Alone, I Hide My Shame
The damp, wet sound of something being clutched tightly between sharp teeth echoed through the cave.
I kept my jaws locked on the werewolf’s leg and shuffled forward into the depths of the cave, the weight in my mouth feeling oddly heavy.
“Kyaoong.”
This is secretly heavy… Even though it’s weak, it’s heavy.
With every step deeper in, the shallow breathing I’d heard earlier grew clearer and sharper.
Very shallow, fragile breaths that sounded like they might cut off at any moment.
Following that sound, my paws came to a sudden halt.
“Kyaoo?”
What is this? Is it a barrier?
At the very back of the cave, a faint, translucent mana barrier glowed with a faint blue light, blocking the path.
Someone had forced the mana into a forced barrier, and it shimmered as if it might shatter any second, yet it still held its clear shape.
And beyond the barrier, I saw a woman leaning weakly against the cold stone wall, her back pressed to it in a precarious way.
“Kyaoong…?”
Human? The scent coming from her feels… familiar.
Her silver-tinged hair was a tangled mess of blood and dirt, and the skin visible through the torn remnants of what looked like Eastern clothing was so pale it had a bluish tint.
If the shallow breathing hadn’t been there, I would have thought she was already dead.
She’s tough to be alive.
“Kueeeek… Kuek… ”
Just as I was staring at the woman beyond the barrier, the werewolf still in my mouth let out a painful groan.
“Kyaoo.”
Shut up, and get a grip on the atmosphere, you idiot.
I spat the leg out of my mouth, lifted my front paw, and slammed it down mercilessly onto the werewolf’s head lying on the cave floor.
Thwack.
“Kuek.”
With a dull thud, the werewolf’s head twisted at an unnatural angle and went completely unconscious.
Now it’s finally quiet.
I left the unconscious werewolf on the ground and headed back to the barrier, sniffing.
Swish, hah.
“Kyaooong.”
This scent… it’s really familiar?
The thick blood scent and unique beastly aroma coming from the barrier and the woman were far too similar to my little sister Lumia.
It was almost like Lumia would smell like this if she grew up properly.
“Kyaoong?”
Is it the same species? It feels like a fox… but not quite.
The scent of Lumia’s fox orb was also coming from this woman.
I stepped my front paw into the barrier to examine the situation more closely.
Thud.
The moment my paw touched the surface, a soft rebound pushed me back outside.
This is the barrier? Interesting.
Out of curiosity, I pressed my body against the barrier once more.
Twang!
This time the rebound was stronger, flinging my head back.
“Kyaaooong!”
Ouch! This time it really hurts.
I gently stroked my throbbing head with my front paw.
This barrier is incredibly durable and tough… for something set by a wounded person.
I didn’t want to break it, but if I left it like this the woman would die, so there was no choice.
I took one step back and gathered as much sacred energy as I could onto my right front paw.
“Kyaoong.”
FAI OPEN UP!
BOOM! Crash!
When my sacred-energy-wrapped paw struck the barrier, the solid mana wall shattered like glass in a single blow.
With a cracking sound, blue fragments flew into the air.
“Kyaoo.”
If you later ask me for meat, I’ll make some for you.
Grinning, I stepped over the broken barrier and approached the rock where the woman was lying.
Up close, her condition was far worse than I’d thought.
Long, deep claw marks ran from her back down to her waist, and vicious bite marks marred the side of her neck.
The wounds hadn’t even begun to heal properly and were still bleeding dark red blood.
Just how was she still alive?
She was barely keeping the wounds from bleeding out with mana, but with this much loss and injury, stopping should have been impossible.
“Kyaoo.”
Seeing her up close, I get it. She must be Lumia’s kin. I can’t just leave her to die.
If Lumia were alone as a gumiho, she might be lonely, so it would be nice to have a good friend and guardian.
I lightly leaped onto the woman’s lap.
And I gently rested my soft, chubby front paws on her chest and shoulders.
“Kyaoong. Kyaooong.”
Don’t die. I’ll heal you gently. Get better soon.
I filled my front paws with sacred energy and began pressing gently around the wounds in a cross motion.
Kug, kug, kukk.
This is the kind of paw kneading I do for the butlers every now and then, but this was an emergency, so I had no choice.
Flash.
Sacred energy flowed from my front paws and enveloped the woman’s body in a warm embrace.
With my sacred energy spreading slowly through her body, the pale, dead-looking skin on her slowly regained its color.
The horrific wounds deep in her back and neck began to knit together at incredible speed, as if being sewn shut with invisible thread.
“Grr… Golgol.”
Matching the rhythm of my paw kneading, I sang my soothing purring song while keeping watch over the woman beside me.
Just as the healing was almost complete, the woman’s body gave a sudden twitch and tremble.
“Uum…”
The warm aura of sacred energy and the soft, squishy texture of my paw jelly gently pressing on her chest.
The woman’s brow furrowed slightly, and with great effort she lifted her heavy eyelids.
Her unfocused eyes slowly drifted through the air before stopping as they focused on the little white tiger cub named Blanc standing on her.
“………?”
The woman stared at Blanc with a dazed expression.
The terrifying pain from earlier seemed to vanish in an instant, replaced by the warm, fluffy sensation of Blanc’s fur and the comforting warmth.
“Kyaoong?”
Ah, she’s awake. She’s still alive, right?
I wagged my tail happily toward the woman who had opened her eyes. Then, to welcome her, I lifted my right front paw and waved it gently in greeting.
How many paws do you see?
“Ah…”
The woman trembled and raised a shaking hand to gently touch the white paw that had been swaying in the air.
Soft, warm pink paw jelly.
Deep confusion flashed across her eyes.
Why am I still alive?
She recalled the memories before she had passed out.
Being ambushed by a monster she had never seen before, she had rushed into the cave and quickly cast a barrier.
She remembered her forgotten wounds and reflexively reached for her neck and back.
But the horrific pain and the sticky blood she should have felt at her fingertips were completely absent.
Only smooth skin remained, exactly the same as before, with no scars at all.
“Th-this… what is this…?”
The woman’s eyes widened in disbelief.
She glanced around for a moment, then sensed the extremely clear and holy aura circulating gently inside her own body.
That same aura was now coming from the tiny white tiger cub sitting on her chest, wagging its tail.
“You… you saved me?”
The woman asked in a trembling voice, gazing at Blanc with eyes full of reverence.
“Kyaoo! Kyaooong!”
Of course! Who else would save you around here?
I puffed out my chest and stretched out my front legs, happy with the gratitude I could feel in her eyes.
It was a proud pose showing off just how amazing a tiger I am.
Grandpa loved this kind of look.
At the sight of my adorable yet reliable appearance, a relieved smile finally spread across the frozen woman’s lips.
She gently stroked my head and cheeks with her soft hand.
“Thank you… thank you so much, little white tiger cub. Thanks to you, I’m alive.”
“Kyaooong… Golgol…”
Yeah, keep stroking. It’s nice and cool there…
I tucked my ears back against the woman’s touch and let out my purring song.
When the woman, who had returned from a faint, opened her eyes and lightly kissed my forehead, which had been so gently petted by the adorable white tiger cub.
The moment she pulled her lips away and looked forward…
“……!”
The woman’s gaze that had just kissed my forehead shifted toward the cave entrance behind my back.
Her eyes instantly filled with panic and shock, pupils shrinking.
“That’s… a werewolf…?”
The place her eyes had landed on.
There lay the werewolf I had knocked out earlier, covered in blood.
Ah… she must be startled.
Thinking the werewolf was still after us, the woman reached out without giving me time to react and pulled my entire body tightly against her in one swift motion, then jumped up from her seat.
Flash!
“Kyaoo?”
Hey, why are you hugging me all of a sudden!
I thrashed around in confusion, but the woman’s arms stayed locked around me without letting go.
“Kyaoo!”
I already knocked him out! Let me go!
From behind her, a silver tail much larger than Lumia’s nine fluffy tails spread out in a fan shape.
“… Kid, I’ll protect you. Calm down.”
“Kyaoong…”
Let me go…
Thinking I was afraid, the woman hugged me even more tightly to calm me down.
What is this… monkey show…
Still hugging me tightly, she glared at the unconscious, bleeding werewolf with sharp killing intent.
“Kyaoong.”
I don’t know. Later, I’ll be the one who’s ashamed.
I remained trapped in the gumiho’s chest, giving a deep sigh as I looked at the unconscious werewolf.