Owl Bear (2)
Any animal is cute when it's a baby. There's even a saying that they survive by tugging at the heartstrings of their enemies with that cuteness. No matter how ferocious the beast, most are lethally adorable in their cub stage.
"Kyuu?"
Like the baby owl bear right in front of me now. It just tilted its head, and my heart took a massive hit.
If I had to describe a baby owl bear, it'd be something like this: a fluffy furball with huge round eyes staring right at you. The adult owl bear's face is downright savage, but this little one's was pure innocence.
But this is the wild. Even owl bear cubs struggle to survive out here.
So what should I do now?
"Tchook tchook tchook. Come here."
"Kyuuu."
What else? Pet it once, right?
I wiggled my fingers, and the owl bear cub tilted its head again before slowly approaching. It sniffed my hand, pressing its nose right up against my palm. Pure beast instinct.
While it was busy sniffing, I slowly moved my other hand.
Swoosh— stroke— stroke—
"Kyuuung?"
A head pat that no four-legged animal could ever give itself. The cub's eyes went wide at this brand-new sensation, staring up at me. Those perfectly round peepers, the tufts of feathers sticking up like an owl's ears... How could anything be this cute?
It was about the size of a medium dog, so no real threat there.
"Golong. Golong."
Seemed to like my touch—it closed its eyes and let out a weird purring sound. I kept petting its head enthusiastically, then quietly opened the Gallery.
Found a baby owl bear
YasaengGrill
(baby owl bear photo)
(baby owl bear photo)
(petting baby owl bear video)
(baby owl bear smiling video)
Came out after killing the mom and this guy was here. So freaking cute.
└So cute lololol
└Look at that fluffy fur
└Totally different from the adults;;
└You killed that thing's mom? You're a real bastard.
└Orphan maker whoa
└Orphan maker lolololol
└lolololol
└lolololol
└Grill, you're an orphan too—did you have to make another one?
└YasaengGrill Her mom tried to kill me, dude;; Gotta survive somehow
└Fair enough, survival first lol
└Cheonma Definitely cute. I'd love to hug that furball.
└ChangguPrincess Right? Just like me.
└Cheonma ?
└?
└?
└ChangguPrincess What the fuck. Wanna fight about it?
└Cheonma Insolent wretch. I want to squeeze you till you pop.
└Don'tAbandonHero 3-hour ban incoming!
└YasaengGrill ??? Wait, why?
└Don'tAbandonHero Cute stuff needs at least 10 photos and 3 videos!
└YasaengGrill There was a rule like that?;;
└Don'tAbandonHero Just made it!
└YasaengGrill Teacher?
└Judaek's powers whoa
└Tyranny!
└lololol
└lolol
└Can I post my face then? I'm cute too lol
└Don'tAbandonHero Anything that causes disgust gets banned!
└lolololol
└lololol
Most comments were praising the baby owl bear. No surprise—how could anyone resist a fluffball like that? It melts your heart right down.
But the wild is always ruthless. Then I spotted one comment.
└Cute or not, you gotta kill it anyway
└Why kill something that cute?
└Ugh, trash!
└No shit. You gonna raise it? It'll eat you first when it gets hungry.
└Heard about it. Some noble raised an owl bear, went on vacation, came back as dinner.
└Whoa can you even raise one?
└Feed it right and loyalty's maxed. Starve it and you're the meal lol
└lololol
└Plus it's wild. How you gonna raise that?
└Gotta kill it? Too cute.
└Doesn't look that big, maybe newborn?
I glanced at the owl bear after reading that. It was rubbing its face all over my hand, loving the pets. Just looking at it melted away my gloom, but a wild animal's a wild animal. Owl bears especially have insane appetites—they even eat their owners sometimes.
"Kyuuuung. Kyuuung."
This cute little thing? I looked at it with pity.
Cold truth: Killing it myself would avoid loose ends. Sure, someone might say "Why not raise it?" But my own nose is barely above water. Even rich nobles struggle with these—what chance do I have?
Auctions don't even have 'em easy. I'd have bought one first if they did. Sucks, but no choice.
Still, killing it feels wrong. Better to release it back to the wild.
That was my plan.
└YasaengGrill Releasing it to the wild for now. Can't even feed myself.
└No sense of responsibility?
└YasaengGrill Fuck, her mom tried to kill me—what responsibility?
└Fair point
└Quick agreement lolol
└Just buy meat at auction. You got money, right Grill?
└YasaengGrill If it was that easy I'd have bought and eaten one already.
└No way;; You're loaded. Can't feed one pet?
└YasaengGrill That's why I'm asking why I gotta raise it;; Saving up just in case
└How much you got? Lemme see.
How much did I have? Olfather paid me a ton last time—plenty of breathing room.
But raising an animal costs a fortune. Especially a bear-sized bear, not some lapdog. Still a cub, but that appetite ain't going anywhere.
└YasaengGrill Got a lot but... not worth investing here.
└You idiot? Train it as a guard. Owl bears are tanks.
└YasaengGrill Huh?
└You know how strong they get adult? Nothing more reliable. Treat it like a knight and roll with it.
└That's... convincing!
└No cap, that's solid advice?
└Better to raise it.
That comment had mad persuasion. I looked at the owl bear. This fluffball grows into a monster, sure. But feed its hunger and loyalty's through the roof.
...And I'm lonely.
Gallery's great, but it ain't living company. I met the cub's curious gaze. Using it as a guard didn't sound half bad.
Worst case, sell mandrakes or hunt golden frogs for cash.
But what does it eat?
Bears are omnivores—even carrion. But this is an owl bear. I posted in the Gallery to check.
What do owl bears eat?
YasaengGrill Serious
└Eats anything I bet?
└Like the above. Appetite like a bear.
└YasaengGrill Likes honey?
└Loves it lol
Sweet. Test run it is.
I hit the auction, searched honey. Read reviews obsessively. Third-gen beekeeper—cert shots were wild.
└How you know it's real honey?
└(face swollen from bee stings photo)
└Ah, yeah;; Taking two jars.
└Solid cert lol
No hesitation—bought it. Grabbed a big wooden spoon too.
Scooped some honey and offered it to the cub.
"Kyuu?"
"Try it. It's yummy."
"Sniff sniff."
First time seeing honey, it was wary. Honey dripping off the spoon hurt my soul. But its nose knew—soon it gaped wide.
"Nom."
"Good?"
"......"
One taste, and it froze. Then:
"Kyuuuuuuu!"
"Wha—hey?"
"Kyaaaa!"
Weird shrieks as it devoured the honey. I yelped, set the jar down, and backed off.
"Chomp chomp chomp!"
"......"
Eating like a champ. That short beak pulling out a long tongue? Wild. Lost to the sweetness, first honey ever. Didn't even get a taste myself.
Shoulda snuck one lick. Anyway, loves it—good sign. Gonna take forever to finish.
What to name it?
For my survival and sanity. Never had a pet, but names matter.
Fluffy furball... Fluffy?
Too lazy? Nah, perfect fit.
Asking Gallery? Recipe for disaster—weird names incoming.
"Fluffy."
"Chomp chomp chomp!"
"Fluffy?"
"Chomp chomp!"
Ignoring me for honey. Fine, we'll work on it.
Pic first tho. Can't resist this cuteness.
Named it
YasaengGrill
(baby owl bear eating honey photo)
Named it Fluffy cuz the fur's all fluffy. No arguments.
└Laziest name ever lol
└What's wrong with Spot? lol
└Fr lol
└YasaengGrill Then you name it lol
└Cheonma How about Wonmo (圓毛), meaning round fur?
└YasaengGrill Teacher?;;
└Boomer as expected lol
└Name sticks though. Wonmo!
└Your name's Wonmo now lol
└SwordTasteStar Fluffy's not bad? Cute too.
└YasaengGrill Nothing better comes to mind?
└SwordTasteStar Male or female?
└YasaengGrill One sec.
I sneaked behind it, tilted its head down. Two round balls—male for sure. Foolproof check.
└YasaengGrill Male.
└SwordTasteStar Alexander II. Cool, right?
└YasaengGrill ;;;
└Isn't that a general?
└Yeah Messia legend lol
└Alexandria if female lololol
└ChangguPrincess What about Naldo?
└Who's that?
└Chaeyu soccer player.
└ChangguPrincess Busted lol
└Busted my ass lolol
└Shameless lol
└SunForever Sultan go go. Total king vibes.
└Where? That pig?
└SunForever Pigs are one of the kingly looks.
└For real?
└SunForever Yeah my son's proof
└Why drag your son lolol
What a zoo. Better stick with Fluffy than Gallery suggestions.
But nah, they weren't done.
└Too many names—vote?
└Fluffy, Wonmo, Alexander, Naldo, Sultan—5?
└More?
└Grill should post it?
└Nah he'll pick Fluffy.
└YasaengGrill ???
It's my pet—why you deciding? Absurd. But Gallery users? They ignore you. Vote started without me.
Baby Owl Bear Name Vote
1. Fluffy: 1%
2. Wonmo: 39%
3. Alexander: 21%
4. Naldo: 19%
5. Sultan: 20%
Majority rules: Wonmo it is! Bam bam bam!
└Cheonma Everyone has taste. Proud.
└SwordTasteStar Wait, why Wonmo? That corny name?
└ChangguPrincess Can't accept it.
└SunForever Shame. King potential.
└YasaengGrill No, my pet? Why you picking;;
└Cheonma If you dislike, use your choice. I respect it.
└Disappointment vibes;;
└Grill, elder's asking—gonna refuse?
└Refuse and you're scum.
└YasaengGrill ;;;
What a pain. Can't fight the tide now. Cheonma's helped me tons—hard to say no.
I petted its face and sighed. Gallery this, that...
Wonmo ain't bad tho...
Wonmo. Old-school country name. Rustic, almost dopey.
Beats Dolsae at least.
Hmm. Maybe Dolsae's better? Whatever.
I looked at the honey-munching cub—now Wonmo—and spoke softly.
"Wonmo."
"Kyuu?"
No way—it ignored Fluffy but perks at Wonmo? I stared in disbelief.
Those big round eyes just calm me down.
Whatever.
I approached, honey dripping from its beak. Petted its head, imprinting firm.
"Your name's Wonmo from now on. Got it?"
"Kyuu!"
Grinning like it loved it. Why?
*****
Meanwhile, around the same time.
"Hehe."
Cheonma—Yuso Wol—smiled proudly. Her suggestion, Wonmo, had won.
The Gallery was already clamoring for Wonmo pics. Proof of its impact.
How could she not be thrilled?
Even the Gallery loves it. Grills must be happy too.
Grills would've frothed at the mouth if he heard.