[BotB] Chapter 22

The starting point of these tracks was her very own home's gate. Whether it was a final act of consideration or not, Dohwi had not transformed in front of her, but this was unmistakable proof that he was a tiger. 

Faced with this undeniable evidence, Sohwa found herself feeling strangely detached. It was as if she had finally released the tension from the heavy bowstring she had been holding all along; there was an odd sense of relief. 

Drop by drop, the ground began to dampen. Looking up, she saw that the sky was heavy with dark clouds, threatening to burst into a heavy downpour at any moment. "Yes, I knew it all along. I knew but pretended not to," she admitted to herself. 

She had tried to reassure herself, fervently denying the possibility. But deep down, she had anticipated that a day like this might come, and she had prepared to leave countless times. "Even if he was a tiger that might one day devour me, it was better than being alone," she had reasoned. 

But now the moment had come for her to truly stand alone. Like the raindrops falling singly from the sky and seeping into the earth, she must not fear solitude and must go forth. 

Rain began to fill the tiger's paw prints left behind as Sohwa fled, a poignant testament to her departure.

05. Initially, I Thought I'd Eat It

Ihwang Mountain was a modest hill that Dohwi could reach the mid-slope of with just a few sprints. Catching and killing a female fox in such a place was hardly a challenge. Small creatures with well-developed hind legs, like foxes and rabbits, instinctively ran towards the top of the hill when fleeing. Although Dohwi did not particularly enjoy fox hunting, he was well aware of this fact, just as the foxes knew to instinctively run from predators.

But their predator was not a mere snake or stray dog; it was a ferocious tiger that roamed the vast mountain ranges by night. 

With a desperate, ripping scream, the caught female fox cried out in her last struggle. Dohwi, as if plucking the strings of elegance, changed his plans and bit the creature in one swift motion. He sank his teeth into the nape of the fox's neck and shook his head from side to side to ensure its life was thoroughly extinguished. 

As the fox's limbs went limp from the struggle, Dohwi was displeased with the taste of the blood left in his mouth and spit the creature out with a 'ptui'. He had been bold and insolent enough to covet and try to seduce his female. Originally intent on crunching the bones and all, Dohwi found the taste unsatisfactory. 

Kicking the corpse aside with little regard, Dohwi then lifted his head to catch Sohwa's scent. 

It wasn't just because she was his female; Sohwa's scent was truly special. It had the softness of a small and cute vixen, the savory smell of quail jerky, and it was heavily entwined with his own scent. All these scents combined unmistakably signified Sohwa. 

Where could such an entrancing creature have come from? 

Even if he replayed their first encounter hundreds of times, that charming fox was undoubtedly his destiny. 

*** 

Feigning memory loss, Dohwi clung to Sohwa, but he was, in fact, a mystical tiger that had already lived a thousand years. As the lord of the mountains, he once reigned over one of the greatest mountains, Cheonmun Mountain, known as 'Cheonmundukho', a name that meant 'son of Cheonmun Mountain', which was Dohwi's name in his younger days. 

One day, he encountered a snake attempting to ascend to the heavens from his mountain. Displeased with the snake trying to ascend without paying its dues after squatting on Cheonmun Mountain for so long, Dohwi bit the tail of the snake that was trying to ascend to the heavens with a magic pearl in its mouth. 

The snake failed to ascend and became an Imugi, hiding deep within Cheonmun Mountain and gathering disciples, renouncing the mundane world. For harassing a virtuous snake, Dohwi received a divine command from the Heavenly Lord to shed his tough hide, akin to iron armor, and his revered old name, and be reborn anew. 

The Heavenly Lord, as always, bestowed upon him a new name. 

"A truly beautiful and fierce tiger." 

Thus, the fourth son of the tiger couple from Kunlun Mountains, appointed to them, was Dohwi. 

Fortune and misfortune, as the saying goes, come hand in hand, and Dohwi experienced both. Being born to a healthy tiger couple with a good relationship was his fortune, but having jealous older brothers was his misfortune. 

No life is insignificant, yet Dohwi's brother, already known as the 'Tiger of Kunlun Mountains', recognized his exceptional nature the moment he was born and, before his umbilical cord was even shed, threw him to a black eagle as prey.