I relayed the hunchbacked old woman’s advice to Xiao Shu, who readily agreed, noting that circling the Sea of the Dead would prevent us from getting lost. If we struck out too far, he reasoned, we might lose our bearings entirely and end up somewhere else entirely.

With the decision made, the two of us tucked our books and maps into our respective backpacks, preparing to head east along the coast of the Sea of the Dead.

Just as we stood up, ready to leave, the same wildcat reappeared. It suddenly shot out from the undergrowth, scampered to our feet, and began meowing incessantly, its ferocious, biting demeanor completely gone.

“We let you bite your leg, and we gave you our bread; what more do you want?” Xiao Shu spread his hands toward it, joking.

The little fox couldn't understand his words, merely continuing to call out to us on its own. When we ignored it and started to move, it anxiously leaped in front of me, physically blocking my path.

“What in the world is wrong?” Xiao Shu and I exchanged glances, unsure what trick this wildcat was playing by stopping me from leaving.

“Maybe it needs your help with something?” Xiao Shu guessed, his tone still lighthearted.

Seeing my way blocked, and unwilling to simply kick it aside, I crouched down, moving close to the creature, and asked, “Why are you stopping me? We need to go to the eastern side of the lake.” As I spoke, I pointed in the direction we intended to travel.

The wildcat, however, understood neither my words nor my gesture, simply continuing its persistent meowing. Growing frantic, it even began batting at my shoe with its small paw. When it succeeded in knocking my lace loose, it promptly seized the trailing end of the shoelace in its mouth and began dragging it toward the thicket.

There was no way a small wildcat could drag a body weighing over one hundred and fifty pounds. I smiled at Xiao Shu, gesturing toward the creature and asking, “What do you think it wants?”

Xiao Shu, who had been joking moments before, suddenly lost his smile when he saw the wildcat tugging the lace, trying to pull me into the brush. He adopted a serious expression and said, “It probably wants to lead us somewhere. Let’s follow it.”

Hearing him say that, I realized it made sense. It wouldn't let me go east, yet it tugged my shoelace toward the undergrowth—it really did seem desperate to take us somewhere.

So, I bent down, gently scooped it up, and stroked its neck a few times. It offered no resistance, behaving as docile and tame as any well-raised domestic cat. After a moment, I set it back on the ground, turned to retie my undone shoelace, winked at it, and said, “You lead the way, and I’ll follow right behind.”

This time, the wildcat seemed to understand. It obediently turned and walked a few steps ahead, then looked back to confirm that Xiao Shu and I were trailing it, before walking a bit further. This pattern repeated: it would lead for a distance, then check back, reassuring itself that we were still following before moving on contentedly.

We walked and watched, and watched and walked, for perhaps two or three kilometers under the wildcat’s guidance. The crimson surface of the Sea of the Dead had long faded from view, and the gurgling sound of the water had vanished entirely. Just as Xiao Shu was beginning to grow anxious about getting lost, the wildcat led us to an earthen den.

The hole was concealed beneath a large boulder. It was surrounded by the same endless plain we had traversed before—only scrub brush and low grasses met the eye—the only difference being the complete absence of the Sea of the Dead. It appeared the creature had successfully brought us deep into the plain, far away from the water.

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