[BotB] Chapter 7

"I'm going to play a little more. If you're tired, Dohwi, you can go home first. I'm also going to practice hunting trout...."

"No. Let's go home now."

He was very nagging, and if Sohwa resisted, he overpowered her with force.

Like now, when Dohwi was cradling her soft buttocks in one hand and holding her tight, no matter how much she struggled, she couldn't escape his grasp.

She had tried to escape several times, but even when she scratched and bit his hand, Dohwi didn't flinch. Maybe he didn't even feel pain.

Sohwa quickly gave up, leaned her snout against his robust forearm, and blinked her eyes lazily.

"Why would you stay alone in such a dangerous outside world?"

"What makes these mountainous terrains so dangerous?"

"Carelessness can lead to being caught in a trap. There are many erroneous things."

Recently, the frequency of human visits from the village below to the mountains has increased. Once, Dohwi had brought back a terrifyingly crafted snare to show her. Sohwa, scared after the incident, had been restraining herself from running around the mountains as a fox. However, she had never encountered a hunter before.

This time, too, she had dismissed Dohwi's usual nagging, letting his words in one ear and out the other. She was more bothered by her wet fur, making her shiver.

"Look, I told you it would be cold."

"It's not that cold."

In defiance, Dohwi brushed off her wet back. His palm, as broad as a turtle's back, soon warmed her body as he stroked her a few times.

"If a beautiful fox with such soft fur like you roams alone, you might get caught by humans. Do you understand?"

"...."

Gradually, her eyes began to close. As usual, Sohwa fell asleep in her companion's wide and warm embrace.

In her dream, a giant tiger chased Sohwa. It bit her legs, even her torso, and did not let go. Sohwa, writhing from side to side in her silk quilt, woke up screaming.

"Ahhh!"

The smell of chicken porridge filled the air. Dohwi, who had brought the warm porridge, sat next to Sohwa with a serious look on his face.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

Her pale face was even more ashen than usual. Dohwi tenderly wiped the cold sweat from Sohwa's forehead and nose with his sleeve.

"Did you have another nightmare?"

"...."

She couldn't even answer. Sohwa could only pant, out of breath. Her pupils dilated, and she could not distinguish between dream and reality.

"A tiger... a tiger was chasing me."

Dohwi looked at her with worried eyes. He tucked her sweat-soaked brown hair behind her ears and waited for her to calm down.

"It bit me as if it was going to eat me. Its teeth were so big…"

"Why do you keep having such nightmares?"

Dohwi stroked her small back with a sympathetic hand.

"Forget it, forget it."

He tried to soothe Sohwa as if reciting a mantra, but it was of little effect.

She had dreamt of being eaten by a tiger in the yard several times. Every time she woke up, she felt drained of energy, with no strength left in her body. All day long, she could only think of the tiger.

"Could a tiger be living in these mountains?"

Sohwa turned her head swiftly to stare into Dohwi's deep brown eyes. After a moment of silence, he retorted with a smirk.

"In these hills?"

As he said, Ihwang Mountain was a desolate hill. There were hardly any beasts that could serve as prey for a tiger. If there were any...

'Me?'

No, that can't be right. Sohwa shook her head vigorously.

Seeing her shiver, Dohwi picked her up like a baby and patted her cheek to comfort her.

"There are no tigers living here."

Reassured by his calming, low voice, Sohwa tried to regain her composure and reassure herself.

"That's right, there's no way that fearsome beast that roams from east to west across deep mountain ranges would be in a small mountain like this."

"Exactly."

"But the villagers said they saw a tiger."

Sohwa's face, which had just relaxed, was instantly shadowed.

"It wasn't just one or two people."

Dohwi, who had gently held her hand, leaned in and whispered.

"Humans are inherently boastful."

"That's true."

But what if their words were true?

Hoyoung had left, and Myojin had gone as well. The deer, who once claimed to be the masters of this mountain, had disappeared a long time ago.

Although it was said to be because of hunters, the only animal left in Ihwang Mountain that could serve as prey for a tiger was truly just her.

"I can't just sit here. I need to go see the monk."

"...That noisy old man?"

Dohwi, who had been acting affectionately, immediately showed a displeased expression. But he couldn't stop the determined Sohwa from getting up, putting on her shoes, and setting out.