It was still dark when Samantha woke up shivering. She was still covered by the animal fur blanket, but it wasn't nearly enough to keep warm. It brought to mind the camping trips she'd gone on when she was younger, when she'd freeze in her sleeping bag even during a summer morning if the sun hadn't come up. Her fox friend was still curled up next to her and looked so cozy... would it mind if she moved a little closer? Its fur looked so thick and so soft that it was beyond tempting. "Fox?" she asked as she lightly pressed on its back, trying to rouse the sleeping beast. Luckily for her, her companion was a light sleeper, and it whined drowsily in response. "Um, what should I call you? Do you know what I mean? I can't just call you 'fox' all ithe time, can I?" she rambled, suddenly shy. "Ao-ao aoo," it barked softly, and Samantha took it as a response. "Thank you, Ao-ao! That's really a wonderful name, I think it's very cute!" and truthfully, Ao-ao the fox was really starting to grow on her, even though they'd barely been acquainted.

"Ao-ao, I'm cold... Would it be okay if we slept a little bit closer? I'll keep my blanket on, it's just... it hurts. My muscles are starting to ache from the cold, and my throat is getting sore. If that's not okay with you, I understand, and I would hate to take advantage. I'll find a way. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have woken you. It was selfish of me," she continued, finding that now that she'd started talking, she couldn't stop. She decided to begin rearranging the furs that made up her bedding when Ao-ao wound its giant, fluffy tail around her and tucked her underneath its chin. The feeling was so glorious that Samantha sighed in happy relief, and lost herself in carding Ao-ao's fur with her fingers and then petting it smooth again. "Thank you, Ao-ao," she murmured into its neck, her nose already buried in thick, luscious, and most importantly, warm fox fur. She was becoming warm so quickly that it felt like her previously frozen muscles were melting.

Her hands were still reflexively stroking Ao-ao's fur as she drifted off to sleep, and Ao-ao purred softly, its chest vibrating with each slow breath the fox took. Ao-ao, though tired, felt ecstasy in a heart that had long given up on any such feeling. He had been so worried about frightening this surprisingly fragile and skittish female, but now he reveled in the happiness and sense of security that radiated from her. His preparations truly had worked, and he found that his ability to understand this female and predict her needs made him love her more than he ever thought possible. He felt her slight affection for him and was encouraged by it, but knew that just this would not be enough to win this challenging, mysterious female over.

Of course, Ao-ao wasn't really his name, and he was much more than just a fox, but he sensed that it would be best to give this information to Samantha slowly, over as much time as he could give her. Based on how she had reacted to that wolf beast, "Ao-ao" would need to gain her trust, and she had many needs to tend to before that could happen. Fox beasts weren't known to be clever for nothing, after all. He was slightly let down that Samantha wasn't a fox beast like himself - otherwise, she wouldn't be calling him "Ao-ao", she would have used the name he had given her. Regardless, he had a strong feeling that their bond would become unbreakable, no matter what tribe she came from. Fox or no fox, he would love her in whatever way she would let him.

He had much to do before she awoke, and after listing them all in his head one more time, he decided to get as much sleep as he could and set out before daybreak to make the final preparations for their day. Before nodding off, he wondered if this female would actually agree to be his, for the first time not worrying about the consequences that would arise if she didn't. "Ao-ao" hoped that what he had prepared for her today would not disappoint her, and that it would help her to regain some of the health that she seemed to need so desperately. There was no telling what sort of tribe would allow one of its females to become so sick, but he would never, ever send her back to them, come what may.

The next thing Samantha knew, Ao-ao was nudging her with its thin, fuzzy snout to wake her up. Although the nudging was gentle, her fox companion seemed excited, so she did her best to comply. Standing up, she stretched a few times before her body reminded her that it had been at least a full day since she had eaten, and the sudden weakness she felt nearly caused her to fall back on the bed. Before her body hit the ground, she collided with a firm, fluffy entity that could only be Ao-ao. She took a few moments to steady herself, and once she was stable, Ao-ao bent its torso forward and gave her a pleading look. "Am I supposed to climb on, Ao-ao?" Samantha asked, and Ao-ao adjusted more firmly into place as if to prepare for boarding. She laughed at the fox's antics and complied, holding herself flush to Ao-ao's body with her arms barely able to clasp around a large fox neck. They exited the foxhole without scraping Samantha's skin on the mysteriously enlarged tunnel, and Ao-ao took off at a sprint to goodness knows where.