White Fox Page 13

  The red and gray foxes inched closer to Carl’s group, but the Arctic foxes surrounded their leader in a tight defensive circle.

  Alsace addressed the blue foxes in a calm and gentle voice. “How many of your companions have died along the way? You’ve been exiled for so long. Don’t you miss home? The life of every single fox is extremely precious to me. You’re not the ones I want to kill. Step aside.”

  “Whoever dares to betray me,” Carl barked at the Arctic foxes, “don’t forget that the lives of your families hang in the balance. You know what’ll happen if I don’t return alive!”

  Alsace spoke in a low, threatening voice. “In that case, all you foxes listen: Kill this waste of fur. Whoever dares to help him will die.” The circle of red and gray foxes moved closer.

  “Tell them to back off, or I’ll kill your little brother!” Carl said, walking over to Dilah.

  “My little brother?” Alsace asked incredulously, his cold blue eyes falling on Dilah, who was still pinned to the ground by the hyenas.

  Dilah managed to release a whisper of a reply: “Yes. Dilah …” He met his brother’s gaze.

  At that moment, Dilah was sure he’d be saved. There was no way his elder brother would let him die. I can’t wait to get to know Alsace! We’ll work together to defeat Carl and avenge Papa! At this thought, his heart lit up with hope.

  “Then do it. If you’re going to kill him, make it fast,” Alsace said coldly. At once, a bucket of ice water was dumped on the hope in Dilah’s heart. He couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.

  “What? You don’t even care whether your own brother lives or dies?” Even Carl sounded surprised. Then his gaze hardened. “Well then, watch as I rip out his throat!”

  Dilah was trapped and unmoving under the paws of the hyenas.

  “You can’t kill him!” a small voice rang out. “He’s the only one who knows the secret of the moonstone. If you kill him, you’ll never find Ulla’s treasure!” Ankel stepped forward, wringing his small paws.

  Alsace slowly walked toward Carl, completely unconcerned about his threat to Dilah’s life, or Ankel’s warning. Suddenly, he shot forward. Thump—Carl was thrown back, his three good legs trailing on the ground. He landed hard on his side, clearly winded. Alsace studied Carl where he lay, his eyes glinting with the thrill of revenge.

  “I should have killed you when I had the chance,” Carl growled. “Blake, Warren—if you want the treasure, you’re going to have to fight for it.”

  In a heartbeat, the two hyenas released Dilah and lunged at Alsace in tandem. Alsace dodged aside and barked a command, and the foxes behind him rushed forward. The Arctic foxes joined the fray, attempting to break a path through to escape. Chaos erupted inside the circle.

  “Ankel! Little Bean!” Dilah kept his two friends close, ready to protect them if necessary.

  After a furious fight, Carl and the Arctic foxes broke from the others, running off into the low dry grass. The two hyenas followed. It was over so fast. The battlefield was stained with blood and tufts of fur. Two Arctic foxes were dead and several of Alsace’s foxes lay on the ground, gravely injured or dying.

  “Send some foxes to track them,” Alsace said to a gray fox at his side. “Keep me posted on his every move,” he instructed. “I expect this won’t be the last we see of him. He won’t give up on the moonstone.”

  “Your wish is my command,” replied the gray fox.

  At last, Alsace walked over to Dilah, his face expressionless.

  Dilah’s heart was filled with disappointment and fear as he looked at the cold-eyed stranger who was supposed to be his brother. He was Dilah’s last living blood relative, but Alsace didn’t seem to care whether Dilah lived or died.

  “Are you really Dilah?” Alsace asked, fixing Dilah with a frosty stare, his gaze falling on the leather parcel on Dilah’s chest.

  Dilah kept silent, his heart simmering with something like anger.

  “Are you really Dilah?” Alsace asked again, twice as loudly as before, as if he thought Dilah might be deaf or stupid.

  “Yes,” Dilah briskly replied.

  “Answer me: How are Mama and Papa?” Alsace asked.

  Dilah blinked. “Dead,” he replied softly.

  “How?”

  “Killed by a hunter, but Carl lured them to their death,” Dilah responded, watching for a hint of grief. Alsace’s reaction, however, completely chilled his heart.

  “So before they died, did they give you the moonstone?” Alsace asked coolly.

  “Why do you care more about the moonstone than the fact our parents are dead?” Dilah asked, unable to keep the anger from his voice.

  “Care about our parents? Did they ever care about me? Did they treat me like their child? Were they there for me in my most difficult time, when I needed them most? They gave the moonstone to you, not me! They knew I’d been driven out of the Arctic Circle but did nothing to find me! They’re not my parents anymore!” Alsace snapped, his eyes full of hate.

  “They didn’t know you’d been kicked out of the Arctic!” Dilah protested. “They thought you’d left!”

  “There’s no way Papa didn’t know! Do you really think he stopped paying attention to the Arctic fox clan after he went into hiding? Do you think Blizzard’s loyal followers would have forgotten him?”

  “They gave you life—how can you hate them?” Dilah asked. He tried to soften his voice. “I also left the Arctic, so I can understand how you feel, but—”

  “Ha! You understand? You can imagine the feeling of being driven out of your home by your own compatriots? You can imagine what it’s like to trudge through mountains and rivers to get here? You can imagine the price I paid to rise from Arctic outcast to king of my own fox clan? No, I think not. Because while I was doing all that, you were the darling little apple of our parents’ eyes. You can never understand the suffering I’ve gone through!” Alsace roared, baring two sharp fangs.

  Dilah was speechless.

  “Enough of this. It’s time for me to claim what is rightfully mine. Hand over the moonstone,” Alsace demanded.

  “What do you want it for?”

  “To be king of the animals. To attack the Arctic fox clan and exact my revenge on Carl and all those who forced me into exile. What else?”

  Dilah shivered. “You’re just like Carl—you’re both controlled by hate and greed. I’ll never let you find the treasure!”

  Alsace didn’t reply. “Get the parcel off him,” he said to the foxes at his side.

  Several foxes surrounded Dilah and yanked the moonstone package from his neck. At their leader’s nod, they unwrapped it carefully on the dry grass. Alsace approached the moonstone, and blue rays of light flickered in his eyes as he gazed upon it. “This is it … at last.”

  “Patriarch, there are markings on the leather,” one of the foxes said.

  Alsace glared up at Dilah, who was quivering with rage. “What does it mean? Does it have something to do with the secret of the moonstone?”

  “I don’t know,” he lied, gritting his teeth.

  “I’ll ask you again: What does this writing mean?” Alsace angrily asked.

  “I don’t know!” Dilah insisted.

  “My patience is limited, little brother. As soon as I give the word, you and your friends will be smashed into smithereens.”

  “Then kill me now!” The anger in Dilah’s heart flared with fresh heat. “Perhaps killing me will let you feel you’re even with our parents!”

  “Lock them up!” Alsace said. Foxes surrounded the three friends, and Little Bean yelped as a red fox grinned at him hungrily. “Dilah, I’m giving you three days to think things over. If you don’t tell me on the first day, I’ll kill the weasel. If you don’t tell me on the second day, I’ll kill the rabbit. If you don’t tell me on the third day, then it’ll be your turn.”

  “You’re right: You’re really not my brother—I could never have a brother like you,” Dilah said. His eyes stung. He could never have ima
gined that his own brother would resort to such vicious threats.

  “You, follow me—and bring the moonstone.” Alsace avoided Dilah’s gaze, then turned around and left.

  A red fox bowed his head and carried the moonstone away—the last legacy of Dilah’s mother, the treasure he had carried for months and months, guiding him on his adventure.

  It felt as if his heart were breaking.

  The inside of the cave in which Dilah, Little Bean, and Ankel were imprisoned was lit by a sliver of white moonlight. From outside they could hear the chirps of crickets and the guard fox’s muffled snores.

  “Is this where our adventure ends?” Dilah said, staring glumly at the stars framed in the cave’s mouth.

  Ankel’s nose twitched thoughtfully. After a while, he replied in a soft voice. “Even if it is, Dilah, I’m glad I came along.”

  Little Bean nodded, his ears flopping in the semidarkness. “I’m glad too.”

  Dilah blinked in surprise. “Really, Little Bean? We’ve done nothing but cause trouble for you. We’ve lost you your home and put your life in danger.” He turned to Ankel. “That goes for you too, actually. If it weren’t for me, you’d be safe, at home with your mom.”

  Little Bean replied first. “It doesn’t matter. For the first time, I have friends—and I’d pay any price for that.”

  “I agree,” said Ankel. “I’ve found independence and courage with you, Dilah. I wouldn’t change what happened for the world.”

  Dilah was quiet for a while as an unexpected warmth spread through his heart. He’d been unable to follow the moonstone to the end of its path. He had lost his parents and failed to find a true brother. But he’d gained so much too. All his adventures flashed through his head—the horror and the joy, the sorrow, the excitement—the bonds forged and the friends left behind on the way. The space against his chest where the moonstone had hung felt empty, but his heart was full. He lay down and curled his tail around his paws, his friends close on either side of him.

  After a while, Dilah’s ears twitched. He heard the far-off pitter-patter of footsteps, drawing closer and closer, passing by the guard, and finally stopping at the mouth of the cave.

  A young female fox stood in the moonlight. She had a long, pointed nose, a slender red body and white belly, and a large tail that was almost as long as the rest of her. Her eyes shone.

  Dilah had a feeling his adventure wasn’t over just yet.

  To be continued …

  Long ago, in the frozen north, the rabbit kingdom of the Volkerkin was under threat from a neighboring pack of wolves. The rabbit king paid tribute to the leader of the wolves to keep his hungry pack at bay. But one year, the harvest failed and the king had no choice but to offer another valuable tribute. The pack would only accept one other gift: the king’s beautiful daughter.

  Reluctantly, the king sent off his princess to the wolf pack … but she never arrived. The rabbits blamed the wolves and the wolves blamed the rabbits, sparking a declaration of war. To this day, no one knows what became of the princess. In the battle that followed, the rabbit army was decimated and the king fled with his remaining family.

  All was lost until a rabbit called Buona arrived to join the king’s party. Buona was no ordinary rabbit: she had fur of the purest white, like the moon. She was clever too, and she taught the rabbits to dig burrows in the earth, protecting them from the wolves. That’s why, to this day, rabbits live underground.

  Buona knew the burrows wouldn’t be enough—the rabbits would have to venture out for food, leaving them exposed to the wolves’ attacks. One night, she ran out in front of the wolf army and her white fur glowed in the moonlight, drawing the wolves into a chase. She led them toward a raging river and leapt in. Unthinking and focused on the hunt, the wolves followed. The current washed Buona and the wolf army away. She had sacrificed herself to save the rabbits.

  The moon goddess had watched what happened and, in admiration, took the white rabbit’s soul to the moon. From there, Buona still watches over her species and is revered by the rabbits as a saint.

  But for the animal kingdoms, the battle between the wolves and rabbits was only the start. The Holy War was coming, and soon animal civilization itself would be torn apart …

  This book is a fantastic adventure story about dreams, friendship, growing up, and life. I set out to write a story exploring the differences and connections between animals and humans, rediscovering humans from an animal’s perspective and demonstrating the impact that human actions can have on animals.

  The book’s inspiration stems from a marvelous experience in my childhood. One moonlit night when I was five years old, I awoke from a deep sleep and noticed a tall, milk-white figure near my bedroom window. It was human-shaped, but it had two fox-like pointed ears. Its body emitted a silver glow, and it stood with its back to me, remaining motionless … The following day, I told this story to my parents, teachers and classmates, but no one believed me. They thought it was just a dream or a hallucination—some people even thought I was lying. But I remained confident in what I’d seen with my own eyes, and that white shadow had made a deep impression on me. Since then, I’ve often asked myself, What on earth was that? Why did it come to me? Was some mysterious force summoning me? Was I a white fox in a past life? Inspired by this experience, sixteen years later I began writing a story about a white fox who dreams of becoming human, and that milk-white figure became the model for Ulla, the patron saint of the white foxes.

  I wrote White Fox on and off over the course of six years. The book was so long that I ended up splitting it into two books. This book only tells the first half of the story; the second half will be published next year. While writing this book, I reread many literary works and mythological tales from around the world, drawing inspiration from them as I crafted my own unique story. It was an extremely long process filled with both pain and joy. My mood would change according to what was happening to the characters, my mind expanding as they experienced various trials and tribulations.

  I’d like to express special thanks to the internationally renowned publisher Barry Cunningham, the original publisher of the Harry Potter series and the managing director of Chicken House, for purchasing the English language rights to the White Fox series and helping to bring Dilah’s story out of China and into the rest of the world. Thank you to Kesia Lupo, the editor of this book, for her numerous invaluable suggestions and painstaking effort in revising the manuscript. Thank you to my American translator, Jennifer Feeley, for using beautiful, lyrical language to reinterpret my work. Thank you to my agents at Andrew Nurnberg Associates International Ltd: Jackie Huang, Sandra Hu and Charlotte Seymour. I’d also like to thank Ms. Wang Ruiqin of the People’s Literature Publishing House and editor of the Harry Potter series in China for helping me turn my dream of writing into a reality and giving me the courage to embark on this path.

  There are inevitably some omissions in this book, and each reader will interpret the story from a different perspective, so I don’t expect it to be for everyone, but when I write, I try my best to make the story fulfilling, interesting, and engaging. I hope that this story will make my dear readers feel happy, excited, or moved.

  This book may be over, but Dilah’s story has not ended yet. This book foreshadows much of what is yet to come, and there are many mysteries left unsolved. The adventures of Dilah and his friends continue on. The secret of the moonstone has been only half revealed, and the mystery surrounding Ulla’s treasure has yet to be unveiled. I promise you that the rest of the story is full of twists and turns. There are even more magical elements, more interesting characters and wonderful scenes, and more heart-stopping adventures!

  Finally, I’d like to dedicate this book to fellow lovers of fantasy and adventure.

  CHEN JIATONG

  Chen Jiatong is one of China’s bestselling authors. He was still at university when he began writing White Fox and graduated from Beihang University with a masters in engineering.

 
Original Chinese text copyright © 2014 by Chen Jiatong

  English translation by Jennifer Feeley, copyright © 2019 Chicken House

  Interior illustrations copyright © 2019 by Viola Wang

  All rights reserved. Published by Chicken House, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920. SCHOLASTIC, CHICKEN HOUSE, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.

  First published in China as Dilah and the Moonstone by People’s Literature Publishing House in 2014. Currently published by Jieli Publishing House.

  First published in the United Kingdom in 2019 by Chicken House, 2 Palmer Street, Frome, Somerset BA11 1DS.

  The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available

  First edition, October 2020

  Jacket art © 2020 by Fiona Hsieh

  Jacket design by Stephanie Yang

  e-ISBN 978-1-338-63541-6

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.