Baekho was a very fine ride. If it were a car, it would be of the Emperor’s class!

‘Warm, fluffy, soft.’

Where could such a fine car have come from? I patted Baekho’s back.

“Baekho, you’re the best!”

Stop it, it tickles.

Afraid I might cause it to jump around and fall, I quickly closed my mouth. But as I pressed my cheek against its fur, my face broke into a smile again.

“Baekho, you really are the best.”

…….

I didn’t know I was so sensitive to touch!

‘Both the small Baekho and the big Baekho are the best.’

Anyway, I was plastered to Baekho’s fur, intoxicated by it. So there was no sliding off its back or rolling around.

But the journey was not entirely smooth.

Small droplets of water touched my forehead. At first, I thought it was a mistake, but the frequency increased. I pointed at the sky with my palm and screamed.

“Ah! It’s raining.”

It was the first rain we encountered as we ran through the middle of the forest. Baekho licked its tongue.

This doesn’t seem like it’ll stop soon. We need to find a place to rest.

Then it paused briefly before howling towards the sky. While I wondered why it did that in the rain, a similar sound came from a distance.

“Roar!”

An echo? I tilted my head, and Baekho gave an answer.

Fortunately, there seems to be a cave nearby. Let’s take shelter there.

“How did you know that…… Ah!”

Baekho started running again, so I nearly bit my tongue and quickly shut my mouth. Despite Baekho’s words, the cave didn’t appear even as we galloped.

In the meantime, my hair stretched like seaweed, and my clothes clung to me. It even became chilly, so I hunched my shoulders, and Danmokbi silently took off his clothes and covered my shoulders with them.

How much time had passed? Among the blue bushes, a color conspicuously different caught my eye. Too dark to be yellow, too bright to be vermilion, an ambiguous color with black stripes.

“It’s a tiger!”

It was indeed a tiger.

In front of the cave guarded by the tiger, Baekho put us down. As it was my first time seeing a tiger other than Baekho, I leaned forward curiously, and Baekho warned in a soft voice.

Don’t stray from my side. You might get snatched up.

“Heehee.”

Snatched up. I quickly hid behind Baekho.

As Baekho roared like a tiger though Baekho was a tiger! two more tigers walked out from inside the cave. They were clearly the cubs of the tiger outside.

The tigers ambled away, now in the rain that had become a downpour. I tugged Baekho’s fur and asked.

“Did we just steal their home? Where will those tigers rest in the rain?”

Baekho laughed at my question.

Worry is premature. It’s the master of this mountain; do you think there’s no place to rest besides here?

“Well, that’s true, but… Achoo!”

I sneezed loudly. The cold had gotten to the point where my teeth were chattering. Shivering, Baekho pushed me into the cave.

The cave where the tigers had stayed until a moment ago felt warm and cozy. Danmokbi, who kept the rain off me and found a bright and sunny spot, sat me down and pulled out a flint and tinder.

“Let’s start a fire first. We need to dry our wet clothes.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to change?”

The clothes inside the bundle were dry, thanks to careful wrapping. As I pondered, Baekho licked its front paw and said.

The cave is damp. If you change and ruin those clothes too, then what? It’s better to dry the ones you’re wearing first. We don’t know how long the rain will last.

It was a valid point. I nodded my head and took off my heavy, wet clothes, wearing only a thin undergarment.

Fortunately, there were many rocks to hang the clothes. The problem was the fire.

“Firewood…….”

Somehow, it seemed like something good would be deeper in the cave. I carefully took Danmokbi’s hand and went further inside. As expected, the inner part of the cave was filled with dry grass and wearable garments.

Along with completely dried skeletons.

There were animal bones mixed in, but some were unmistakably human skulls. With a feeling of sorrow, I brought my hands together and muttered…
I’m not sure who you are, but please rest comfortably in a good place. Thank you for your help.

The legacy(?) you left behind, I will make good use of it.

But I thought I’d be punished if I took things like what’s in the bag, so I only took things far away from the skull. After all, I have to light a fire.

The white tiger, who had been gazing at the sight, spoke, flicking its tongue.

The tiger must have feasted a lot as usual.

“Hiik! Don’t say that! I’m already worried about it!”

They must have been the victims of a robbery, right? I felt chills thinking so.

Anyway, when I gathered this and that and lit a fire, the cave was quickly filled with warmth.

The white tiger lay down first, and I naturally settled into the embrace of the white tiger. Then, gazing at the flickering flames, I spoke.

“But thanks to the white tiger, it’s not cold.”

Being so warm even in my underwear was entirely thanks to the white tiger.