[Fox and the Hunter] Chapter 5- A Hearth’s Gathering (Part 1) (Patreon)

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10/3/26

Chapter 5- A Hearth’s Gathering (Part 1)

Crickets chirped in the moonlight, sounding in a pale echo, the clicks of their low melody making their way all around, almost the sound of other things. Cicadas sounded much the same, as did the birds and the creatures of the night. The darkness of the sky was the only thing visible; it was a new moon, meaning the celestial body that reflected the light of the stars and contrasted against the blackness was nowhere to be seen.

This made it increasingly difficult for anyone standing within the forest to distinguish what exactly was in front of, beside, or even next to them. Making everything their eyes landed upon a foreign object in their eyes, not knowing if it was a tree, a bush, or perhaps… something more dangerous.

The imagination was a vital place, sprouting forth all sorts of imagery that their mind could come across. Much like that of an infection, their minds expanded rapidly, conjuring, processing, and crafting new ideas and dreams of what might be lurking before them.

Because they knew, above all else, something might be lurking within the inky blackness of the abyss. It was waiting, watching them, eyes searching across their every move, hungry. An insatiable hunger festering within them, an indescribable urge to devour what was before it. Leaving not a trace of them— shadows, another being within the abyss that had disappeared, like a light being squashed out, no semblance of their existence remaining. No heat, no life, just cold. That was what their minds imagined.

Because you see, they knew, above all things, the darkness had monsters within it. Creatures that festered within the black, their only goal being to send them on a one-way trip to the underworld.

They didn’t know what would spell their end.

A Minotaur, perhaps? The creature, the spawn of King Minos’s cunning. Perhaps it would be Medusa, the monster with a head of perverted beauty. A kindly one would be most ironic, given their intention would surely be to send themselves to their master, the god of the helm of darkness.

There were many possibilities their mind would have conjured up: a horde of monsters reaching them at the end of their journey. Their struggles were proven all for naught, their prayers unanswered, and so would be true of their pleas for salvation.

That was what the two girls thought, though they didn’t say it. Didn’t mention such a thing, but only to their own mind. For their silent fear was that it would not be aid that the divine would give them, but punishment, for their thoughts speaking out against them. So they could do nothing, nothing but press on, and wonder if such a forest would become their end.

“AWOOOOOOOOOO”

“What was that?” A hushed, scared whisper sounded from a young girl.

“It was nothing, just a wolf looking for its pack; it won’t go anywhere near us,” said her older half-sister.

That thought was enough to put some ease in the younger girl, though not much, seeing as she wasn’t so sure of her own statement as much as she sounded. And she hoped to sound confident, lest they both let their own terrors get to them. 

As the two young girls wandered the woods, hoping to find its end at some point, aiming to meet the place that would be their own salvation.

The eldest was a young, feisty, headstrong girl, appearing to be the age of 14, if a little younger. She had a rounded face, golden blonde tresses—much like the popular nursery story of a girl with golden locks— and lilac colored eyes. She was dressed in a myriad of brown clothing, a satchel of nearly all of their possessions at her hip. The container seemed to dwindle in its contents over time, much to their silent dread.

The second was the younger of the two, appearing about two years younger, around the age of twelve. Her skin was as pale as the moonlight that did not show, with eyes as silver to match. Her hair was dark, black, flecked with red highlights at every strand’s end. Outwardly, she wore garnets which were similar to her sister’s, though she had a single, almost-scarlet red hood which she hid her face within.

The elder was the daughter of Raven Brawnwen, Yang. Her sister, the daughter of a woman named Summer Rose, who had raised them both, was named Ruby.

Their parentage was the same, seeing as they were products of divine intervention. And not just any kind, but the type that only happened when a godly individual decided to spend a single night in their desired lover’s company. 

Demi-gods, people had called them. Children sired by beings of a distinct pantheon, hunted by monsters of every species, tested to have a fate that would not be just or kind to any of those with a single drop of ichor in their veins.

They aimed to go to the one place that would prepare them for the tremulous road ahead. The tolls of such a journey had already been far too rough, and too great for them to endure.

Initially, they had been found by a keeper; a satyr who had been given the task to find those who possess half-divine blood, and aid them along the journey. But the keeper had died protecting them, merely giving them directions on where they should go with some of his last breaths. And they had gone there, heading North. Though unfortunately for them, ‘North’ was in the middle of a forest; north was through the trees. Their bodies had been heading north, without a place of destination in sight. Not knowing if these last steps of theirs would be their last. 

Dirt coated their clothes, mud, as well as grass and about a hundred other substances they did not know, some of which was their own blood caked onto their skin. 

The two had been walking for hours, days it felt like, with little rest, as they knew they were likely being chased, fearing that if they stopped now, they would never be able to carry on with their journey again. 

So they walked, and then they walked, and then they walked, and walked, and walked until their legs could not carry them anymore. And even then they tried to press on, tried to carry themselves further. Their fears were getting the best of them, as well as their dread. 

“Yang, how much longer?” her little sister asked, peering at her from her side. 

“I’m not sure, Ruby,” her sister answered. 

“But my feet hurt.”

“So are mine, but you know that this isn’t supposed to be a walk in the park for any of us.”

“But, sis, can we—”

“AWWOOOOOOOOOO!!!!” 

“What was that?!” Ruby shouted, interrupting her previous thought. 

“Come on, we have to go,” As Yang grabbed her sister’s hand right from under her and ran, running faster than she thought she would have been able to under that situation. Because she knew, above all things, that that noise wasn’t one she was hoping to hear again. At first she thought that it was just an ordinary wolf that had been stalking them, but as the noises drew closer she realized it was anything but a wolf.

As a start, wolves didn’t move as fast as this did; wolves didn’t sound as loud as this did. It wasn’t so silent, footsteps echoing closer, much like that of a drum within its sound. Four steps, each in a dichotomy; One-Two, One-Two, One-Two, One-Two…

Over and over again, it was moving faster than them, letting them know it had caught their scent, that it was tracking them, and unless they were lucky, they wouldn’t be able to get away. 

“AWWOOOOOOOOOO!!!!” 

It howled again, an unearthly howl, a howl not meant for their ears, as the two felt a divine dread wash through them as the howl sounded. Goosebumps rolled all across their skin, their hairs standing on end, which only made them rush faster and faster. 

“This way, Ruby!” Yang shouted, as she all but dragged her sister towards her. 

“I’m trying!” her sister said, only barely able to keep up at such a pace. Though she was usually a very quick girl, who was light on her feet, endurance was not usually one of her strong suits. Yang had more stamina than her, but even that seemed to be running on end. Both of them were running on the last bit of fumes they had, burning them as hot as they could to keep on running, the ground moving faster and faster around them. Their legs pushing them against both grass and sticks respectively, the trees seeming as if they were spreading behind them. 

Yet as much as they pushed, they found that the creature behind them seemed to be moving just as fast—faster than the two young girls were able to, especially given the fact that the creature seemed to be gaining on them. Whereas they only seemed to be slowing down, their pace lessening, their legs becoming tired, because above all else, even with their godly parentage, they were, by all means… mortal.

They could still die; they could still age; their fates were yet to be snipped, but snipped they could be, though much they feared, the three sisters could show up at any moment. Perhaps within their peripheral vision, perhaps behind a tree, but if those three sisters showed up and snipped a single cord with their scissors, they knew it would be their end. 

Snap!

A single twig broke from under the younger sister’s feet, inching her even deeper than she had first thought she would have been, causing her balance to shift unexpectedly and, of course, causing her to fall forward into a mighty tumble. 

“Ruby!” Yang immediately shouted, trying to see if her sister was okay, though she found that her legs had been bruised and were now bleeding as she tried to help her sister up. 

“Yang, look out!” Ruby pointed behind her. 

“Huh?” was all her sister could say, as a dark howl sounded. 

“AWOOOOOOOOO!!!”

It was closer, closer than it had ever been, and that was because of one reason and one reason only. The creature, the monster that had been chasing them, only needed to do a single leap. A jump, straight from the treeline, into the small clearing of trees, as it was finally able to show itself, much to their own dread. 

Fangs. That was the first thing they noticed: large, bone-searing fangs capable of biting through flesh or armor. Hair, as black as the night, covered its whole body, and eyes that seemed to almost glow crimson. A large, strong muzzle and a face much like that of an ordinary wolf, and it appeared to be short of its 2 times larger size. Its forearms were longer than they should have been, as well as its hind legs more stanch, paws more like the palm of a man. As a fierce look was grafted onto it’s face, fierce, and hungry. 

This was not a wolf, not by any means. 

As Yang’s mind came across a set of Greek letters she remembered from the guide she had been given, her brain recognized exactly which monster this was before them. 

A Lycaon. 

A wolf-like man, or man-like wolf, a creature who had been cursed in reflection of the man of the same name. Effectively, a werewolf, a creature of the night, with an impeccable sense of smell and insatiable appetite. Much like ordinary wolves, they usually hunted in packs, which let her know that this was a scout of some kind, and that there might be more to come were she not careful. 

She didn’t know if she had the strength to fight this beast, didn’t know if she could stave off such a creature. All the while her little sister clung to her side, slightly whimpering, fear washing over her. 

Yang was exhausted; they both were, and she had been traveling for days on end with seemingly no end in sight. She wasn’t sure she would be able to last long, last much time at all. But she was confident she could by an opportunity, if nothing else. 

Her sister could escape, could run away; perhaps she could scare this creature off just enough so it would only be satisfied with her as a meal. That was all that she could think in that moment, thoughts of actually defeating such a creature all but lost to her. She didn’t have the energy to think them now, nor did she have the energy to give a silent prayer; if she did, she knew they wouldn’t answer, the result would be the same, and she could see that. Now, there was only time for action. 

As she moved Ruby behind her, the young girl, like nothing, would be easy pickings for the creature, and she could not let that happen. She was the older sister, after all, and she would get her out of this; that was all she could do. 

Pulling out a celestial bronze dagger from her side, she waited for the creature to charge forward, but it still stood there, watching their moves cunningly. 

“Ruby, when I give you the signal, I want you to run…” Yang told her in a whisper as she waited for the opportunity to do so. 

“W-what?” Ruby said, in shock, her silver eyes moving towards her sister faster than she thought possible. 

“You heard me. I want you to go; I’ll give you an opening,” Yang told her. 

“But… I’m not leaving—”

“You’ll go, and I’ll be right behind you, trust me!” Yang said to her sister; it was a lie. She knew she would be damned for telling it, but by her recollection she would be going to the underworld either way; it didn’t matter. 

“A-alright…” Ruby whispered beneath her, clutching her sister even tighter. 

Yang nodded, though she kept her attention on the creature, her lilac eyes boring a hole through the creature because she could do nothing else. It finally started to make its move.

“GRRRrrr…” the creature started to growl, its claws twitching, its mouth ready to bite, as it prepared to jump forwards. 

As it did so, Ruby couldn’t help but close her eyes, terror overtaking her in her fright, though she knew it shouldn’t have. Her eyes moved down so fast she would have been impressed with their speed. Her sister wouldn’t blame her; it was a scary sight, and she had only barely been able to keep her eyes open, because she knew if they both closed their eyes, then they surely would be done for. 

So Yang kept her eyes open. She watched as the great beast lunged at them, bursting off its hind legs, its front paws aimed forward toward them in a burst of speed. As Yang tried to force herself to be an impenetrable wall, a force that not even this monster could penetrate in order to shield her sister. She planted her feet to make sure she didn’t move from her spot, lest her fears get the best of her, which she didn’t want, unconsciously wanting to dodge or get out of the way. 

That was why she forced herself to keep her eyes open, as she saw exactly what had happened, though even then she wasn’t able to comprehend it. Whatever was happening was too fast for her mind to keep track of. 

One second, the beast had lunged towards them, as she had prepared for its strike. The next, however… the next moment, the beast was no more, or that was to say that something had interrupted its path. As a golden orange blur burst forwards, the young teen was only barely able to recognise it. 

A man, of some kind, with strange fox-like features and hair as golden as her own, appeared within a second, a glowing orb within his hand, spinning, its color azure, as it ground into the creature's back. The man hovered above the creature as the orb finally exploded, leaving the creature to eventually fade into golden dust, being sent straight back to the underworld to come back again.

The strangest thing about the man was his blonde hair, much like her own, and his orange-furred tails that sprouted forth from his back, moving much like a fire. 

Though even that wasn’t his most recognisable feature, as the thing she caught first, what she had not been expecting. 

Was his smile…

A smile that seemed to exude comfort, everywhere it went, lessening the burdens of those around him, if only slightly. She wondered if it would be enough to grow the constant ease that had been building within her. 

XXX

As Naruto observed the two girls, he had many thoughts in his mind. 

Who were they? What were they doing so far out in the woods? Why was this creature, a wolf-like beast of some kind—which reminded him of something he might spot within the Forest of Death back in his chunin exams? 

Nevertheless, he had acted. Sensing that two young girls were moving rapidly through these woods—he had been moving through them himself, though even then he couldn’t help but unconsciously tap into the energy of nature every once in a while. From then on, he had also been able to sense the creature that had been hunting them, a strong, dangerous creature of the night, as he made his way over to help them. The creature was no match against him, as he dispatched it quickly and efficiently, which allowed him to get a good look at the two girls who had been the creature's target, its prey in many senses. 

Naruto was surprised to see two young girls, about the same age as many of Artemis’s hunters, though she could tell they were far less skilled, their clothes marred and covered in dirt and blood. Scrapes and bruises littered their form. But the largest of what he saw was the constant sense of exhaustion, as well as dread that had radiated off of their skin. 

‘These two girls have been running for a while, haven’t they?’ he realized. By his estimate, probably a few weeks, maybe more, without a stable environment for them to stay in, they were scared, tired, and likely hadn’t eaten for some time, or had the chance of the ease of a good night’s sleep. It was pretty late after all, and they seemed to neglect sleeping at this time, traveling into the long hours of the night rather than taking care of their bodies in that way. They likely had a reason for doing so; this wolf-creature was likely a part of it. Though he sensed it wasn’t the full story. 

No, all he knew was that these girls had been in trouble, and he had decided to help them. He knew he couldn’t quite leave them now, fearing the worst for them. He knew that discretion was essential, as this was a delicate situation, and he felt that these girls had been through enough already to trust the first person who offered them aid. The blonde one was still clutching at her knife, which appeared to be of a similar material to Artemis’s hunter’s own blades. 

Knowing that there weren’t any more monsters lurking about—his sensory abilities had made that clear to him. He decided to drop his guard and make himself as unthreatening as possible. 

“Ummm… Hi?” he tried to say, saying the first words that came to his mind. “Are you two alright?” the blonde questioned aloud. 

Finding the dark-haired girl still kept her eyes closed, being far too afraid of what she might see if she opened them. 

“You two seem to have been through quite a great deal. It’s alright, you’re safe now…” he told them. 

Yang’s eyes widened. ‘Safe.’ That was the word he had used. Safety? Such a thing was almost foreign to them now; they hadn’t known safe, or calm, in a long while, finding themselves always on the run from monsters and creatures who wanted to spell their end; that was why it had sounded so foreign when he had said it. 

Nevertheless, as soon as she saw movement, she reacted. “S-Stop right there… or I’ll kill you!” she yelled, fearing that he was just about to reach for something. 

Naruto reached for something under his robe, though he stopped himself as the mighty shout roared from her. All that Naruto did was soften his eyes, finding that the amount of fear within the young girls was vast, as he saw the blonde girl’s hands shaking, wondering what sort of monster was before them. Someone who was capable of taking down that great wolf in the blink of an eye, faster than any of them could react or see. The dark-haired younger sister whimpered at her sister’s shout, still keeping her eyes closed. 

“It’s alright…” Naruto said, moving his hand slowly. “You two must be hungry, aren’t you… I got some treats from an old wood nymph I met; she was very friendly. And she had this nice recipe made from tree sap, oats, nuts, and dried fruits that she somehow made sweet. Would you like to try some?” He asked, slowly moving his hands out to take out a bundle of cloth, showing it to the two of them as he unwrapped it.

“Hmmm?” At the mention of sweets, Ruby’s eyes immediately opened, looking at the man, or more specifically, his dessert. At the same time, her stomach growled in that moment, realizing exactly how hungry she was.

Hunger won out over worry, as she decided that the smell of Naruto’s sweets meant that they couldn’t be poisoned or dangerous. Less dangerous than starving, that is.

Her sister realized far too late what was happening within her mind, as Ruby rushed forward before Yang could stop her. “Ruby!” Her sister tried to say, but it was already too late, as in a blur, the young girl had already scarfed down about four of the treats then and there.

“Wow, you sure were hungry!” Naruto laughed, finding humor in the girl's actions as she seemed to eat the cookies about as fast as he did ramen.

“Thangsh, mishter!” Ruby shouted, munching with her mouth full, and an expression he found very cute, like that of a small puppy who had just had its favorite treat.

“Ruby, you weren’t supposed to… oh, never mind!” Yang said in frustration, her tiredness getting the best of her, as she didn’t have the means to fight. 

Right, all she did was look at Naruto, her lilac eyes observing him fully, trying to discern whether he was an active threat. Wondering if he was some sort of monster in disguise, or if he were some other type of creature. There were many types of half-animal creatures who helped demigods, centaurs for one, which were half horses, satyrs, of course. Though she had never heard of a half-fox creature, she looked at Naruto suspiciously, trying to see through him.

Naruto just smiled at her attempts, as he had made no moves to hide himself.  Eventually, the blonde-haired girl put away her knife, though still looking at the fox male for any sense of danger.

“It’s okay now; you can rest easy,” he smiled and said calmly.

And Yang didn’t know what had washed over her at that moment; perhaps it had been the sound of his voice, perhaps his tone. Perhaps that he had this sort of… calming aura, she supposed. Maybe it was because he had saved them.

But Yang just seemed to feel a bit of her worries melt away. Her body felt tired.

Extremely tired, to the point where she felt she was about to shut down.

She just wanted to sleep for a little while; would that be so bad?

As the blonde girl’s body started to give way, her mind fell with it.

Yang fainted, and although she didn’t hear it, her sister screamed out in concern.

XXX

The next time those lilac eyes opened, she saw the moon had turned itself into a waxing crescent, as it floated within the night sky, high above the clouds. A sense of ease filled her, for reasons she did not know. Feeling herself strangely calm and relaxed, like she had just woken from a truly deep and peaceful slumber, her mind not fully registering that she was awake, and that was okay. It was as if everything had been a dream- the last few weeks, the running, and the exhaustion. All of it seemed to have faded away, like it didn’t exist. 

Like her worries were gone, and that she was just your ordinary young girl, who didn’t have to worry about being a half-blood, or being hunted by monsters, or worrying about finding their destination. 

Monsters?

That was right; they had been running from monsters, terrible beasts whose only goal seemed to be spelling their end. As Yang remembered it all: the wolves, the running, the howling. 

Instantly she shot up from her sitting position, realizing that she had been resting for far too long. How long exactly had she been out? What had happened? Where was her sister? All of these things seemed to flood her mind in an instant, and she couldn’t help but feel a not-so-small twinge of terror flood through her. 

What if the monsters had gotten to her? 

As the blonde girl lunged up, a voice immediately rose to greet her.

“Whoa there, easy there, you’re alright…” a person said— someone she didn’t quite recognise. 

Yang’s vision started to blur all around, and she observed her surroundings as she frantically looked for her sister. What she saw and heard was the crackling of a campfire, as she had been placed on top of a myriad of shrubbery within a clearing to act as a bed. A set of a few logs was around her, much like chairs to sit upon, many of which were empty. Short of a single blond male, who seemed to be doing nothing but stare at her, the originator of the voice. 

She didn’t listen to him, frantically looking at her surroundings to figure out what had happened. “Where’s… where’s my…” she tried to say, her throat being far too hoarse for any sound to make. 

But Naruto could tell what she was looking for, as he calmly tried to convey a comforting presence so as not to startle her even more than she already was. “It’s fine, your sister’s fine; she’s just resting…” he told her, pointing towards a particular direction. 

Yang’s eyes immediately turned, seeing where his finger was directing her. Immediately, she caught sight of a small bundle of what looked to be fur sitting on a lump. Said ‘lump’ was about the size of a small child, as she caught the distinctive red and black hair attached to her sister’s head, who appeared to be resting on a similar makeshift mattress to the one she was resting on.

“Is she…” Yang’s voice tried to say. Naruto caught it, and the unasked question.

“She’s fine, better than you were, though tired as well,” Naruto assured, letting her sister know she was alive. And soon to be well, considering she had been resting without the constant need to move around. Naruto had used his little knowledge of medical ninjutsu to try and speed up the process, if ever so slightly.

“Alright…” Yang told him, though she would admit she only calmed down once she had heard the low breathing of her sister. She was sure that she wasn’t being tricked or deceived. 

As Naruto gave her a bit of water in a cup, she didn’t hesitate to drink it, figuring it wouldn’t be the worst way to go out through water poisoning. She felt the cool liquid wash down her throat as she looked at it greedily, feeling as though she hadn’t had much better in all of her years of living. The drink was akin to ambrosia at that point.

Before she looked at the man again, remembering that it was she who had saved her and ended up defeating the monster that hunted them so severely. She tried to remember what had happened after that.

“How did I…” she tried to say, wondering how it was that she fainted.

“I don’t know; best I can guess is that you crashed due to your adrenaline running out,” he answered her. Adrenaline was a funny thing, what was essentially within a shinobi’s soldier pills, forcing your body to move faster, react quicker, doing things that your body normally wouldn’t be capable of doing. Running for hours on end was one of those things, and the moment her body sensed that she didn’t have to do that anymore… the tiredness washed over her, and she crashed.

Yang nodded. “And how long was I asleep?” She asked the question that had been plaguing her mind.

“About two days,” Naruto answered her simply.

“Two days!” Yang immediately shouted, rising to her feet. They shouldn’t have stayed here for two days! That was insane! Didn’t he know that if they stayed in a single area, monsters would catch a whiff of their scents and try to find them?

“Shhh!” Naruto told her, trying to calm her down. “You’re going to wake up your sister,” he said in a hushed tone.

“But I-I…” Yang tried to say, but the authority of the man before her made her sit once again, for reasons she did not know. Perhaps it was because this man had saved her, perhaps it was because he was older, but she listened, despite herself, having never quite felt such influence before. 

Even still, that did not stop her protests, as she argued. “Look, mister, thanks for saving us, but I can’t be here—We can’t be here. Monsters will come for us,” Yang tried to say, but it might as well have fallen on deaf ears, for how much he cared.

“I can assure you, those won’t be a problem, not while you’re resting within my company, that is,” Naruto told her, trying to ease her worries on that part at least. And he was right; as long as he was here in front of them, he doubted any single monster could stand a chance. 

Yang didn’t seem so sure of it. “But—”

“Nope.”

“We will—”

“Nuh-uh!”

“We can’t—”

“That isn’t going to happen,” was all Naruto told her, limiting her protests to simple whines and mumbles, which Naruto took as her slowly accepting what was happening to her. 

Eventually she stopped whining, and that was enough for them to have at least a simple conversation, as the campfire he had made crackled. It was the only noise they heard, sans the shallow breathing of Yang’s sister. 

The young blonde only had a single thing left for her to say… “Are you a god?” she questioned.

After all, it would make sense, especially given the immense power he seemed to wield as well as his unyielding aura. But mostly it was the presence he held, the fact that he could do things that he could do, like the spinning ball, something that she couldn’t imagine possible, short of a god’s power. But then again, this man didn’t seem like a god, like the impression she held of them; he seemed too… kind, she supposed. Like there was a measure of respect that the gods demanded, simply by being within their vicinity. This man, he didn’t seem to require any of that, like he didn’t want the formality that came with such a role.

“A god?” Naruto repeated, testing over her words, and by his ordinary power, he could understand how someone might see him as a god. After all, in some people’s point of view, he was akin to a god; some people had even called him a ‘God of Shinobi’ back in his day. And the Bijuu were considered some gods, or forces of disaster. 

Before he shook his head, “No, I can’t say that I am.”

He didn’t like the word, not just because he had fought numerous people who viewed themselves as gods— Pein, Madara, Kaguya was even technically a Goddess— yet even so, that didn’t mean they couldn’t be defeated. That they were any better than the average person. He didn’t much like calling himself a god, even though he had met a few. 

“Then… what are you?” she questioned. 

Naruto grew a small smile. “Heh, I’m just your average, everyday shinobi fox sage; that’s what I am!” 

“I see…” Yang didn’t. But at this point, she wasn’t willing to ask any further questions on the matter, mostly out of fear of her head exploding from the impending headache that it would cause. 

“Do you have anything else to ask?” Naruto inquired; after all, she seemed like an inquisitive girl who wasn’t afraid to hold herself back from knowing what she wanted. His kind of person, if he was being honest, because it was those types of people who weren’t afraid to be wrong or look stupid, wanting to forgo unspoken norms or regulations in order to make sense of the world. He didn’t mind people like that; they were better than those who held themselves back and remained ignorant, so that was okay for him. 

“Just one thing, if I’m being honest,” Yang said bashfully. 

“And that is?” Naruto inquired. 

“Why help us?” she asked. 

That was an easy one. “Why not?” was all he said. 

“Huh?” 

“You heard me, why not?” he questioned. “I mean, I came across you two when you two were in trouble; why shouldn’t I have come to help you?” 

Yang wasn’t having it. “Because you didn’t have to, because most people would have—”

She and Ruby had been on the run for weeks, and short of the searcher whose job it was to help them, nobody had batted an eye when they turned up on their doorstep, as they had numerous doors shut upon them. 

“Well, I’m not most people, now am I?” Naruto interrupted her, letting her know that while most people might stand aside and let two children be faced with monsters, he wasn’t like that.

He helped because it was simply the right thing to do. He was there at the right time, and there was nothing more to it.

Yang wanted to question him on it more: that people weren’t like that, and that when they ended up helping, they usually wanted something in return. Even the gods weren’t as generous as to help someone for the sake of nothing, and she wasn’t sure she would be willing to do so either. 

Leaving her wanting to argue as such even longer, though she found her words dying the moment she was ready to bring them up. 

“Mmmmmm…” a small groan caught her attention, as a figure began to rise from their slumber. 

Immediately, her attention turned towards her sister, who seemed to slowly begin to wake back up, their conversation likely stirring her. 

“Hmmmm…?” the young girl questioned, looking around, as her silver eyes started to adjust to her surroundings once again. 

“Ruby!” Yang immediately shouted. 

“Yang, you’re awake!” Ruby said, as she immediately rushed for her sister and glomped her— she was so fast to the point that even Yang wondered how she had been able to get all that energy from. “You were asleep for so long; I was so worried! I know Naruto said that you were going to be okay, and he wasn’t going to help you, but I was so scared; I mean, nothing like that ever happened before…” her sister began to ramble on about how worried she was, a few bits of tears starting to leak from her eyes. 

“It’s alright…” Yang tried to say, “I’m going… we’re going to be fine,” she told her sister, as she couldn’t help but try to hold back a few tears herself, though she hid them from her sister. 

Naruto couldn’t help but smile at the two sisters, silently watching them and feeling there wouldn’t be any more questions that night. Feeling that they all should get a bit more rest before the night was over, allowing everyone to recover their lost strength.

As Yang’s sister fawned over her, she couldn’t help but look at the man who had undoubtedly saved them—Naruto, was it? Thinking over exactly who he was, and why he had helped them—she wasn’t stubborn enough to believe he hadn’t. Why was the question?

‘Why not?’

That was all he responded with, and if she were being honest, it made sense for him. That he had helped them because he could, saying it as if it were as simple as breathing. And she found she couldn’t argue with such reasoning, even if she tried. 

Though one thing was for certain, Naruto was an odd figure, and she had a feeling that staying with him, things would only get weirder.

XXX

From then on, once the girl’s strength had recovered and they were sufficiently able to walk on their own without worrying about falling over or immediate soreness, they were off. Naruto walked with the two girls at his side, deciding it would be best if he stayed with them, at least for a little while. 

When they questioned him on it, Naruto just said they were walking in similar paths, Naruto heading northward, attempting to leave the forest that seemed to span on for ages, without an end in sight. And the girls took his word for it, not asking him any further questions—though they did want to know where he was headed, wondering just how long this ‘savior’ of theirs would be within their company. The two girls hoped it would be a while, finding safety and a slight bit of comfort within his presence, yet neither deigned to comment on it. Fearing that pointing out their own helplessness would make him leave even faster. 

Naruto could tell that the two girls’ sanity was being held on a thread, even if neither wanted to say it. With hope dwindling thin, and if he were to leave them now, then he wasn’t sure they would have the will to survive much longer.

So they walked, slowly, he might add, with not many monsters coming to attack them, and by not many he meant none at all. Naruto suspected that his own scent he was giving off might have masked the two young girl’s signatures, or perhaps they instinctively knew that if they were to engage them with him in their presence, they would lose whatever battle they could have. Naruto didn’t know; he didn’t have much knowledge of how these ‘monsters’ turned about, though he had asked a few satyrs he had talked to. They mentioned how, even if monsters could be killed, they would just revive back in the underworld. Naruto didn’t know if it was a painful process, or if there was any semblance of their old self if they were to come back through such a metamorphosis. Being reminded of the Bijuu’s own reassembling after one of them ‘died’, though of course there were exceptions. So many exceptions. Kurama wasn’t coming back, which was something he had begun to cope with years ago. 

He found he was getting off track. His time with the girls, he found… wasn’t all that unpleasant. Being reminded of his time teaching in the academy because of Iruka, or looking after Konohamaru’s genin team, with many of the students looking up to him and wanting answers. 

Ruby was a compassionate girl, quick with her legs, as well as her mouth, and even though there was a terror within her, she kept moving forward; he couldn’t help but admire such optimism, especially with someone so young. And in contrast, Yang was the elder, headstrong, slightly brash, stubborn, and willing to do whatever it took so long as it was to protect her sister. Both were bright, and if she were being honest, they were a breath of fresh air as far as company was concerned. Naruto didn’t mind looking after them. 

“Why are monsters after you?” That was the first thing Naruto said to them as they sat at the campsite they had all made, having traveled well into the day and decided to use the night to rest. Not unprotected, mind you, Naruto had a few of his shadow clones patrolling the area—not that they knew that; though he had assured them that they would be safe as long as they slept. And they had the decency to believe him. 

That had been the question that had been plaguing him. Because after all he knew about monsters, knew a little about how they operated, he hadn’t exactly given them much thought, save for the few he killed that had been actively disrupting the forests he had been trying to purify. He didn’t see many hunting and attacking people cross-country, much less going after a couple of kids who were no threat to them for so long.

So he wanted to know: why were they after them? In a question that was not too dissimilar to the question his sensei had asked the master bridge builder about why an A-rank missing-nin from Kiri was after his head. Though he was far less adamant about receiving an answer. 

If they did not want to tell him, he wouldn’t press on the matter; if they didn’t want him to know, then he was more than willing to let it go. He just felt that knowing and planning accordingly would be their best bet for their survival. Naruto had little doubt that the reason for their danger was something easily possessed and discarded; they would have thrown out the object of their attraction a long time ago. No, the reason they were being chased had to be far more ingrained, innate, within the two of them. Something they could not change, because changing it would mean changing themselves, which would be impossible. 

So he wanted to know, what was it about them that—for lack of a better term—made them so ‘special’?

Ruby and Yang looked at them like he was a chicken without his head, confused and disjointed. Looking as though he had asked the stupidest question they had ever known, like ‘is the sky blue’ or ‘will the sun rise tomorrow?’ 

“You mean… you don’t know?” Ruby asked, genuinely shocked. Especially due to his level of power and skill, they had assumed that Naruto knew all about the supernatural and the gods. Finding out he didn’t, well… it was surprising. 

“I don’t… I mean I’ve seen monsters before, but never ones hunting people before, and certainly not for this long. I figure the best solution for figuring it out would be to ask, Y’know,” he explained. Trying to give them his reasoning for such a question the best way he could. Even that didn’t seem to dissolve their confusion. 

“No, but… you don’t know?” Ruby repeated once again. “You don’t…”

This time Naruto looked at her questioningly, wondering what the big deal was about the question he was asking. 

She didn’t seem hurt by the question, just surprised, there being a bit of disbelief in her tone as well as… fright? Was that it? Why was she afraid of giving him such a response? As if they answered him, he might leave them, that he would abandon them in their journey, effectively leaving them for dead. 

The worst part is they couldn’t blame him. 

“It’s because our father was a god,” came the blunt response of Yang, who wasn’t quite willing to beat around the bush when it came to these kinds of things. They hadn’t told anyone such information before; they hadn’t had a chance to, but if they did, they knew for sure that the person would abandon them, fearing the god’s power, especially their father’s, and whatever retaliation he might invoke. 

“I see…” Naruto said, putting the pieces together. He was just now learning that gods could have children with humans, though he supposed he shouldn’t have written off such a notion. 

In his long life, he had only met a grand total of two gods, one of which was Artemis, who seemed to detest men in the same way he had detested vegetables as a kid. And Apollo was… well, if he were being honest, he seemed like the kind of dude who was a Casanova, so the notion of him having kids wasn’t exactly out of the question. He just never had thought about it like that. 

But even so, he did have to ask. “So… how does that work, exactly?” the blonde inquired, wondering if there was some sort of ritual or something that allowed for a god to have kids with humans. 

And he assumed said half-human, half-gods would be promptly hunted by monsters because of their parentage. 

Ruby widened, her pale cheeks turning ever so slightly crimson. “Mom says we’re not supposed to talk about… things like that!” the twelve-year-old girl said. 

“What?! No! That’s not what I—” Naruto felt like doing a face palm at that, though he felt like it was a good thing that these girls knew what reproduction was. At least he wouldn’t have to answer any awkward questions should they come up. That didn’t mean this wasn’t any more awkward. 

“Gods tend to decide that their own wives aren’t good enough, or their husbands; they end up getting attracted to some mortal fellow, and decide to screw them. If the mortal refuses… usually it doesn’t end too well for them,” Yang answered how such a person came about. It was a tale as old as the Greek gods themselves, and they only seemed to keep on repeating such actions, as if it were a bad joke. 

“Gasp! Language, Yang, mom’s going to have you put money in the—” Ruby stopped herself, clamping her mouth shut, her jaw growing tighter in that moment, as if she had said something she shouldn’t have. Or, more accurately, said something without thinking properly. A dark look overtook both Ruby and Yang’s eyes; Naruto caught such an expression, even if they would have tried to hide it—they didn’t, which only made the looks even more troubling. 

“So you two are a god’s children?” Naruto said, trying to steer the conversation away from what they had been talking about. 

“Right, we’re half-siblings… on our father’s side,” Yang informed, a bit of bitterness leaking into her voice at the mention of her father, as she took it that she didn’t like him very much for some unspoken reason. 

“Your father?” Naruto questioned. 

“Our father is Zeus.” Was all she said, the bomb being dropped. Because after all, they weren’t exactly just any god’s children, but the chief deity himself. And with that, all they needed to do was see how Naruto reacted. 

“Who now?” the blonde asked. 

It was at such a question that Yang and Ruby’s jaws dropped. “Zeus, did you not hear me?” Yang reiterated, as if he didn’t hear her the first time. 

“Yeah, who is that?” he asked again, finding the name somewhat familiar, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. 

“Zeus, the god of the sky, wielder of the master bolt, the chief god of Olympus!” Yang tried to say, even if she didn’t like the man, someone not knowing who he is was… it was just insane, if she were being honest.

Did this guy live under a rock or something?

“Right…” Naruto said as if he got the gist of things. Thinking that this guy must be like… the leader of the rest of the gods, he surmised. Though judging by what he did know about him, he assumed that this guy wasn’t amazing at it. Suspecting the guy might have a bit of a stick up his ass, even larger than Artemis, if what he heard about him was true. He wouldn’t mind giving him a smack or two around the elemental nations if that was all it would take to fix things, that is.

Yang didn’t seem convinced that he knew the severity of what she was talking about, but nevertheless she decided to move on. 

“That god is the same person who ended up sleeping with my mother, who was semi-close to Ruby’s mom, Summer Rose. And once my mom had me, she basically walked out and left me with Summer. Which, given Ruby’s mom was also quite beautiful, not a year later he decided to come down to have his way with Summer, which…”

“Is how I was born,” Ruby finished, realizing the story wasn’t quite the romantic tale that most heroes were used to having, not by a long shot. “From then on, my mom raised us the best she could, and she was amazing as a mom! Like the best!”

“Yeah, she was…” Yang said, looking down slightly. 

Naruto caught what she had said. 

‘Was’ 

As in she wasn’t around anymore. 

But even still, he had to ask. “Your mom, did she…” 

Yang nodded. “She died protecting Ruby and me… I guess she really was a super mom, y’know.” Ruby grew solemn, remembering how monsters had attacked them, catching a whiff of their scent. Not all of them could make it out in the way that they did, and her mother had known that. 

“Luckily, she let us know of a place—a camp where half-bloods like us can go, as far as we know it’s north of here… we just aren’t sure how north,” Yang told him. 

Camp Half-blood, it was called. A place that was made to prepare people like them for returning to their daily lives, training them to fight, and find some semblance of ‘normalcy’ given their likely livelihoods. It being strange, she couldn’t quite imagine a life outside of something like this; imagining herself not on the run was a foreign concept. She didn’t give herself the dignity of hope. Not now. 

“And the gods, your father, he doesn't do anything; he didn’t try to help you?” Naruto asked, though he figured he already knew the answer. 

“The gods don’t care…” came the small voice of Ruby. Her voice was honest, sickeningly so, hopeless that their father would help them, and she wasn’t afraid to say it. She had watched her mother die right in front of her, forced to a life on the run. 

“The gods make it a point to not interact too much with their children; they’re above us, and they can’t waste their time keeping track of how many kids they have… I know our father doesn’t,” Yang voiced the last part mostly to herself. 

Because of all their prayers, every time they had asked for help, they felt their words had gone unanswered. 

The only thing that their ‘father’—if he could be called that— had given them was that on each of their 12th birthdays they received a celestial bronze weapon. For Yang, a set of bracers, and for Ruby, a single dagger, which her sister had held onto and tried to use against the wolf that hunted them.

That was all the attention they had ever been given.

Two weapons for two children.

Not help. Weapons to fight on their own.

A message to ‘do it yourself,’ they thought it more than likely was.

That was what their father Zeus had said to them.

Naruto feeling like he didn’t like the guy enough already, but to find out that most gods didn’t care about their children, it was… a little strange, if he were being honest. Though he found he should have expected such a thing. 

Though he did find it admirable that Artemis seemed to care about her hunters, as if they were her own children. As far as he could tell, that was a plus in his eyes. 

“I see…” the blonde said. “For what it’s worth… I am sorry about what happened to your mother,” he told them sincerely and honestly. From what it sounded like, this Summer Rose seemed like an amazing woman and a great mother. 

After all, it was the bravest mothers of all who made the hardest of sacrifices; giving their life was one of them. He knew that from experience.

His own mother still had a special place in his heart, even to this day.

“Don’t be; it wasn’t your fault,” Yang told him. The conversation ended there.

From then on, they didn’t have much else to talk about, as the three took the time to get some much-needed rest. Another big day ahead of them.

All the while, a wolf’s howl sounded, echoing in the night…

“AWOOOOOOOOO!!!”

XXX

“How are you so strong?” This was the next question that had come after the day’s journey. A campfire had been made, and his time with the two young girls had only increased. 

The first thing that had come to mind between the three of them was that. 

And it came from none other than Ruby, her silver eyes looking at him inquisitively, as if trying to understand something that didn’t quite make sense in her young mind. Naruto seemed not to be a god, not a monster, not a demi-god, and from the sounds of it wasn’t exactly a woodland creature. 

So what was he? They hadn’t quite figured out the answer to the question. Naruto’s tails were ruffling at such a question, his ears twitching, as Ruby just couldn’t help but have the urge to pet it.  

Having always loved animals, and especially canines, having an old pet they used to find that seemed to follow them everywhere named Zwei… though she realized she never did find out where the dog went after everything that happened. She hoped he was doing okay. She realized her mind was getting off track a little. 

“Hmmm…” the man hummed. Naruto pondered her question.

And indeed it was a question. Because, basically, it forced him to analyze his whole life, everything that constituted his very being, and assess it. Was he really that strong? He didn’t feel so, but then again, he felt stronger than he was as a genin, and compared to the average human, there wasn’t a comparison at all. But did that mean he stood tall above the rest, that nobody else could quite match him in strength or skill? He wasn’t quite sure on that front.

Another thing he needed to reflect on was the manner she was asking, as while he would say it was because he fought to protect people, he also wasn’t sure if that was what she was asking. From a tangible perspective, he could say that he was strong because he had the powers of chakra, which no other person he had found had. Furthermore, he could say he was strong because of his genetics, in the sense that him being an Uzumaki gave him an edge against most shinobi. Though, even with the best genetics, that was nothing in the face of actual training and hard work, which allowed him to foster his massive chakra supply and allowed him to truly face the world and the threats against him. 

So in the end, it was a combination of many things. 

But if he had to sum it up in one word… 

“Motivation, the right motivation, can make anyone strong,” Naruto simply told her. Because without motivation, there was nothing. You didn’t train, you didn’t have any effort to become stronger; there was just… nothing. 

“Oh?” Ruby questioned. 

“Why do you want to become strong, Ruby?” the blonde asked her. Wanting to know her motivation. 

It was the only reason that she could be asking such a question. She wanted to know how she could become strong too. Which meant that she needed her own motivation; he had seen many others. Sasuke had chosen the path of revenge, the path of vengeance, to avenge his clan. He wondered if Ruby would take such a path in life. Or maybe she would take the same path as Neji, where she would try to defy her fate and the life she had been given. Perhaps her motivation would be something else entirely; who was to say. 

But he wanted her to seriously think about such a thing; why did she want to become strong?

“Well I-I…” Ruby said, her eyes widening slightly. Before becoming determined. “I want to make sure that nobody will hurt us, Yang and I… I want to make sure I don’t lose her too!”

“Ah…” Naruto said, still sitting on a log, as his blue eyes looked at her. “You aim to become invincible, is that it? Remaining forever impervious. So nothing can seem to hurt you or your sister?” he pointed out. 

“Well, yes, but no… I-I want— to, well… I don’t want to feel sad anymore…” Ruby told him, Yang watching her sister, though remaining silent. 

“I see…” Naruto said, though he did chuckle a bit at her response. “I hope you can do such a thing, Ruby. And your goal is truly admirable,” he admitted, even if there was a bit of childishness in her response. 

He didn’t mind the childishness. The childish perspective was refreshing, if he were being honest, different from those who remained the same, holding onto old customs and notions of thought. Children weren’t like that; they had a fresh perspective on many things, and a reminding perspective that he may have once forgotten. 

Because he too, when he was young, thought that remaining strong merely meant that you did not have to feel sadness, when even then that wasn’t far from the truth. 

“Protecting your sister is an admirable goal, Ruby. I hope you can keep such a motivation,” He told her. 

Because even if he was strong, he could still feel all the things he always felt: sadness, grief, anger, heartache…   

Even if he was strong. 

Though he knew that Ruby would grow strong. Because she wanted to protect people precious to her. 

‘When you have someone you want to protect, that is when you will truly become strong.’ 

Haku’s words echo through his mind, even after all this time, reminding him of them. 

The three had a bit more conversation following such a question, some about simple things, some about more serious topics; Naruto found the conversation pleasant, above all things. Refreshing, given he usually didn’t spend so much time with someone. They asked about any gods he had seen, if any, and Naruto told him about the two. 

Apollo, a headstrong, boisterous god who seemed a little prideful, but overall alright. And Artemis, who he called a fiery redhead for a vicious vendetta for all things orange. He told them about how he pranked her and her hunters—which got a bit of a chuckle out of them; the two, being so used to reverence of the gods, had never heard about any of the gods being anything but perfect. Finding out the virgin hunter of all the gods had essentially gotten doused in honey and feathers was an interesting story. As the two felt like they truly could enjoy the man’s company, they got a few laughs at each prank he told. Though he did mention that Artemis was a good person, and if they were to ever go into her company, he didn’t doubt the woman would help them. 

The two had felt as if they weren’t on the run for a short while, that they weren’t demigods, and that their lives could actually be enjoyable. Forgetting about their mother’s death for a moment, forgetting about getting to camp half-blood. 

It was nice…

But, of course, the moon came over them, and with it, the night. 

The wolves' howls sounded through the night, once again. And soon enough they would reach the end of this endless forest, and their time together would end, as quickly as it came…

End Chapter. 

An: And there we have it, the latest chapter of Fox and the hunter, and this one feels a little short.

That is intentional, as I actually had to split this chapter and the next part due to how long it was. With the total word count being around 25k words. 

So don’t worry, that chapter will come out next week.

This chapter was voted in by my lovely patreons, with it more revolving around Naruto rather than Artemis (though don’t worry, the next real chapter she will show up again).

With this chapter I wanted it to have a few demo god children to protect, where I contemplated if I should use OCs or actual characters. Eventually I settled on Yang and Ruby, with my use of Neo already (I had not originally planned to use them but I decided on it).

With this chapter being more calm; more tame, before the actual storm.

I hope you guys enjoyed this and are looking forwards to the next part. See ya!

(If you would like to chat with me, this is a Discord server I’m a part of: /ENGdXM7YKx )

Please leave me Lots and Lots of NICE reviews.

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