By Zephyria ‘It’ is staggering. It was limp, like a bundle of straw soaked in water. It walked unsteadily as if it would collapse at any moment, then suddenly slumped down and touched its head. For a long time, it remained motionless, merely swaying from side to side.
I crept closer and touched ‘it’. It didn’t seem wet. ‘It’ slowly looked back at me. Its pupils were dilated and hazy. Soon, ‘it’ leaned its body against me. The sound of its wheezing breath was clearer than ever.
Was it tormented by the ‘male’ again all night? For something so weak, I wonder where it gets the nerve not to even think of running away. Even though it gets crushed every time to the point where not even a bone remains.
The ‘male’ had left its nest. It had become less frequent since ‘it’ was brought into the house, but once the sun rises, he goes out and only returns when the sun sets. I don’t know what kind of hunting takes so long. He is so unskilled that no trophy can be found in the ‘male’s’ possession upon his return. If I had that much leisure, I would at least bring back a few wild boars or roe deer.
Every day, when the ‘male’ left, ‘it’ would fearlessly trot after him and rub its snout against him, but today ‘it’ didn’t even do that. It couldn’t even leave its sleeping place until the sun was high in the sky. I pressed my face against ‘it’s’ cheek. ‘It’s’ body was as hot as mine. When I stuck out my tongue to lick it, ‘it’ seemed to feel a sense of crisis, shrinking its neck and letting out a groan.
As if grooming, I continued to lick not only the face but also the neck. ‘It’ began to moan and go limp. The strength left the arms that had been hugging my neck. It doesn’t seem very fresh today.
Gasping for breath, ‘it’ squeezed out all its strength and stood up again. Then, it headed outside precariously. Fearing it might collapse again, I followed leisurely behind. ‘It’ went to a primary haunt of the ‘Bear’ and fidgeted for a long time.
Before long, ‘it’ sat in a chair and sipped something that was emitting white steam. A sweet scent wafted strongly. My nose tickled, and when I licked the bridge of my nose, ‘it’ laughed weakly.
“What. Do you want some too?”
It was clearly speaking to me, but I cannot understand what ‘it’ is barking. I simply grasp ‘it’s’ mood through the fluttering currents and the awkward atmosphere. There is no need for this superior body to bother knowing the language of insignificant humans, but it was occasionally frustrating. Especially when ‘it’ misunderstood my intentions. ‘It’ often treats the dignified me like a cub.
Soon, ‘it’ stood up and moved to a fluffy spot. I overtook ‘it’ and stretched my body out on a wide area. ‘It’ sat down, leaning its body against me as usual. ‘It’s’ body temperature was definitely higher than usual. With every breath, ‘it’s’ body heaved noticeably. The rough breathing even trembled unstably. Is something wrong?
Soon, a sharp presence was felt near the entrance of the nest. Someone was trying to intrude into the ‘male’s’ territory. I broke away from ‘it’ and dashed toward the entrance in an instant. If it was an intruder trying to take ‘it’ away like before, I intended to end its breath.
However, my high alert soon became futile. It was because the one who entered the ‘male’s’ territory was a familiar sight.
“…….”
This guy is the only one who makes no sound upon seeing this body. It was the ‘Bear’. It feels like it’s been quite a while. At some point, the guy became sporadic in visiting the ‘male’s’ nest and taking care of my food. Did he bring in a female in the meantime? Did he forget the obligation to pay tribute to me while trying to win the favor of that female?
The ‘Bear’ suddenly reached out his hand. He probably wanted to touch my head. Because he had become negligent, I couldn’t allow it so easily. I stepped back slightly to avoid his hand. The ‘Bear’ withdrew the hand he had extended. I didn’t like his attitude of not seeming particularly disappointed either.
Of course, the food the ‘Bear’ stopped providing became ‘it’s’ responsibility. That’s why I was curious. It’s understandable if the ‘Bear’ hunted such fresh and high-quality meat, but I couldn’t understand how ‘it’, who struggled to take care of its own body, could bring back high-quality food like the ‘Bear’.
Just what kind of reckless beast gets caught by ‘it’, who is slow, has no sharp teeth or claws, and lacks strength? I thought ‘it’s’ position in the food chain would be around the level of a rabbit, just above the greens. But looking at it lately, it might not be that low.
The ‘Bear’ followed behind me with long strides. However, he did not dare to overtake me. I quite liked that point about him—that he knew his place.
Together with the ‘Bear’, I arrived at the wide space where ‘it’ was. Upon finding ‘it’ lying motionless like a dead thing on the fluffy spot, the guy suddenly roared.
“Park Ju-wan! Are you alright?”
At the sound that erupted from his thick chest, I instinctively lowered my body and tensed up. My two ears folded sharply backward.
“Ah, Mi-nam…”
‘That thing’ greeted the ‘bear’ listlessly. It tried to push its body up quickly, but its elbows buckled and it swayed, as if its body wouldn’t follow its will. The ‘bear,’ who usually hovered around the periphery and never tried to get close despite being capable of overpowering ‘that thing’ in an instant if it so desired, hurried toward ‘that thing.’ I bared my teeth slightly, fearing the fellow might harm ‘that thing.’ Contrary to my concerns, the ‘bear’ merely placed a large hand on ‘that thing’s’ forehead. What was it doing? Was it similar to rubbing snouts?
“Your body is hot. Since when has it been like this?”
“My body felt a bit heavy when I woke up. I’ll be fine if I rest a bit. Please don’t worry.”
“For now, please go lie down in bed. I will contact the President first and call Mr. Baek.”
“No. Please don’t do that, Mi-nam. Everyone will worry.”
“You are naturally in a state that warrants worry. This isn’t just a simple mild fever. Now, hurry up and get up.”
The ‘bear’ barked often today. ‘That thing’ headed toward the bed, practically being dragged along by the ‘bear.’ Under the ‘bear’s’ surveillance, it managed to lie back down on top of it. I also leaped onto the bed and settled myself right next to ‘that thing.’ I didn’t take my eyes off the ‘bear’ for a single moment.
The ‘bear’ went back outside immediately. The sounds of the fellow coming from outside every now and then suggested he was busy with something, though I didn’t know what.
Feeling a bit pity for ‘that thing,’ who was groaning and drenched in sweat, I carefully licked its wet face. ‘That thing’ lay still, suffering more deeply than before.
“Ju-wan!”
I wonder how much time had passed. I flinched at the sudden noise. It felt as if something sharp was piercing my ears. Sure enough, the ‘annoying fellow’ rushed toward ‘that thing.’ Perhaps because he was flustered, he didn’t try to touch me or call me in that irritating way he usually did. His entire attention seemed focused solely on ‘that thing.’
The ‘annoying fellow’ felt around various parts of ‘that thing’s’ body, then brought out a bunch of mysterious objects and bothered ‘that thing.’
“Your fever is as high as 39.2 degrees. Ju-wan, can you hear me?”
“…Yes, Doctor. I’m okay.”
“What do you mean, okay? Is there anywhere else that hurts? Does your chest feel tight when you breathe, or do you have cold symptoms?”
“No. I’m just a bit dizzy and have no strength.”
‘That thing’ looked as if even making a sound was a struggle. Its eyes were flickering, as if it just wanted to sleep deeply. The ‘annoying fellow’ and the ‘bear’ exchanged a few words, emitting a quite serious atmosphere.
“Is it to the point where he needs to go to the hospital? Should I call an ambulance?”
“Since there are no other symptoms for now, I’ll try administering an IV with an antipyretic mixed in. We’ll watch and see; if there’s no improvement or if it gets worse, we’ll go to the hospital immediately.”
The ‘annoying fellow’ grabbed ‘that thing’s’ arm and poked something sharp into it. I growled threateningly at the ‘annoying fellow.’ Then, ‘that thing’ raised its other hand and stroked me.
“It’s okay, Su-nam. It’s okay….”
‘That thing’s’ voice gradually faded and soon died out. It seemed to have fallen fast asleep. Its breathing was still rough. Even in its sleep, it made small groaning sounds. I stuck close to ‘that thing’ and stared blankly at its frowning face. I wondered if licking it would make it feel better, but nothing improved. Rather, ‘that thing’ only groaned as if it were in more pain.
“Su-nam needs to eat, right?”
The ‘annoying fellow’ called me. The ‘bear’ faithfully presented food outside the bed. It was strange. Even though I was hungry from skipping a meal, I had no appetite. Seeing ‘that thing’ lying there without strength, I didn’t even feel like eating. Since ‘that thing’ had nowhere else to lean on if I weren’t there, I had no choice but to faithfully guard its side.
Before long, it became noisy outside again. For some reason, the ‘bear’ and the ‘annoying fellow’ burst in one after another, and this time, the ‘male’ rushed in. Just in case, I looked out the window, but the sun was still far from setting.
What was strange was the ‘male’s’ attitude. The fellow, who was always relaxed, looked urgent, as if being chased by something. I checked behind the ‘male,’ but there was no one else besides the ‘bear’ and the ‘annoying fellow.’
The ‘male’ felt around various parts of ‘that thing’s’ body, just as the ‘annoying fellow’ had done a moment ago. ‘That thing,’ who would usually have woken up quickly, remained unconscious. Has its senses become dull now? To be both fragile and dull—how does it intend to survive in this harsh jungle? As expected, it seems this body is the only one that can protect ‘that thing.’
“He fell asleep after the injection. I think it’s a severe cold. The fever should go down after a deep sleep, but just in case, we need to check his condition periodically. I’ll be here until Ju-wan is back to normal, so keep that in mind.”
“What about the hospital? Is it okay not to go?”
“A human who wouldn’t go to the hospital even if he were dying can’t stand it when his lover is sick, I see. With the current symptoms, I don’t think that’s necessary. Even if we go to the ER, it won’t be different from my treatment. Moving him in this state would actually be a burden on his body. More importantly, was he fine when you left this morning?”
“I didn’t wake him because he seemed to be sleeping in. His body temperature is usually on the higher side, so I thought a mild fever was normal.”
“Phew, it’s a relief Mi-nam found him; if he’d been left alone, he might have really been carried off to the ER. Ju-wan should just say it when he’s sick; enduring it isn’t the answer.”
The ‘male’ stared intently at ‘that thing’ as if he would pierce through it. For some reason, the ‘male’ seemed restless. It was rare for the fellow’s pupils to shake like that. Come to think of it, the first time was when ‘that thing’ was taken by another fellow, and this was the second.
The ‘annoying fellow,’ who had been watching from behind, tapped the ‘male’ and said something. He also barked some incomprehensible sounds toward me.
“Don’t just stay there; come out. Ju-wan needs to rest deeply. You too, Su-nam.”
The ‘male,’ who usually ignored the ‘annoying fellow,’ surprisingly moved obediently. He suddenly approached me, grabbed me by the scruff of my neck, and pulled me down from the bed. Without knowing why, I was led by the ‘male’ into a wide space. The ‘annoying fellow’ closed the door so that no one could enter the bed.
I looked back at the fellow, expecting the ‘male’ to resist, but he didn’t try to go back inside as before. When I tapped the closed door with my front paw, he shook his head as if telling me not to. I couldn’t understand. ‘That thing’ needs to be cared for tenderly right now.
I lay flat on my belly in front of the bed. Occasionally, I pricked up my ears to check for ‘that thing’s’ presence, but no sound could be heard from inside. I dropped my head onto my front paws.
After that, only the ‘annoying fellow’ and the ‘male’ went in and out of ‘that thing’s’ bed. Time flew by, the sun set, and then rose again, yet sleep would not come. Had I become accustomed to ‘that thing’s’ soft breathing in the meantime?
Anyway, ‘that thing’ is annoying. More so than any other tiny creature. There are so many things to take care of, and so many things to be mindful of. I wonder how ‘that thing’ would be living if it hadn’t met this body. No doubt it would have been caught and devoured by various fellows long ago.
A night that felt like several days passed. Just as I was forcing myself to close my eyes, I sensed ‘that thing’s’ presence from the bed. I pricked up both ears to grasp the situation more precisely. It wasn’t a mistake. That characteristic weight and slow gait—it was indeed ‘that thing.’
I looked up at the closed door. Soon, the door opened and a pale ‘that thing’ came outside.
“…Su-nam.”
‘That thing’ stared at me standing guard in front of the door, then plopped down in front of me. Then, it hugged my neck tightly with both arms. Even though we had been apart for a short while, it seemed to have missed this body quite a bit.
‘That thing’ often burrows into my embrace like this. It would hug my neck with an annoying persistence and rub its skin against me wildly. It was also common for it to lie flat on its back in front of me, exposing its belly. It seemed to be its own way of expressing affection.
Why does it always do such ticklish things? Because it likes this body? Does ‘that thing’ want to have my pups? But ‘that thing’ is a male. Until now, there has been no animal that confused me as much as ‘that thing.’
Even when ‘that thing’ rubbed its cheek against my face and pulled me with annoying force, I let it do as it pleased. Then, ‘that thing’ hugged me as if crushing me and rested its hand on my front paw. The fever had gone down a lot compared to before, but there was still a difference from ‘that thing’s’ usual body temperature.
I suddenly raised my upper body at the sound of something approaching. When I turned my head toward the presence, the ‘male’ was approaching.
The ‘male’ knelt beside me and placed his hand one by one on ‘that thing’s’ forehead, face, and neck. As the ‘male’s’ hand touched it, ‘that thing’ curled its neck and burrowed further into my embrace. Despite it clearly disliking it, the ‘male’ bothered it by grabbing its arm.
“It would be better to rest more. Don’t stay here; go back inside.”
The ‘male’ stubbornly grabbed ‘that thing’s’ arm and pulled. However, ‘that thing’ stuck close to me and refused to let go.
Tsk, I told you it’s annoying.
I growled at the ‘male,’ wrinkling the bridge of my nose. I also stepped forward with my front paw toward the ‘male,’ threatening him not to touch.
Then, the ‘male’s’ gaze, which had been fixed on ‘that thing,’ turned toward me. The ‘male’ looked down at me silently without making a sound, then suddenly stroked my head. Damn it. This fellow also always treats me like a pup. I twisted my head to escape his touch. The ‘male’ watched me quietly once more, then shifted his gaze back to ‘that thing.’ It was because ‘that thing’ had just chattered something.
“I like it here. It’s comfortable.”
‘That thing’s’ voice was as light as down. A feeling as if it would scatter at any moment. Soon, ‘that thing’ let out a deep breath and drifted off to sleep. At this point, the ‘male,’ who had been repeatedly bothering ‘that thing,’ seemed to decide to back off obediently.
The fellow disappeared toward the bed for a moment, then brought out the rag I had occasionally provided for him and covered ‘that thing’ with it. Then, he also sat with his back against the opposite wall of ‘that thing,’ staring blankly at the sleeping ‘that thing.’
While only ‘that thing’s’ exhausted breathing echoed, the ‘male’ occasionally looked at me with a strange look in his eyes. He must be jealous. This time, even the ‘male’ must have been discouraged. Since ‘that thing’ insisted on burrowing only into my embrace, what could he do? A ‘male’ who possesses nothing but a slightly tough hide could never surpass the elegant and soft golden fur of this body.
I am truly superior.