I Became the Emergency Food Supply of the Bear Family - Chapter 12

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 12

“Three portions, please, Head Chef.”
“It seems you’ll be dining with Snowflake again this morning.”
Anna nodded, and the white-haired Head Chef began moving busily to prepare the meal.
“How is Snowflake’s leg? I’ve been using only the finest ingredients to help her recover.”
“She appears to be fully healed. I saw her bounding about in the Snowy Field without any trouble.”
“Well, that is fortunate indeed.”
The Head Chef finished the cooking and set out the dishes with a smile.
“And yet, I confess it is somewhat bittersweet.”
But as he handed the tray to Anna, the Head Chef’s expression had already grown melancholy—and Anna’s, receiving it, mirrored that same sadness.
“Yes, I know. That she’s recovered means the Master will soon return her to where she came from. To her original home.”
Theodore Grizzly, head of the Grizzly Family, had an unusual hobby: he would rescue injured small animals, nurse them back to health, and release them back into the wild.
Though his cold demeanor and taciturn nature had earned him misunderstandings across the entire Empire, Theodore possessed a warmth of heart that few could match.
Yet no matter how kind he was, Theodore was still the patriarch of a noble house.
The weight of a whole family rested on his shoulders, and he had made it an ironclad rule: once he took in a life, he would always return it to where it belonged—whether animal or human. That was his principle.
“In any case, until a decision is made, I want to give her the very best meals.”
“It’s more than enough already, Head Chef.”
Saying so, Anna lifted all three trays at once and bowed respectfully.
Three portions. For young master Ferdi, young master Louis, and Snowflake.
To think this precious everyday routine would soon come to an end.
Why did she feel such attachment to Snowflake compared to the other emergency guests? Was it because she was closer to the young masters? Or perhaps…
‘Maybe it’s because she’s so adorable.’
Perhaps that was why—somehow, being with her made her heart feel warm.
With a faint smile on her lips, Anna knocked on the door.
“Snowflake, young masters. Good morning—”
Bang!
Before Anna could finish, the door flew open from inside.
“Young master Ferdi?”
Ferdi burst out from Na Bom’s room, his face drained of all color.
“Anna. They’re… gone.”
“Pardon?”
“Louis and Snowflake—they’ve disappeared!”
Blurting out these shocking words, Ferdi pointed toward the window.
The curtains billowed helplessly in the gale pouring through the open window.

***

She had been searching for him with single-minded urgency.
To her ears, which had known only the sound of wind, footsteps seemed to echo.
She had paused briefly behind a rock, waiting to see if another animal might approach, but sensed nothing.
Perhaps the sound had come from far away.
She had to admit her hearing had grown far sharper since becoming a rabbit than it had been in her human life.
As she pushed deeper into the forest, keeping alert all the while—
Suddenly, a familiar scent reached her nose, and Na Bom sniffed the air.
It was Louis’s scent.
She ran reflexively, following the smell, but even as she did, her mind reeled.
How could his scent remain so clear when the blizzard raged like this? And until just moments ago, there was only the scent of wind—why had it suddenly appeared?
Perhaps they had grown closer.
Whatever the reason, Na Bom ran.
A certainty without proof seized her. She knew—somehow, she simply knew—that if she followed her nose, she would find Louis.
As she bounded along the Birch Forest path, the silhouette of a boy began to emerge through the heavy fall of snow.
Na Bom cried out without thinking.
‘Louis!’
Louis spun around at once.
At his reaction, as though he had heard her voice, Na Bom froze for a moment.
She watched him dash toward her with wide eyes, then quickly moved her four legs. It seemed he had sensed her presence.
“Snowflake!”
Louis scooped her up and pulled her into his embrace.
“Thank goodness. You’re safe. Really… thank goodness.”
He rubbed his flushed cheeks against her fur-covered face, repeating only that he was relieved. His gratitude seemed so profound that his knees suddenly buckled, and he sank to the ground.
As he stroked Na Bom’s head, Louis made a strange, strained sound.
“Something’s… odd.”
Puzzled by his behavior, Na Bom tilted her head. Louis’s eyelids kept drooping.
“Why am I so sleepy?”
Na Bom’s eyes widened.
Sleepy? Here? Suddenly?
“Let’s rest for a moment, Snowflake. If we go left from here… there’s a cave…”
Louis’s voice grew slurred, and he barely finished the words before collapsing onto the snowy ground.
In his arms, Na Bom went rigid with shock. Louis lay on the cold, snow-covered earth with his eyes closed—truly asleep.
‘Louis! Louis!’
Na Bom struck his hand with her front paws. When he didn’t respond, she tried to swat his cheek, but suddenly Louis’s body began to glow white.
His form twisted, and beneath the clothes that slipped away, a face covered in brown fur poked out.
‘Animalization?’
He’d said he felt suddenly drowsy, and now, out of nowhere, this transformation? What in the world was happening?
Even after shifting into the form of a bear cub, Louis did not open his eyes.
In a panic, Na Bom hopped frantically beside him.
But the snow did not stop falling. White flakes continued to accumulate on Louis’s rich brown fur.
Na Bom forced herself to stop and shook her head firmly.
‘I can’t stay here like this.’
After years in the Arctic, Na Bom knew the truth. Snow was beautiful, but far more terrifying than anyone could imagine.
If they stayed here and slept, they could freeze to death.
‘Louis!’
She called his name and tapped the bear’s body.
‘Wake up! You have to wake up!’
This time she smacked his face, but still there was no response.
How deeply asleep was he, out here in this snowy field?
I can’t just sit here. I have to get us away from this place.
Na Bom planted her hind legs firmly in the snow, lowered her body, and pushed against Louis’s form with her front paws.
Uuugh!
She strained with all her might, but it was not enough.
No matter that he was only a bear cub, the weight difference was too great. Her slender rabbit legs could not budge him an inch.
As Na Bom stamped her feet on the snowy ground, searching for a solution, inspiration struck. She opened her mouth and fastened it onto the front of Louis’s discarded clothes.
Snap!
Gripping the fabric in her teeth, she pulled with all her strength.
Hnnngh!
The cloth slid across the snow, and Louis’s body, lying upon it, was dragged along as well.
‘That’s it!’
With her method found, Na Bom focused all her strength into her jaw and legs, dragging the fabric forward.
‘He said if I go left from here, there should be a cave.’
Hngh!
As she took another step forward and lifted her head, something that looked like an enormous roof loomed in the distance.
There it is.
I can do this.
Ignoring her trembling legs, Na Bom opened her eyes wide.
‘I owe Dandelion a debt. I have to repay it before I go.’
By any means!
Steeling her resolve, she pushed off with her front paws.
Was it mere fancy?
Her trembling legs suddenly felt strong again. Her jaw no longer ached, and her teeth made no sound as they clenched.
She surged forward with exhilaration, as though some booster had kicked in—but only briefly.
With the goal in sight, Na Bom suddenly sat down, unable to go on.
‘That boost didn’t last long.’
Panting hard, Na Bom struck the ground with her front paw. She felt bitter frustration. This body was far better than her previous life, but still—the limitations of a rabbit’s form…
Fortunately, her anguish was short-lived.
Following the curve of the cave’s high roof downward, she saw that the entrance sat on a sloped decline.
With such a slope and snow covering the ground, if she pushed from behind, he would slide right down!
Na Bom sprang up again, scraping together her last reserves of strength to drag Louis. She positioned his body carefully at the top of the slope, angling him just right.
Then, with deliberate care, she pushed him.
Thanks to the angle, the bear cub’s body began to slide down with surprising ease. It was working perfectly.
Before she could even celebrate, Louis’s speed increased. His body, now beyond her control, began tumbling down the slope at an accelerating pace.
‘If this keeps up, he’ll hit the tree!’
Na Bom quickly bounded down after him and planted herself firmly before the tree, her stance resolute and determined to catch him.
Bang!
A tremendous crash echoed out, and snow came tumbling down onto her. Na Bom braced herself with her eyes shut. But when no impact came, she carefully opened them.
‘Oh.’
Fortunately, Louis had crashed into the heap of snow that had accumulated at the base of the tree and came to rest there. Snow scattered up at her as the heap collapsed.
Heaving a sigh of relief, Na Bom brushed the snow from her fur and hurried to Louis.
He had become, by and large, a snowman.
From tumbling down the slope, his face was so caked with snow that it was impossible to tell where his eyes, nose, and mouth were.
As she glanced back at the slope, Na Bom could see the imprint of the bear cub’s face etched into the path like a stamp.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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