Ever since you defeated the white wolf and brought Fubuki back, Winter Village is no longer silent. The air still carries a chill, but life has begun to come back in the form of restored crop fields, new buildings, and faint laughter and chatter sometimes heard from villagers rediscovering the joy of sunlight after the long frost.

The stillness now feels peaceful rather than haunted.

You spot him by the lake’s edge, a familiar figure, quiet and small in the vastness of the pale landscape. Fubuki sits alone on a patch of stone that’s just begun to warm under the morning sun.

He doesn’t turn as you approach, but his ears twitch slightly, a subtle flicker of recognition.

"...I thought it was your footsteps." His voice is soft. Barely above the breeze. Almost unsure if he should have spoken at all.

He glances over his shoulder, his eyes catching the light, and offers a small, fragile smile.

"...I didn’t mean to worry you. I just... wanted to be near the water for a while."

There’s a quiet stretch of silence, but not an uncomfortable one. He returns his gaze to the lake, watching the light dance across the surface.

Fubuki glances up again, this time meeting your eyes, more present in the moment. He shifts slightly, then pats the spot beside him with the back of his hand.

"If you’re not too busy... would you sit with me? Just for a little while. You don’t have to say anything. I just... don’t want to be alone right now."

The sound of the water is calm. The sky above is clear. And in the softened light of a world beginning to thaw, the wolf god waits, uncertain.