Early morning.
Sohwa, who had been dozing peacefully on Dohvi's chest, was suddenly awakened by soft, rhythmic strokes along her back.
"Sleep sweetly, sleep sweetly," he whispered.
When her eyes finally focused, her heart clenched painfully. Dohvi's torn clothes lay scattered in disarray across the floor, and his smooth skin was covered with fresh claw marks—unmistakably her work.
Memories of the previous night came flooding back in vivid, mortifying detail. Sohwa, realizing the full scope of the situation, quickly squeezed her eyes shut and feigned sleep.
_Oh gods, what did I do?!_
That night, she had lost all control. Transformed into a fox, succumbing entirely to desire, she had rolled across his body trying to soak up every trace of that intoxicating scent. And then...
_Madness! What utter shame!_
She had already embarrassed herself badly in front of Dohvi more times than she could count, and now he must think her completely ridiculous. It was terrifying to imagine how much he must despise her now.
Her face burned with shame. Her entire body felt as though it were on fire.
_Damn it! It's definitely catnip—my nemesis!_
Mortification washed over her in waves. She was certain this was some cosmic curse of humiliation! Sohwa wanted nothing more than to drown herself in a saucer of water and be done with it all.
"Is my little fox awake yet?"
Sohwa twitched involuntarily, let out an exaggerated yawn, and pretended to squint groggily.
"Ha-a-a..."
"Did you sleep well?"
"And you?" she deflected quickly. "You must have been awake for a long time, Dohvi."
Sohwa tried desperately to ignore the memories of the previous night and turned her muzzle away.
"It seems the nightmares don't bother you anymore," he observed gently. "That's good."
His hands were impossibly tender as he wiped the drool from the corners of her mouth and carefully cleaned the mucus from the corners of her eyes. But Sohwa wanted nothing more than to **flee**. Her body burned with shame, and the feeling was becoming unbearable.
"Do you have a fever? You're really hot," Dohvi said, puzzled. He felt her paws, her muzzle, her nose—all with a serious, concerned expression.
"I... I need to go to the backyard..."
"Do you want me to walk you there?"
"No need! I'll go myself."
"Alright. Just come back quickly."
Sohwa slipped hastily out of his arms and, the moment she was outside, **ran**. But her destination wasn't the outhouse—it was the monastery. She needed to ask the monk to pray on her behalf, to spare her from further humiliation.
---
"Abbot! Abbot!"
Spotting a familiar figure busily sweeping the courtyard, Sohwa ran forward as fast as her small legs could carry her.
"Has something happened so early in the morning?"
"Monk, I came with a request."
"A request?"
The fox nodded quickly, her dark eyes wide and earnest. Her pretty appearance made the monk smile despite himself.
"What kind of request?"
"I feel as though a great shadow of shame has fallen upon my fate, monk." Her voice trembled. "The shame is such that I can no longer show my face to anyone. Please... help me."
The monk simply shook his head and clicked his tongue.
"I'm too weak to help with such matters. Besides, I won't be around this winter."
"What?" Sohwa's ears flattened in alarm. "Are you wounded, monk?"
A flicker of genuine concern flashed in her wide, innocent eyes—but then an image of a certain **huge tiger** appeared unbidden in the monk's mind. Remembering Dohvi, he frowned deeply, irritation welling up inside him like bile.
"Ask your **husband**!" he snapped.
Startled by the sudden outburst of anger, Sohwa recoiled.
"M-monk... your eyes... what's wrong with them?"
The monk's pupils had elongated—vertical slits like those of a cold-blooded predator. But within moments, they slowly returned to their normal rounded shape. Horror pierced through Sohwa like a blade, and she turned tail and fled without another word.
---
The monk watched her small form disappear into the distance and smiled bitterly.
_That cowardly little fox will no longer dare to show her face at the temple... And the tiger that follows her everywhere... I will never have to see him again either._
Relief settled over him—though it was tinged with an inexplicable hint of regret. He turned away and resumed sweeping.
Suddenly, a quiet rustling sound came from behind.
"Who's there?"
It was Daebom. Just waking from the hearty meal the monk had treated him to the night before, the red fox frowned and sniffed the air, catching a strange, lingering scent.
"The tiger's wife came by," the monk said flatly.
"T-then..."
Daebom remembered the sly fox who had threatened to keep him out of her sight. He quickly ducked low, scanning the surroundings nervously—but Sohwa had already vanished.
He involuntarily inhaled her scent more deeply, and his face flushed bright red.
_This is it!_
It seemed the catnip had started to work, because just recently that tiger had been fretting that his female would never enter mating season.
"Tch. I need to train harder..." the monk muttered under his breath, heading back into the temple. Daebom, doing his best to ignore the faint, spicy traces of scent still hanging in the air, followed him inside to offer his morning prayer.
The sky above was covered with dark clouds, threatening to collapse with thunder and lightning.
---
Barely catching her breath, Sohwa returned home.
On the way, she noticed a mother hen leading her fluffy chicks in a tidy line, and her heart gave an involuntary flutter.
_I want cute babies too..._
Usually such thoughts didn't bother her much, but with the onset of winter, the loneliness had become especially sharp. One day, she had even marked the area in front of the house with her scent, secretly hoping that soon they would have a family of their own.
But all her attempts had been in vain. No matter how many nights she spent tangled with Dohvi, the stork had never visited them.
---
"Dohvi," she ventured timidly, finding him in the kitchen, "didn't you say there was a way for us to have a child?"
Dohvi was preparing a rich eel soup and turned around at the sound of her voice.
Sohwa asked carefully:
"You mentioned that there was some kind of miracle cure for childless couples like us... When will we be able to get it?"
"Are you talking about the Imoogi pearl?"
"Oh, so it's that?"
Feigning ignorance, Sohwa narrowed her eyes slyly.
"Well, I'm sure the Imoogi cherishes it dearly. How could we possibly borrow something so precious..."
"You already ate it, Sohwa."
"**What?** When?!"
Dohvi reminded her calmly of how he had fed her the pearl when she had been on the very brink of death—wire around her muzzle, breath failing, pulse fading.
Sohwa's eyes went wide as saucers. She moved closer, pressing herself tightly against him, and tilted her head so that her breath nearly brushed his skin.
"So... does that mean I can have a child now too?"
Her hot breath ghosted over his neck. Sohwa's cheeks were flushed, her body unusually warm.
"Of course. You might already be carrying one."
"Really? How can I check?"
Dohvi's gaze slid deliberately over her face, her neck, and then stopped at her softly rounded chest.
"They say that when a woman is pregnant, she produces milk."
His gaze was so piercing that even through her warm winter clothes, she felt as though he were seeing her completely naked. Blushing furiously, Sohwa covered her chest protectively with both hands.
"Show me," he said quietly. "Let me see if there's milk."
The voice was soft, but it carried an unmistakable command. When Sohwa hesitated, he added more forcefully:
"Quickly."
Those yellow tiger eyes bored into her, and Sohwa felt her knees buckle and her lower abdomen tighten painfully.
The beast's low, rumbling growl echoed in her ears. She closed her eyes and gave in.
As always.
---
Small, slender fingers carefully unbuttoned her clothes, revealing her chest inch by inch. Bare breasts appeared before his hungry eyes, and Sohwa's body trembled so violently that her teeth chattered.
"Ah!"
A cold hand pressed gently against her breast, as if weighing it, supporting it.
"Your nipples are already hard. And I haven't even done anything yet."
His index finger traced the contour of her areola with agonizing slowness.
Resisting the overwhelming urge to take those scarlet buds into his mouth, Dohvi began to knead her breasts with deliberate care. Her breathing grew noticeably more rapid than usual.
"I wonder," he murmured, "if milk will come out of here."
Fingers cold as snow finally brushed directly over her nipple, and Sohwa let out a groan like a wounded animal.
"Dohvi... Dohvi..."
When he twisted the sensitive peak gently between his fingers, Sohwa threw her head back and moaned aloud. Dohvi caressed both breasts in turn, teasing her mercilessly, and she swayed on her feet.
"It looks like you're not pregnant yet," he said casually.
He removed his hands and began to button her clothes back up as though nothing had happened. But Sohwa immediately grabbed his wrist, stopping him.
"Dohvi... I... I..."
Her lips were trembling. Her eyes were clouded with need.
"I want a baby." Her voice cracked. "Hurry... **please**..."
She knew that if she didn't say it out loud, this cunning tiger would never grant her wish. She had learned that lesson well through countless nights of their passionate games.
Blushing down to the roots of her hair, Sohwa finally forced herself to continue.
"Please..." she whispered, voice barely audible. "Give me your seed..."
---