Under the warm afternoon sky on Patch Island, little Ruby and Yang were happily playing in the yard of the Xiao Long residence. Laughter and joy filled the air as Summer Rose and Taiyang Xiao Long watched their daughters, smiling fondly at the cheerful scene.
Ruby and Yang chased each other through the grass, their giggles echoing in the breeze. Suddenly, Ruby tripped and fell—but moments later, she stood back up and continued playing as if nothing had happened.
"Ruby, be careful!" Summer called out with a touch of concern in her voice. 🌸
Taiyang chuckled softly, glancing at his wife and the children. Seeing her worried expression made him smile even more. Deciding to grab some snacks for everyone, he leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Summer's forehead.
"I'm going to get some snacks," he said warmly before heading into the house. 🍪🥤
A few minutes later, Summer decided to help Taiyang in the kitchen. She headed inside, leaving the two girls outside to play on their own.
As Ruby and Yang continued their game, a sudden rustling sound echoed from the nearby forest. Curious, Ruby turned toward the sound and took a few steps forward. But when another rustle came—this time louder—she instinctively stepped back and looked over to where Yang stood. 👀🍃
Yang, feeling both curious and a little uneasy, cautiously moved toward the source. She stopped in front of a bush and peeked through the leaves—only to find a group of squirrels munching on a pile of leaves. She let out a huge sigh of relief.
All the squirrels scattered in fright as Yang exhaled, and Ruby quickly ran over to see what her sister had found. As they both looked more closely at the leaf pile, their excitement turned to confusion—and then to fear. Hidden beneath the leaves was something strange... a single drop of blood.
The girls knelt to examine it further, uncovering a small puddle of blood concealed under the foliage. They froze in place, staring at the shocking discovery. 😨🩸
Just then, Taiyang and Summer stepped outside with food and drinks in hand. When they noticed the girls were gone, Summer called out loudly:
"Yang! Ruby! Snacks are ready!" 🍱🎉
When no one responded, Summer began searching. That's when she saw both girls standing near the forest's edge—not too far from the house. She walked toward them to see what had caught their attention. As she gently touched their shoulders, both girls flinched.
They slowly turned to face her, and what she saw froze her in place—two horrified expressions on their young faces. Summer's heart dropped.
Yang shakily pointed toward the pile of leaves.
Summer knelt down and carefully brushed away the leaves. Her eyes widened in shock—lying beneath them was a child. A young boy, unconscious, with wolf-like ears and a tail. The ends of his dark blue hair were faded, and a bleeding wound marked his head.
She quickly checked for a pulse.
To her surprise—he was still alive. 🐺💔
Without wasting a second, Summer gently scooped the fragile boy into her arms and rushed back to the house, yelling for Taiyang to call a doctor immediately.
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⏳ **Hours Later...**
The doctor had just finished examining the boy. Summer and Taiyang sat nearby, anxious for the results.
"So... is he going to be alright?" Summer asked softly.
"He is," the doctor replied with a nod. "The wound on his head isn't too deep. Based on the blood loss, I'd say he lost no more than half a teacup of blood. As long as he gets proper nutrition and care, he should recover soon. As for when he'll wake up... that's uncertain. But physically, he's stable." 🩺💤
"Thank goodness..." Summer whispered, relieved.
"But what was a kid doing out there... and with those kinds of injuries?" Taiyang asked, still confused and concerned.
Silence fell in the room as they all considered his question. But with no answers to be found, they decided to put their questions aside—at least for now. Speculating wouldn't help the boy recover.
The doctor left, reminding them to take good care of the child. Meanwhile, Ruby and Yang sat by the bed, staring at the mysterious boy with wide, confused eyes—wondering who he was, and what had brought him to their home. 🛏️🌙
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