[BotB] Chapter 6

"You seem to be underage. You look young."

Naturally, the boy, who didn't even know his roots, didn't know his age either. In Sohwa's case, the appearance of her true form in her youth and her human form was the same, but some powerful mythological creatures could maintain a mature human appearance even when they were quite young.

Sohwa guessed that the boy was probably in his youth or young adulthood, considering his true form was quite large.

"Did you lose your memory because you were hurt?"

"I guess so..."

He must have been abandoned by his parents and siblings, wandered in the mountains, was attacked, and fell covered in blood.

'His wound at the navel is healed now...'

Sohwa decided not to pry any further. It would be mean to ask this poor boy, who didn't even know his roots and was confused, more questions.

"I'm a red fox. This is Ihwang Mountain. It's a small hill compared to famous mountains like Gonryon or Cheonmun."

The boy's light brown eyes sparkled as he watched Sohwa.

"Do you want to stay with me until you fully recover?"

The boy shyly nodded his head.

"We are different species, so we won't go into heat for each other, and you are gentle and kind, so I think it will be fine to live together. What do you think?"

Sohwa also thought it was a good idea. After all, wildcats were good at hunting. She had also heard they were good swimmers.

'Now I can eat meat and plenty of fish.'

Sohwa was clumsy at hunting because she hadn't learned from her mother properly. She could hardly remember when she last ate meat. Having a nimble wildcat friend seemed very reassuring.

"I'm fine with anything. If I'm with you..."

"We should change that way of addressing me. What's this 'master'? Just call me Sohwa."

"Sohwa."

"Yes, that sounds much better. Then I'll call you... um."

There was no way he had a name, not knowing his origin or age.

"What should I call you?"

"Dohwi."

The boy, who claimed to know nothing, clearly stated his name.

"Please call me Dohwi."

Sohwa suspected something was strange, but at the same time, she recalled the first impression of the boy who was thrown into the street, soaked in blood.

A kid weaker than me. A lonely seed abandoned by parents and siblings with nowhere to go. She felt obliged to help such a kid.

"Dohwi? Okay, got it."

She would be able to check the species when he showed his true form and looked younger than her.

The poor thing had nowhere to stay.

'I'll take care of him.'

She could just let him go if he found a place to go.

***

Twenty years flew by since she started living with him.

Humans say ten years is enough to change rivers and mountains, but for mythological creatures who lived for hundreds of years, ten years was not long.

In those twenty years, Sohwa couldn't figure out Dohwi's species or age.

Sohwa sighed. "You fool. How could a mythological creature forget how to return to its true form?"

That's right. Dohwi hadn't returned to his original form in the past years.

Sohwa, who had turned back into her free fox form and was splashing around in the stream, looked at Dohwi, sitting far away on a rock with his chin propped up, and thought he looked pitiful.

"Come in here and wash. Aren't you hot? In this late summer."

"I'm fine, Sohwa."

Dohwi watched her splashing in the water with a contented smile.

"Don't worry about me and just play. But don't go too deep."

"...."

Sohwa often noticed that his gaze at her was like an adult looking at a child, but she couldn't pinpoint it precisely and had to endure.

'Huh, I wonder how old he thinks I am.'

Feeling irrationally annoyed, she defiantly stepped into the deepest part of the water. Then Dohwi quickly got up and approached, his long legs flying, and he scooped up Sohwa.

"I told you not to go deep."

The water only came up to his thigh.

By now, Dohwi had become strong enough to lift a soaked fox with one hand.

He had grown so tall that his head almost reached the eaves, his shoulders were as wide as a table with a little exaggeration, and his thighs were thicker than the body of a hundred-year-old python.

When they went to the human village together, everyone saw them as an older brother and a younger sister. The only thing that remained the same was his pretty face. Sohwa was not particularly pleased with these changes.

"It's already dark. Let's stop playing in the water. Let's go home."

Since when? Instead of respecting and serving her as his savior, Dohwi subtly interfered and tried to control her.