083 – Let’s Train the Giant Owl! # 2
Oinoi spoke.
“The owl and the eagle owl are essentially the same animal, but the owl’s head is a little rounder…! The eagle owl has ear tufts sticking out…!”
Oinoi’s lecture was more substantial than I expected.
I always confused owls and eagle owls, but it was clear that the owl had a round head while the eagle owl had feathers jutting out on both sides like horns.
“But both the owl and the eagle owl are hunting animals…! They love meat very much…! It would be good to lure them with meat to train them…!”
Luring the eagle owl with meat.
It seemed like a very basic and excellent strategy.
However, we had a big problem.
“We don’t have any meat.”
I typically carried plenty of nut-like peanuts. I gave them as treats to Kkungkkungi and Ahn Ahn.
Kkungkkungi and Ahn Ahn generally ate plant-based foods like nuts or honey and didn’t need meat.
The RGB-colored ghost spider Bang Bang also generally consumed dew or hunted mice by itself.
Soon, Coris said.
“Big owls are natural enemies of squirrel beasts…! It’s because… they love to eat squirrels…!”
Owls eat squirrel beasts?
That was a very Kkungkkungi-hating story.
I thought Kkungkkungi, the squirrel beast, was the top predator, but it didn’t seem that way.
“Indeed, we can use the top squirrel, Kkungkkungi, as a decoy…! Kkungkkungi must be very delicious looking since it’s the top squirrel…! It’s a bait worth 5 billion…!”
Illinois suggested using Kkungkkungi as bait to catch the eagle owl. Of course, whether Kkungkkungi understood this, it fluffed its fur in apparent anger.
—Grrr…!
Kkungkkungi was absolutely furious.
However, we had no other option.
I decided to persuade Kkungkkungi.
“Kkungkkungi, if you take on this role well, I’ll give you a whole bag of macadamia nuts!”
I was controlling the amount of treats for Kkungkkungi for its weight management. If I kept giving it treats just because it was cute, it would gain weight, become sluggish, and it wouldn’t be good for its health.
Thus, my proposition must have felt sweet as honey to Kkungkkungi, who was on a diet.
—Kkungkkungi…!
Kkungkkungi bounced joyfully from side to side, acting as if it was pleased with my proposal.
Indeed, Kkungkkungi, being the top squirrel, had a generous heart and knew how to compromise.
“Alright. Then let’s come up with a plan.”
The nymph who had forgotten its name transformed into an owl, which according to Oinoi was a “tiger owl.” It was said to have terrifying claws and a large body, similar to a tiger.
Now that I looked closer, its pattern did resemble a tiger.
“Tiger owls are nocturnal, and they don’t have good eyesight in too bright places, right? They also said they have sensitive senses. If we make a trap with this… Kkungkkungi, lure it here.”
I explained the plan to Kkungkkungi.
Soon, Bang Bang started moving its front legs side to side.
—Hioong…!
The RGB ghost spider started to emit its colorful web from its front legs.
Seeing that, Oinoi was impressed.
“The ghost spider’s web makes an excellent net…! Many nymph-hating hunters have used this web to capture our nymph sisters…!”
A net used to catch nymphs?
It felt like a very nymph-unfriendly story, but it was still helpful to us who needed to capture nymphs.
The ghost spider Bang Bang continued moving its front legs, constantly spitting out colorful webs, while Oinoi, Illinois, and Coris stuck to the webs and moved their hands.
“Let’s make a net with the spider silk…! If we throw this in the creek, we can definitely catch a ton of fish…!”
“Hehe-. I remember when Illinois hunted Yankees in the Illinois plains…! They made Yankee nets using string…!”
Nymphs were surprisingly crafty.
They twisted the unique spider silk and created a sizeable net that expanded and contracted, resembling a net made of rubber bands.
“That’s it! The window’s breaking!”
Cha Yura shouted.
I could see the giant tiger’s front paw swinging as if it was about to shatter the window.
I turned to Cha Yura.
“Then on the count of three, step aside! I’m going!”
One—.
I loosened my ankles and hands.
Two—.
I steadied my breath─.
“Three!”
I dashed toward the window like a bullet.
Crash—!
The window shattered completely.
Soon, I was thrown amidst various beasts, and I leaped with Kkungkkungi in my arms.
“Kkungkkungi! Go!”
—Kkungkkungi…!
Kkungkkungi ran toward the agreed point.
And I also headed toward the opposite direction of the agreed point.
Soon, the “tiger owl” flying in the sky noticed us and laughed.
—What are you sending a squirrel to do? A very cute and fat little squirrel…! Do you think that thing can escape from me!?
The nymphs’ tales of the owl liking squirrels seemed to be true.
The giant owl began to chase after Kkungkkungi, and I too rushed towards the agreed point, escaping from the beasts.
The agreed point.
It was the place where Cha Yura had frozen the alarm and the camera earlier.
—Grrr…!
When I arrived, wasn’t Kkungkkungi cornered?
The giant owl was stepping closer to Kkungkkungi with each stride.
—Come here! Good squirrel! I’ll train you too! If you don’t, you’ll be sorely punished! I am a top predator!
Kkungkkungi found itself in a dire situation.
I seized the chance and shouted to Ahn Ahn.
“Ahn Ahn! Now’s the time!”
Vwoom—.
Ahn Ahn flapped its wings and flew right into the frozen alarm system that Cha Yura had set, crashing its horn and shattering the ice.
In that moment.
Beep beep, waaaah—.
Loud alarms began blaring from everywhere!
—W-what’s going on!
The giant owl was flustered.
The noisy alarms must have been like poison to the sensitive senses of the predator!
I took the opportunity while the owl was flapping left and right and lunged at it with all my might.
“Take this—! Here’s the spider silk net, you beast!!!”
As soon as the web made by Bang Bang and the nymphs hit, the tiger owl flapped in a panic.
However, the spider silk that Bang Bang and the nymphs had teamed up to create was very sturdy, and with every flap the owl made, it tightened around its body even more.
—What is this! What is this! A spider silk net? How can you use such nymph-hating material! I won’t forgive you! Untie this! Untie it! I said untie it!
I felt like a poacher hunting a natural monument.
In reality, owls in Korea are natural monuments!
Was it really alright for me to capture this natural monument?
No—.
This owl wasn’t a real owl; it was a nymph.
Of course, one might argue that nymphs are rarer and could be considered a natural monument, but still.
“No. I’ve thought too much.”
Slap—.
I slapped my cheek to regain my focus.
I approached the flapping owl ensnared in the web.
I could see various beasts chasing me from a distance, but the honey ant Ahn Ahn leaped fiercely at the beasts and pushed them away.
—Zzzi…!
Bang—!
Ahn Ahn, whose small body exhibited strength akin to a hippo or elephant, prevented the beasts from rushing at me!
But I didn’t know how long Ahn Ahn could hold out, so I had to hurry!
“—Alright. Good.”
With tense hands, I reached out towards the owl.
According to Oinoi, to train the owl, it was crucial to move very, very slowly, trying to feel like the least harmful person possible.
—You little brat! Get that hand away from me! Do you think I am a real owl? I am a nymph of animals! Not an owl but a nymph!
I thought it was a foolish move.
But upon reflection, Oinoi, Illinois, and Coris enjoyed being praised and petted.
Earlier, I had seen Lee Jin-A gently petting Coris.
With that feeling, I placed my hand on the forehead of the owl caught in the web and gently ran my nails against its head.
—Oh, nuuuuh…!?
Contrary to what one might expect from a terrifying predator, its fur was soft and fluffy, and it was warm.
It felt very much like a giant plush toy.
# # #
The owl recalled memories from long ago.
It was a memory of a tall figure petting its head. Memories of playing in the forest and streams with its sisters.
‘Once, someone petted me. I too had a time when I was small and young.’
Swoosh—.
The touch of the man petting its feathers brought back the interest and kindness it felt back then.
‘I thought it was an old memory I wouldn’t recall anymore.’
The owl—
The nymph who had forgotten its name pondered as it looked at the man who was petting its fur.
‘It seems like the little nymphs aren’t just following for no reason. There exists someone so harmless and innocent in this world. That little one was not just watching this man for no reason.’
Swoosh—.
The owl slowly raised its body entangled in the net.
Then it asked the man.
—Hey, you. Young male Haildo. I can tell from that petting that you are kind and trustworthy enough for the nymphs to follow you. So let me ask you, what do you plan to do after you train me?
“Uh? What will I do?”
The man Haildo seemed quite flustered by the owl’s question.
It appeared that he hadn’t thought about what to do after training it.
Pat—.
At that moment, I sensed the presence of nymphs approaching from a distance.
As the owl’s mind cleared, the rampaging beasts ceased, and taking advantage of that moment, small nymphs began crawling up the container.
Oinoi raised its hand excitedly.
“The master of the house has trained the owl…! Indeed, this Oinoi trusted the master of the house…!”
“Indeed, even Illinois thinks it’s very amazing…!”
“This Coris wants to ride on the owl’s back and touch the clouds in the sky…! I wonder if that means I can become an adult…!”
They were small nymphs.
They approached the owl, and finally, the one that seemed to be the leader, Oinoi, gently tapped its forehead against the owl’s.
At that, various memories flooded into the owl’s mind.
Oinoi, who had been fleeing and wandering in a strange world.
And about the master of the house who had given kindness without expecting any reward.
Sss—.
The large nymph returned to her human form.
Seeing her, Haildo was astonished.
“…Isn’t the nymph huge!? Aren’t nymphs supposed to be small like children?”
She was indeed a large nymph, to the extent that one could confuse her with an elf.
The large nymph gently stroked Oinoi’s forehead and said.
“I am the nymph of the streamwater, Oinoi. You have met a good person. Had I met such a person earlier, perhaps I wouldn’t have acted so foolishly now.”
“Nymph Kalilnoi of animals…! I am pleased to meet you…! This Oinoi thinks it’s marvelous to see a nymph who can transform into a tiger owl for the first time…!”
Kalilnoi.
That was the name of the large nymph.
At that moment, Coris raised her hand excitedly.
“This Coris heard there was a nymph who could transform into a bear in the Moon’s Forest…! That nymph’s name was Kalil—something…! I wonder if she can transform into a bear too…!”
“That’s my sister, Callisto! Just like me, she was an animal nymph, but my sister died tragically after becoming a bear. No one stood by her side. That made me really sad.”
Tears flowed from the corners of Kalilnoi’s eyes.
“This Oinoi will mourn with you…!”
“This Coris is also so sad that I feel tears might come out…!”
Soon, Oinoi embraced Kalilnoi, and the ice-water nymph Coris also wrapped her arms around Kalilnoi.
It was an emotional scene, and even Haildo, who had just arrived, had moist eyes.
However, Illinois was irritated.
“This Illinois will never forget the hilarious act of being attacked by mindless animals…! Don’t try to sweep this moving feeling under the rug…! This Illinois will start a desperate legal battle! Bring a lawyer here…!”
