Tamed or Captured

Sosa swallowed at the sudden question.

They say that the scariest thing to hear from a woman is that.

Sosa tried to control himself rolling his eyes quickly.

“What…what are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“Never mind. You two join hands and walk out. Ah, you can’t hold hands because you’re a horse, right?”

Asha humphed, turned her head, and walked away.

Sosa’s eyes widened at those words, and he quickly opened the door and stepped inside.

“Boss! Did you tell Lady Asha my identity?”

He was about to lose his temper and stopped when he saw Jackal perched on the bed in a frustrated pose.

“Gosh……”

Sosa grabbed his forehead with one hand because of a headache.

* * * * *

     Two wild horses deceived me.

She got angry thinking about those two who must have laughed at her.

But then, there was a knock on the door.

When she didn’t answer, a cautious voice was heard.

“……Lady Asha, it’s me, Sosa…….”

“What is it?”

Asha’s words came out colder than expected. Sosa hesitated outside.

“I’m… I’m sorry for deceiving you…. You must have been surprised to learn that the captain could turn into a horse, but I am embarrassed that you have to find out like this… Please forgive me and the captain…”

Asha sighed and said.

“Come in.”

Sosa walked in with slumped shoulders like a criminal.

He was very disappointed because the captain’s first successful relationship with a woman seemed to be for nothing.

Sosa put his hands together and said politely.

“If you don’t mind, I would like to tell you about our clan in detail.”

Asha was intrigued and tempted, but she pretended not to and coughed.

“Tell me. I’ll listen to it first and think about whether I’ll get mad or not.”

Sosa’s face lit up slightly.

“Really? Thank you for the opportunity. Indeed, as you may have expected, our Kelpie clan… is nearly extinct now.”

Asha’s eyes, which tried to remain calm to the end, grew bigger.

“Really……?”

“The captain and I are the last descendants of the clan.”

Asha froze in shock. 

Sosa sighed and continued.

“Originally, our clan has a lower population than other clans, but as you know, it was not easy for us to leave offspring, according to the custom of minority tribes that said members of the same clan could not marry. The reason is… I think you know even if I don’t tell you.”

Asha knew immediately what that meant.

It was rare that a woman didn’t leave when she knew that the man she had a relationship with would turn into a horse.

“However, there was a major event that led to the extinction of our clan. It was an incident where Chief Horak, you may know him, made our people go to war protecting the village, sacrificing their lives.”

Asha gasped in surprise.

Sosa said with mixed feelings.

“Of course, he did it to protect minorities. From childhood we were taught that kelpies were stronger and more agile than other clans and that we could transform into horses, making them perfect for acting as village warriors.”

“So…… both of you leave the village?”

“Yes. The village chief and the captain had a big fight before we left. The village head said harsh words to Jackal. Because he didn’t take charge of the clan and didn’t participate in missions, our entire clan was wiped out.”

Asha was shocked and couldn’t say anything.

“The village chief has forced the captain to go on secret missions as a warrior multiple times. Since the captain’s parents were the heads of the kelpie clan, it was the captain’s turn to take over after they passed away.”

Asha suddenly remembered what happened when Jackal handed her the dagger that was said to be a memento from his parents.

     ‘Because it’s not a gift, it’s a heavy-duty.’

     ‘To me, this dagger made my heart ache just by looking at it.’

She wondered how angry he must have been when the village chief told him those things like protecting minorities is the purpose of his life.

Asha couldn’t help but be disappointed to see the true faces of the minorities she was proud of.

“I don’t know the details of what the village chief has been trying to do to the captain since I am not the successor. But the captain was deeply hurt in his heart that day and he decided to leave the village. The village chief yelled at him to get out of this village immediately if he didn’t do his duties.”

Sosa chuckled bitterly.

“Before leaving the village, the captain asked me if I wanted to go with him. Perhaps it was the consideration of the captain. If I hadn’t left the village, the duty would have been entrusted to me. Maybe I was just used as a horse, but I’m a gentle horse who loves peace, so I’m not very good at fighting compared to the captain.”

Sosa deliberately added a joke to lighten the heavy atmosphere, but immediately regretted it after seeing Asha’s serious expression.

“……I’m sorry. I brought this up for no reason and made you upset.”

“No. Thank you for telling me something so important. When I lived in the village, I really didn’t know about such things. And how many sacrifices the kelpies made to protect the village. If you hadn’t told me, I would have kept trying to defend them without knowing anything.”

Asha understood how frustrated Jackal must have been when he found himself sacrificing himself for the good of minorities.

He saw with his own eyes that the kelpies received no compensation even though they made sacrifices.

Sosa said cautiously, looking around.

“The captain got completely bummed out while you were gone. He said that if he ever sees you again, he would tell you his secret, but it seems like the timing wasn’t right…”

Sosa let out a deep sigh. 

Sosa saw the two of them kissing in the cave, believing everything would be fine in the future.

Asha thought seriously but then said with a determined look on her face.

“I need to see Jackal right now.”

When she got up from her seat and left the room, Sosa didn’t follow her but looked at her back a little worried.

He sincerely hoped that the captain would not make a mistake this time.

From his point of view, Jackal was indeed an old man when it came to women.

Asha reached the house where Jackal rested, took a deep breath, and cautiously opened the door.

But as soon as she opened the door, she saw a big gray-blue horse standing with its head stuck in a corner.

Asha’s eyes widened and she involuntarily did not call Jackal, but by the name, she had given him.

“Sheppy…… ?”

Sheppy looked back helplessly at Asha’s voice.

His droopy blue eyes glistened wetly.

     Ugh…….

Asha put a hand on her chest.

What a pitiful horse he is.

His nose was flaring and tears were about to spill from his drooping eyes, and just looking at him made her want to hug him.

Asha was very perplexed.

     Since when did my taste become like this……?

When she called out to him, Jackal said nothing, stepping back sullenly and looking down helplessly.

He seemed to think that she was still angry.

However, Asha thought he looked cute, and her anger dissipated.

He knew that she liked Sheppy. So he turned into a horse and was reflected against the wall until she came back.

“…… Jackal.”

Jackal’s hunched shoulders flinched at Asha’s call.

“Come here.”

Jackal turned his head again to look at Asha.

Seeing her relaxed expression, he cautiously walked towards her.

But Asha immediately took his head to her chest.

“…… !”

Jackal’s eyes widened. 

He panicked and tried to pull his face away from her arms, but Asha calmly hugged him closer.

“When I did this back then, you didn’t do anything, so what’s wrong now?”

“……”

“Cunning horse.”

Jackal blushed and closed his eyes.

However, the corners of Asha’s mouth were slightly turned up.

“Just seeing my cute Sheppy makes me relieved enough to wonder if he was really mad.”

Jackal thought to himself that he had done the right thing in transforming.

However, as if reading his thoughts, Asha slightly rolled her eyes.

Jackal quickly pretended not to know.

Asha bit her lower lip, trying not to laugh.

She seemed to have an excellent understanding of him.

“Jackal, does it take a lot of energy to transform into a horse?”

Jackal nodded in her arms. 

Asha said in surprise.

“Then change back! How can you waste your energy when you are sick!?”

When Asha finished speaking, she took a nightgown and put it over the horse’s torso.

He quickly turned back into his human form.

Asha was so surprised when she witnessed the transformation. She almost told him to transform back because it was amazing.

But seeing him standing, she swallowed hard as she saw his stocky body naked in just a barely clad robe.

Jackal lowered his head and said, adjusting his robe.

“…… I’m sorry.”

That simple apology sounded more sincere than any other word.

He always thought carefully before speaking.

He probably did the same when he was about to tell his secret…

Asha looked down slightly and said.

“I was angry that you deceived me all this time, but it’s not that I don’t understand. If I could have transformed into a real butterfly, I would have tried to hide it from the people around me.”

Jackal chuckled a little involuntarily.

Asha immediately raised her eyes.

“Are you laughing now?”

“…… No. I’m sorry.”

Jackal straightened up and apologized. 

However, he imagined Asha transforming into a small yellow butterfly not knowing what to do and flying around, he kept biting his lip, feeling the laughter escape him.

Asha hesitated for a moment as she looked at him, then said determinedly.

“Jackal. Actually, I also have something to tell you.”