The fur covering his entire body disappeared, and his snout shortened. The paws that hid fierce claws turned into long, white fingers of a human. His four legs turned into two strong arms and a pair of sturdy, muscular legs.
As a purebred half-beast, he quickly took on the full appearance of a human with black hair and brown eyes.
His well-defined features and thick black eyebrows gave him a fierce yet charming look, while his straight nose and jawline suggested the appearance of an individual from a noble lineage. His slightly upturned, full red lips hinted at an arrogant and ferocious nature.
He had always been handsome, even as a child.
“Don’t even think about running away again. By now, you should realize that trying to escape will only harm you.”
He tapped the iron bars of the cage with his long fingers. Sohwa bared her teeth and growled at his smug expression.
Finding her reaction adorable, he laughed and carried the cage home.
“Don’t worry. All you have to do is live a happy life with me, and everything will be fine.”
He said in a cheerful tone.
“You know, the Imoogi has a mystical orb. With that orb, even different species like us can have babies.”
Dohwi whispered as if he was sharing a secret.
“I’ll get it for you. Your wish is to have a baby, right?”
“....”
Sohwa pretended that she didn’t hear anything, curling up into a foxball.
However, her ears twitched slightly upon hearing the word ‘baby’. She was indeed longing for a baby as her mating season approached.
‘But not with you.’
The 100-year-old young lady, Sohwa, wanted to have a baby with another red-skinned fox, not with a hideous beast wearing a human’s skin.
“Well, you sure seem interested in having a baby... Which is good news for me!”
Dohwi smiled wickedly.
“Are you blind? I’m not a tigress!”
“But you’re still a girl.”
“....”
“’MY’ girl.”
There was no point in talking. He wasn’t someone she could reason with.
“All we need is the orb. Then we can be like a normal family.”
A normal family? Is this from the one who caged her? Sohwa snorted in disbelief.
Her defiant attitude seemed to anger him, which caused him to suddenly stop in the middle of the mountain road.
“Sohwa.”
Lifting the cage, he called her name in a lower voice, meeting her eyes. Facing his fierce, sharp glare at exactly the same height, Sohwa flinched and wriggled her front paws.
“A promise is a promise. You said you’d live with me forever.”
“W, When did I...?”
She bravely retorted, only to see his eyebrows furrow.
He shook the cage in annoyance, making her jump in surprise.
“You took me in as a newborn and raised me as you pleased. How can you abandon me now?”
She growled, baring her teeth.
“You, You ungrateful little...!”
“I told you numerous times, Sohwa. I’m here to repay your favor!”
He snarled, pushing his face closer to the cage.
“I’ll grant your wish and take care of you like always. What’s the problem?”
Grrrr.... The growl of the beast echoed in her ears.
Sohwa quickly lowered her eyes. She felt wet below again. Hearing the trickle of liquid, the beast frowned in displeasure.
“This won’t do. You keep wetting yourself.”
Sohwa was obviously the one who were supposed to feel embarrassed, but it was the beast who seemed more annoyed that she was scared of him.
Rough hands opened the cage. Even in a human form, he was large, befitting a pure half-beast. His hand, as big as a pot lid, grabbed the dodging Sohwa.
Sohwa let out desperate yelps, but he was relentless. He pulled her out and threw the cage far away.
CRASH. The sound of the metal bars breaking was threatening.
Instinctively, Sohwa’s tail curled up tightly. Unfazed, he lifted her to his eye level.
“Turn back into your human form,”
He ordered.
Sohwa shook her head vehemently.
‘No. No way.’
Being in a human form was convenient for everyday life but disadvantageous in urgent situations. It made it difficult to run quickly, and thus, hard to escape.
“Do as I say.”
He warned, with a stern expression.
“No!”
Sohwa shouted sharply.
Then, as if he had no other choice, he grabbed her tail and flipped her over.
“Let go! Keep your dirty paws off of me!!”
In disbelief at his unbelievably rude behavior, she scratched his hand with her front paw and yelped, but he remained unfazed. He even started to gently swing her from side to side.
Dizzy and in pain, and worried that her precious tail might fall right off from her weak body, Sohwa eventually had no choice but to comply.
Just like him, Sohwa’s long snout shortened, and her silvery fur disappeared. Her black paws turned into the hands of a female human, and her hind legs transformed into a pair of human legs.
After transforming into the form of a girl in a light blouse, Sohwa glared at Dohwi with fiery eyes, still panting out of fear and exhaustion.
“Is this what you wanted? Happy now?!”
“Yes. Thank you.”
He smiled brightly like a happy teenage boy, still holding her wrist.
Suddenly, there was a clicking sound.
Cold metal touched her wrist. Startled, Sohwa looked up.