The Night Only the Full Moon Hung in the Sky
Spartan-style training had been underway for two straight days near Big Rock.
Those of us like me and Ssal-i, who had already adapted to flight, or birds like Il-nam-i and Maeng-maeng-i, had no issues even after transforming into owls or eagle owls.
We were all experts at flight at a basic level, regardless of the species we shifted into.
On the other hand.
—Graaak! I'm flying! I'm flying! Wahahaha! I'm flying, you punks!
The gold-spotted eagle-owl (Thunder) with its round, ear-tuftless face and large yellow eyes blinking away.
—Wh-what? How do you lick your feathers? Something feels off.
Kaos, transformed into a Eurasian eagle-owl.
—Can't lick my feathers right, and walking on just two legs feels weird too.
Goet-eo as a long-eared owl.
—You have to jump from here? Uh, how?
Cheese, now a Eurasian scops owl, struggled with adapting to his new form for days.
But just as humans are creatures of adaptation, so were the animals.
After several days of grueling hard training, they all adapted in no time.
—Everyone assembled? Roll call, then straight into live ops. Nureoguman.
—Right here!
—Responses are 'aye' only. Maeng-maeng-i.
—Hweet!
—Thunder.
—Yessir!
—Il-nam-i…
Transformed into a white barn owl alongside Ssal-i, I joined the animal mercenaries in patrolling the entire Saemgang Ecological Park every night.
Seeing this makes Saemangeum Safari look like a treasure trove.
Animals in the city were limited in variety.
Still, we could transform the Big Rock crew into all sorts of species because Ssal-i had been farming contacts bit by bit while I trained Sesco.
Anything but fierce beasts, he said.
I hadn't asked what animals Ssal-i had touched or in what varieties. It felt like opening Pandora's box.
And so, a week passed with nightly patrols of the Saemgang Ecological Park.
Then, on the night when only the full moon filled the sky. It happened.
—Hmm. Nothing here either…
Day 21 of CITES abandoned animal surveillance.
Maeng-maeng-i, in scops owl form, ruffled his wings in extreme boredom.
The first few days as a scops owl had been fun.
—So boring. Should I check out the broom bush area? Yeah, that should be fine, right?
Unlike the doggy full-villa days, this was surveillance duty—watching the surroundings—not playtime. For the still-young Maeng-maeng-i, the boredom was overwhelming.
So from day seven, he'd begged Ssal-i to let him switch between various owls and eagle owls, enjoying the fresh looks.
But even the thrill of checking his reflection in the water, comparing wing sizes and feather colors, wore off after twenty nights.
—No, he said stick to your sector unless it's an emergency. Sigh… But it's sooo boring?
Finally, on day 21.
Maeng-maeng-i stared blankly at the quiet night sky from his tree perch, sulking to ease the tedium.
—Guess I have to check the broom bush. A lonely tit like me could die of solitude and get sick. Leader Dog says health first! This is an emergency!
Writhing in boredom, Maeng-maeng-i steeled his gaze, chirped resolutely, and hopped from high branch to low.
Hop-hop-hop—
He leaped down in succession, ready to spread his wings on the night breeze.
—Hm? A person?
It was just past 4 a.m., late enough that no human traces should linger in Saemgang Ecological Park.
Yet there was someone in a deep-brimmed hat and mask, cautiously scanning around before slipping into the streambed.
—Heyyy… Drunk guy again? Hey! Humans can't rest there! It smells awful!
On day one or two, this late-night intruder would have tensed him up.
But streambed lore held that such folks were mostly wasted—public urinators or out-of-it wanderers.
So Maeng-maeng-i shrugged it off as one more, flapping to leap again.
—Eek. Not peeing? What's he doing in the bushes…? Hm?
But the face-wrapped figure pulled something from his bosom and retraced his steps.
—What? Littering? Should check. No dumping trash inside the park, but why so sneaky…
—Nngh…
—?!
Then, from the bushes where the mystery man vanished, came a tiny whisper Maeng-maeng-i couldn't miss.
—Ugh… D-dizzy… Where… am I…?
A young voice from where the black-clad figure had been.
Maeng-maeng-i's head whipped around 180 degrees toward it.
Gasp. What? No way?
Chills raced from beak to wingtips to talons like lightning.
Instinct kicked in—he knew.
—Hyuuung! Hyyyuuung!
Sizing it up, Maeng-maeng-i bellowed for Ssal-i scouting nearby.
The emergency hoot-hoot signal we'd drilled.
Hyung! Where are you? Emergency, hyung!
Less than a second since his signal scattered into the night sky.
But to Maeng-maeng-i, this razor-edge moment with a suspected dumper felt frozen, dragging his impatience.
Natural Monument No. 324.
The scops owl gulped, yellow eyes blinking.
Ugh… Can't just wait. I'll… I'll be brave.
Steeling himself, Maeng-maeng-i roared fiercely and flapped straight into the bushes.
Vision, hearing, flight speed.
Apex of the night food chain, but at heart, still timid Maeng-maeng-i.
Trembling wings fluttering, he circled the black-clad man's exit bush, calling out.
—Hey there! A-are you okay? There's an animal here, right?
—Uh… ugh… Can't… think straight… Help… please…
Swallowing hard again at the bush-voice, Maeng-maeng-i eased his flapping and landed gently beside it.
Creep—creep—
His piercing yellow eyes pierced the dark: tawny fur, dark dorsal stripes.
Round head, Chihuahua-huge eyes, tiny ears, palm-sized little lifeform.
What is it? Not a monkey. Such a weird animal… Ah! Th-that's it? One Leader Dog showed from that webtoon?!
The creature blinked its massive, round, face-filling eyes.
Top-tier pitiful-cute animal, fingers in the count: a pygmy slow loris from Southeast Asian rainforests.
He didn't recall its name or CITES Appendix I status.
But instinct screamed: this tiny dark-revealed pygmy slow loris matched Min-hyeok's picture.
—H-hey. Please snap out of it! What do I do…
Protocol: Spot abandoned animal, signal pair patrol, tail the dumper.
But chasing outright? The pygmy slow loris looked dire.
Shivering, babbling—it couldn't even hold itself up, like Chaos Crew cats post-kidnap, drugged with anesthetics and sedatives.
Wh-what now? Leave it and we lose the guy. Looks dangerous to leave like this… What to do!
Flummoxed Maeng-maeng-i fidgeted—then.
—Maeng-maeng-i!
—Hyu-hyung! Here, hyung!
A moonlit-white barn owl dove swiftly into the bush with Maeng-maeng-i and the loris.
—Got your signal. Found the dumper too?
—Ugh. That way! This monkey-thingy weirdo can't think straight so can't follow. Now hyung's here, so Maeng-maeng-i go right—
Relief-sighing at Ssal-i's arrival, Maeng-maeng-i hooted to pursue.
—Hold up, Maeng-maeng-i.
—Huh?
Ssal-i spread one wing firmly.
—Shift change soon. Dad and Nureoguman coming here. Wait till then.
—Nee? But if we don't tail now, lose the dumper! Maeng-maeng-i chase quick…
—You stay. I'll go.
—Hyu-hyuung! Maeng-maeng-i not scared! Well… a little scared but I can do it!
Maeng-maeng-i whipped his head 180, protesting fiercely.
—I know, Maeng-maeng-i. But sometimes bro needs to shift form depending on the sitch.
Ssal-i picked at Maeng-maeng-i's feathers with his black beak, continuing.
—You can't without me casting nearby. You get what bro means?
—B-but!
Ssal-i patted the sulky one's head with a wingtip, then whooshed skyward.
—Going first! Tell Dad to track the phone location!
—Hyuuung!
Maeng-maeng-i's pleading cry trailed, but Ssal-i's flaps didn't slow.
Riding night winds, Ssal-i accelerated after the black-shrouded abductor.
Lucky. Big guy's not speedy on foot.
No human walk matched a flying bird's pace.
Ssal-i tailed leisurely.
And as time passed, the dumper's odd moves caught his sharp yellow eyes.
…Huh? He's deliberately changing appearance?
Exiting the streambed, he swapped clothes at nearby park benches, roads, trash bins.
Step by step, erasing traces—Ssal-i was sure: planned.
Dad… Think it's the dumper. Hurry.
Ssal-i, who'd shown Maeng-maeng-i cool-big-bro vibes, trembled inwardly.
Luckily, all legs bore Min-hyeok's contingency trackers.
Min-hyeok couldn't check in bird form, and shifts lasted till 6 a.m.
Post that, Big Rock crew to Big Rock, Min-hyeok to rooftop entrance—back to normal.
So Ssal-i figured: either Min-hyeok spots now and follows, or reverts human, pings ankle tracker, comes.
Hoping Min-hyeok spots before reverting.
Can't here anymore.
Ssal-i hovered distantly, not closing gap, awaiting Min-hyeok.
Step-step—
But as the dumper left dark stream path for lit urban streets, Ssal-i shifted again.
Swoosh—
To a form inconspicuous even downtown.