Chapter 138

‘…Ah.’

His cheeks were burning hot. He had been lying there for far too long, staring blankly up at the sky.

Dori flipped over like one would turn a well-done meat pancake. As he did so, his gaze caught on a little ball of yellow yarn beside the leg of the wooden bench.

Peep, peep.

A lone chick left behind in the yard was crying mournfully.

It looked right and peeped, looked left and peeped. With no one in sight, it seemed frightened and uneasy. Perhaps it still harbored a futile hope that its mother and siblings might be somewhere nearby, for its head busily darted back and forth in search.

Still lying on his stomach with his cheek pressed against the bench, Dori gave a bitter smile at the sight of it.

As expected, you’ve been abandoned.

As if unable to believe the reality that had befallen it, the chick tried to waddle its awkward steps beneath the bench.

Dori reached out his hand.

Pee…

The chick hunched its neck warily and fluttered its tiny wings as though it might fly off at any moment. Yet when his fingers gently stroked its down, feeling his warmth, it quickly pressed its small body close to the hollow of his palm.

Peep, peep.

Perhaps it mistook the warm cradle of his hand for its mother’s breast. It let out plaintive cries, as though complaining, “Where have you been? I’ve been searching for you and it was so hard.”

“Stop crying. Your mother went to the field. She’s probably having a grand time right now, pecking at cabbages with the other chicks.”

Nature was merciless. The sick and the weak among the young were always the first to become prey for predators. So it could not be helped if the hen had abandoned this chick to protect the rest of her brood.

Even so, it was still sad and pitiful.

This isn’t the wild, it’s the yard…

There was a sturdy chicken coop to protect them from predators coming down from the mountains, and a feeder always full of grain. Only recently, extra planks had been added to keep out the cold.

“Hmph.”

Still peep, peep—that noisy—Dori cupped the chick in his hands and placed it on the bench.

From his palm to his wrist, from his wrist to the wide sleeve of his robe—step by step, as if finding its proper place, the chick finally plopped down.

Seeing it scramble back in a rush as if afraid the distance might grow between them while it was away, Dori’s chest tightened. If you’re going to abandon your child simply because it’s sick or different, then why give birth at all?!

In the original story, Dori had taken in and raised a sick chick because he felt it was in the same situation as himself.

Peep, peep, pee…

Somewhere, a pitiable cry rang out. The sound was weak and thin, as if the creature might die at any moment.

Shaken by the fear that the soldiers Haban had sent might come to catch him, Dori had finally fallen asleep at dawn, curled up in a corner of the room. Now he stirred, rubbing his eyes as he pushed off the straw mat.

Strange… I came in because this house was abandoned. Could it be… a ghost?

Maybe he’d misheard in his half-asleep state. He perked up his ears, but it did sound like the noise was coming from not far away.

Opening the door—full of holes like a sieve—he stepped onto the wooden porch and crouched down. Nothing was in sight.

Just as he thought he’d been mistaken, the peep came again. His ears pricked—this time it was from the direction of the hearth.

Hurrying over, he found a chick sprawled on the floor, panting.

Is it dying? Is it about to die?

Dori quickly carried the chick back to the room. Setting it on the cleanest spot of the straw mat, he dashed back outside. He broke into his precious stash of firewood and kindling—hoarded carefully and never used—and lit a fire, then fetched water in a rush to give it to the chick.

He spent the whole day anxious, but by the next day, thankfully, the chick had regained enough strength to totter around the room. He let out a breath of relief.

Looking closely, the chick walked with difficulty.

‘…Ah.’

Lost in thought, Dori glanced down at a prickling sensation. At some point, the chick had poked its head out from his sleeve and was pecking at his palm with its beak, wanting more petting.

“Alright, come here.”

He rubbed the soft yellow down, tilting the chick this way and that in his hands as he studied it. Could he raise it even if he took it to the imperial palace? Haban would surely allow it, but he worried about the others.

Peep.

“No. You rely on me this much—since I’ve decided to take responsibility for you, I’m never abandoning you.”

After all, he had decided to accept even the crueler, nastier Haban once he learned the man truly cared for him.

“I’ll give you the best feed and build you a house even better than that chicken coop.”

He whispered as if to the chick.

He wanted to feed it something right away, but the snacks he’d received as treats weren’t suitable. When Haban came back later, he would ask for a handful of the finest rice.

“But really… why’s he taking so long?”

It had been quite a while since Haban, murmuring about something with Jipyeong, had left the house. He’d even taken the guards with him, leaving the yard empty.

For now, maybe he should give the chick some water.

As he got up from the bench, the chick scampered toward him—quick, despite its awkward gait—as if afraid of losing him.

It tilted its head as if to ask where he was going, then suddenly tried to leap off the bench. Startled, Dori cried out,

“No!”

Peep.

At his raised voice, the chick drooped its head weakly, as though asking if he was angry.

“I’m not scolding you, I was just startled.”

He smoothed down its feathers with his thumb, and the chick immediately pressed close and curled up.

Cute.

So this was why people kept animals. Dori sat back down on the bench. In his hand, the chick began nodding off.

Looking down at it, Dori recalled the dream he had the night before.

It had been so long since he’d dreamed.

It was a dream of the Red Fox Village burning.

Red foxes sat on the ground, howling, while the village slowly turned to ash.

Perhaps because the dream had been so vivid, even after waking Dori couldn’t calm his heart for a long time. Haban, waking beside him, had patted his back, but in a way, his presence had only heightened the unease.

He had never dreamed the same dream twice before. In fact, he realized, it had been ages since he’d dreamed at all.

This peaceful daily life was no more than a castle made of sand. Before long, a great wind would come and scatter it.

One by one, he had tried to ignore suspicious signs, but now it was certain.

The original story wasn’t over yet.

Since you’ve appeared, I guess this really is the end.

Gazing at the chick for a moment, Dori’s face grew downcast as he looked around the yard.

This was the place.

The place where, in the original story, Dori had escaped.

He should have just listened when Haban had told him to return to the imperial palace from the start. If he now tried to struggle away from the plot, who knew how it would twist next?

His head throbbed. For now, he should rest inside.

What about the chick?

If he said he wanted to keep it indoors, Haban would dislike it. Even if he hid it in a box, the noise would give it away quickly.

It seemed better to ask openly later, so Dori set the chick down in the yard. As soon as he took a step away, the chick scurried after him. Despite being told no, it didn’t understand and stubbornly followed.

With no other choice, Dori put it inside the chicken coop and headed for his room.

…Huh?

Just as he was about to step onto the porch, he froze, blinking rapidly. The smell carried on the wind was unpleasant.

Blood…

Worse, it was getting stronger, as if drawing closer. Dori wrinkled his nose.

And then—

“Finally found you.”

A voice not unfamiliar to him rang out.

The Red Fox Village was lively for the first time in a while. Wonwoo had finally returned with the sacred artifact that had long been a source of trouble for the village. What’s more, he planned to stay for a time—how could that not be good news?

Though the village had reluctantly sent Wonwoo away for the good of all, the elders who had wept over Hori’s fate now dabbed at their eyes with relief. Even the ailing elder, bedridden from illness, felt a weight lifted.

Only Bisol pounded his chest in frustration. Taking human form to climb the mountain ahead of Wonwoo had been fine, but being caught by the scruff and tossed aside by him—despite his own illness—was humiliating. Worse still, Wonwoo had threatened to strip him of his job at the trading company and spread nasty rumors in the village if he let his mouth run loose.

Though Bisol protested at the injustice, it was obvious whose words the Red Foxes would believe.

In the end, weighing his own safety against the village’s, Bisol promised to follow Wonwoo’s orders. It was then that he learned a shocking secret.

Wonwoo’s mate… wasn’t Hori? Then summoning Hori from the trading company to the village wouldn’t help him recover quickly at all.

If what Wonwoo said was true, they absolutely had to capture Dori. Without a mate, no beastman could endure for a lifetime.

Luckily, Dori’s presence wasn’t far from the village. Closer than the imperial palace had been. It was because he was closer to Dori than to the Fox Trading Company that Wonwoo had been able to regain consciousness so quickly after collapsing on the mountain path.

When Wonwoo stepped through the village gate, the gazes of passing red foxes fixed instantly on him.

“You’re already well enough to be out?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“Well, that’s a relief. Still, I can’t believe you were hurt so badly. I was really shocked.”

“Exactly. And for what? That cursed white fox—why save it at such cost to yourself?”

“I even heard it refused to come with you.”

The concern in their voices was tinged with blame toward Dori. Wonwoo merely smiled in response. Standing beside him, Bisol’s brow furrowed deeply.

“You’re really going to take back someone who stole the sacred artifact?”

“I’ll keep a close watch. You don’t have to worry too much.”

“Of course we trust you, Wonwoo. It’s just… ah, forget it. We’re holding you up again—go on your way.”

The red foxes, lips still twitching as though wanting to ask more, dispersed. Standing still, Bisol waited until their footsteps faded before letting out a sigh.

That Dori was Wonwoo’s mate… even thinking it over again, he couldn’t believe it. He’d rather it all be a lie.

To the village foxes who treasured Hori like gold and were certain Wonwoo would succeed the elder, this was an absolute secret.

Now knowing everything, Bisol trudged along with a half-darkened expression.

Wonwoo left the village and headed deeper into the mountains. After some time, in the distance, the small house he had prepared to live in with Dori came into view.

Footnote:

• Mate (반려): In this fantasy/beastman context, a mate is not simply a romantic partner but a fated life partner necessary for emotional, physical, and sometimes even supernatural survival. Beastmen without their fated mate often suffer severe physical decline.