag its tail in affirmation, a memory that suddenly flashed through its mind stopped the fox’s tail.
Night. Darkness.
The magical beast it saw in the forest was a black form. It had hidden in the shadows and tried to attack it. The curse tormenting Adrian was the same. The curse that strangled his heart, stole his sleep, and gnawed at his life was also pitch-black. Sticky and ominous darkness.
The fox’s eyes wavered.
I’m that kind of night?
Then am I on the same side as that bad smoke? The same name as that terrible monster that hurts Adrian? It didn’t want that. It wanted to protect Adrian. It wanted to be the light that devoured the darkness causing him pain, not become the darkness itself that swallowed him.
‘No.’
The fox pushed away from Adrian’s chest.
“Keng!”
I don’t like it! Not that! The fox shook its head so hard its fur flew.
At the sudden rejection, Adrian paused. Just moments ago it had seemed interested with sparkling eyes, but he couldn’t understand why it suddenly changed its mind and became serious.
“What’s wrong? You don’t like it even though I said it’s stronger than a lion?”
The fox shook its head vigorously. Strong was good, but bad was not. Lions were scary but not evil. They didn’t look grotesque like magical beasts, nor did they torment Adrian. They were dignified and cool. But it was frustrating not being able to explain in words.
The fox bit down on Adrian’s clothes and hung on. Something else. Give me something else, not this. Strong but not scary, not bad, something good.
Adrian tried to read the fox’s desperate eyes. Fear. What filled the creature’s eyes wasn’t simple fussiness but clear terror.
“…Are you afraid of the night?”
Adrian recalled the time the creature must have spent in the forest. The nights it must have trembled alone without parents to protect it. For the creature, night might not have been rest but a time of terror when survival was threatened. Just as his sleepless nights had been torment, darkness must have been a wound for the creature too.
“I was short-sighted. Night must have been just cold and frightening for you.”
Though it was a name he’d given for the fox’s sake, if it stimulated the creature’s trauma, he couldn’t insist on it. He pulled the fox back into his arms and patted it.
“Alright. Let’s drop Nox. If you don’t like it, you don’t like it.”
The fox let out a sigh of relief and burrowed into Adrian’s embrace. Thank goodness. It’s not a bad name after all.
Adrian remained silent for a moment, stroking the fox’s back. A name was still needed. His gaze returned once more to the golden lion statue on the bookshelf.
A lion.
What the fox desired might not be simply a strong appearance. To the small beast that must have trembled in the forest, the existence of a lion would have been a symbol of safety where nothing needed to be feared. A king who didn’t need to cower before any threat.
This little creature wants to be a king.
A faint smile spread across Adrian’s lips. It wasn’t mockery. It was because that absurd ambition was endearing. Yes, if he was going to give it a name anyway, it wouldn’t be bad to grant the creature’s wish. Even if its appearance was a furball, let it live with a lion inside.
“Leonhart.”
Adrian murmured softly.
The fox’s ears perked up. Leonhart. The pronunciation rolled around in its mouth felt quite weighty. It wasn’t a sound that flowed smoothly and disappeared like Nox.
What’s that?
The fox looked up at Adrian with round eyes. It didn’t know what it meant, but at least it didn’t seem like a weak name.
“It means brave and strong like a lion.”
Brave and strong. Those words struck right into the fox’s heart.
The fox unconsciously pressed its front paw firmly against its chest. Thump-thump. Though it beat small now, inside contained the orb that had survived even after swallowing that terrifying curse last night. A great heart that devoured things stronger than any beast.
This is it. This is a name for me.
The fox’s tail puffed up and spun like a propeller. Strong and cool. It was even a name Adrian had given directly. I like it! I really like it! Leonhart! The coolest name in the world! The fox enthusiastically responded by bumping its head against Adrian’s palm.
Adrian seemed pleased with the creature’s reaction and tickled the fox’s chin.
“You seem to like it. I’m glad. As for a nickname… Leo would be good.”
Leo. Leonhart’s nickname. It was concise, but the meaning of “lion” contained within didn’t change. The fox—no, now Leo—seemed to like that nickname too and licked the tip of Adrian’s nose. It tasted salty and warm with the scent of flesh.
Adrian lifted Leo up to meet its eyes.
“From now on, you’re Leo. Not a nameless fox from the forest, but Leonhart of my imperial palace.”
Yes, that’s me. Leo, brave as a lion. I’ll protect you. I’ll live up to my name. So you won’t hurt, so you can sleep comfortably every night, I’ll devour all the bad things with this lion-like heart.
Leo lifted its head majestically and made a vow. Its stub-like tail stood straight up like a broom. No one could now dismiss it as an unnamed beast that rolled around in the forest. Though its outward appearance was a small furball that fit in Adrian’s hand, in spirit it was already a lion commanding the world.
