He’s a Fox Ch 9

Chapter 9

“Moongmoo!”

At the cry filled with shock and fury, all the hands petting the fox recoiled at once. No one wanted to incur the displeasure of the young lady they served. The baby tiger urgently squeezed through their legs, wrapping her arms tightly around Hohyun’s neck and proclaiming:

“Moongmoo belongs to Yuri!”

The predatory beasts chuckled fondly at the baby tiger’s claim of ownership. Whether the little bundle of fur was a dog or a fox, the two made a charming pair of friends.

“Oh, of course. We were just petting him because he was cute. Right?”

“Yeah, yeah. Step back.”

At this declaration of intent not to touch him again, the tiger let out a forceful snort. The black bear who had first petted Hohyun clicked his tongue with a tinge of regret, but didn’t object.

Having successfully fended off the adults, the baby nudged the fox’s side with her head to get him up. Thinking she had protected her puppy, the baby tiger strutted forward proudly, never forgetting to stay alert in case someone else might pick him up and squish him again. “Wow, our young miss will make a fine general,” someone muttered quietly as they watched.

Trailing behind the baby tiger, Hohyun shook his head. He shook it so hard a soft flapping sound could be heard, and it helped him regain some clarity. To be able to melt a beastman in an instant—what a dangerous bunch. Still, thanks to them, his fear had slightly lessened. After all, those occasional touches hadn’t carried any hostility.

The tail that had drooped all morning now lifted and swayed gently. With bouncy steps, the baby tiger and the fox entered the garden.

Leaving behind fragrant flowers and stick-like branches perfect for carrying around, the baby tiger ran toward a tree near the entrance. The tree appeared old, and on one side was a large hollow. The edges were too naturally finished to have been man-made, yet too large to have formed entirely on their own.

The baby, sticking her upper body into the fairy tale-like hollow, began rummaging through its contents. Hohyun approached quietly and peeked inside.

Colorful balls and small dolls littered the bottom, and on top of it all rested a picture book. Pulling out the book, Yuri began flipping through its pages. Judging by how worn and crumpled the paper was, she had read it many times.

After flipping through it for a while, the baby finally stopped on a particular page. It featured an illustration of a baby tiger.

“This is Yuri. And this one is Moongmoo.”

She pointed first to the baby tiger drawing, then to the black puppy beside it. Looking at the two smiling animals frolicking together, Hohyun gaped.

So this was the picture book the alligator had mentioned. The one she loved so much she identified herself with the characters, which ultimately led to the random fox being mistaken for a puppy and brought home.

But no matter how many times he looked at the illustration, Hohyun saw little resemblance. The cute, rotund black puppy straight out of a storybook and the scraggly adult fox standing next to the child represented a gap too wide to bridge.

The only similarities were the black fur and the white-dipped tail. Was that enough for her? Hohyun had never heard that tigers had poor eyesight. Whether she knew or not, the baby flipped the pages with delight.

Looking at the illustrations of the black puppy and baby tiger exploring bushes, and then glancing back at the pitch-black fox beside her, Yuri excitedly alternated her gaze between the book and reality. A happy purring sound escaped her, and Hohyun, catching the joy, swayed his tail back in response.

At this point, he figured he might as well play his part to the fullest. If he played with her thoroughly and got into her good graces, maybe he could ask to borrow a phone. He couldn’t dare to say it to the huge tiger guardian, but perhaps the alligator who had bathed him the night before would be willing. That guy seemed to pity Hohyun at least a little.

The fox, prepared to flaunt his babysitting prowess honed through caring for his three nieces and working part-time at a kids’ café, overlooked one crucial fact—the small child before him was still a tiger, a member of a large-species group.

After being happily absorbed in the real-life puppy from her book, the baby finally closed it. She squirmed to put the storybook back into the tree hollow, then burst into a sprint. She scurried through a dugout on one side of the yard, into bushes thick enough to obscure sight, and even climbed a tree. Hohyun, trying to keep up, grew increasingly disheveled.

He got covered in dust from the burrow, pushed away thorny branches with his body to keep them from scratching the baby, and trembled in fear under the tree in case she fell. If he hadn’t been in his beast form, he’d have never managed to follow her around.

Only after rolling around for a long time did Hohyun realize why the big tiger had fed the child such a large breakfast. He’d thought it excessive at the time, but she needed every bit of that energy to run like this. The more worn out Hohyun became, the more energized Yuri seemed to get. Her tail rose high and began twitching with excitement.

After being dragged around the entire garden, Hohyun was finally freed when the sun was high overhead. He owed his escape to the alligator shouting from afar that it was snack time, prompting the baby tiger to dash away eagerly.

Hohyun dragged his trembling legs and followed behind. In just a few hours, he looked even more ragged than he had when he was locked in a cage. Seeing his fur matted with dirt and fatigue clinging to every strand, passing beastmen winced. A boar he’d never met before gave him a pitiful look.

Seeing the fox stumble in like a newborn fawn, even the formidable Beom Kangwoon was left speechless. Next to the exhausted, muddy fox was the ever-pristine baby tiger.

Though they’d only played in the yard, they looked like they’d returned from battle. The alligator at the door quietly stepped aside, and the trembling fox dragged himself inside. Pity lasted only a moment—seeing the trail of dirt and dust he left behind with every step, the alligator quickly reached out and lifted him off the ground.

“Eek!”

The reason for the sudden lift was obvious. He was filthy again and would no doubt be scrubbed clean. Startled, Hohyun flailed and cried out.

It wasn’t that he hated bathing. He hadn’t seen himself in the mirror, but he knew he wasn’t exactly hygienic. Even if they didn’t ask, he would’ve liked to clean up on his own. But please, just this once—he wanted to do it himself.

Frustrated, Hohyun scratched at his collar with his front paw. The needle embedded inside dug into his flesh, and he groaned in pain. Eventually, he gave up and went limp. There was no point wasting energy on something he couldn’t resist anyway.

Watching all this unfold, Kangwoon approached and reached out his hand. As the massive paw came close, Hohyun instinctively stiffened, slipping into a seal-like mode of stillness. Regardless of his flattened ears, the tiger did what he needed to do.

Using his sharp claws, he gently tugged at the collar. Though it looked tightly fitted, the fur had created a tiny gap. The material was metal—tearing it off by force would be difficult. Even if it could be done, it would tear up the flesh on Hohyun’s neck. Worse, if the embedded needle snapped, things could get dangerous.

With his eyes still fixed on the fox’s neck, Kangwoon hesitated. If the beloved little one ended up with a mangled neck, he could already imagine how the young mistress behind him would react.

Not that he intended to remove it anyway. No matter how high a tiger sits on the food chain, tiger cubs were still vulnerable. Predators targeting baby tigers existed in every era.

Even Kangwoon, who had been big since infancy, had almost been taken a couple of times. His youngest sibling, born smaller than average, would’ve been even more at risk. As one of her guardians, Kangwoon had the duty to remain cautious.

Keeping Hohyun in his beast form made it easier to monitor him. A small critter was easier to control than a human form. If Hohyun had heard this reasoning, it would’ve driven him mad with frustration.

Having reached his conclusion, Kangwoon released the collar and picked up Yuri. He gently nudged the fox’s back toward the alligator and said:

“Wash him.”

“Got it!”

And so, for the second day in a row, Hohyun was roughly scrubbed down by a stranger.

After both the baby tiger and the fox were washed—Yuri by the big tiger and Hohyun by the alligator—they sat down for snack time. Watching Yuri crunch away on an entire dried quail, Hohyun’s face turned uneasy. He feared they might have to go outside again once the snacks were gone. Fortunately, nap time followed snack time, and his fears were unfounded.

What surprised him was that nap time included not just the baby, but also her guardian. Lying on a beanbag in the living room, Kangwoon let Yuri climb onto his chest. Gently patting her back with his massive hand, the large tiger closed his eyes.

Seeing the big and little tigers basking in sunlight through the large windows was oddly heartwarming. The smaller one looked even tinier next to the larger one, and the big one seemed less intimidating beside the baby.

Watching the two siblings nap peacefully, Hohyun felt his efforts had paid off. And now, he would try to claim the reward for his sacrifice—by finding a way to ask for a phone.