The White Tiger’s Fury and Noren’s Regret

The instant Tolke’s head burst, his consciousness plunged into the depths of the sea.

In the very next moment, his eyes snapped open.

Yet, an impenetrable darkness enveloped him, broken only by faint, milky-white specks of light drifting through the air.

‘I… I’m still alive!’ Tolke thought, reaching for his neck, only for his hand to be obstructed by a smooth marble pillar. His head, too, was held fast by something, utterly unable to move.

Slowly, his fingers began to explore, tracing the cold, smooth surface of the marble pillar upwards.

The pillar was remarkably smooth, devoid of any stony coarseness, possessing instead a warmth akin to jade-like skin.

After a brief exploration, he realized that two such pillars were clamping his head, seemingly angled inward towards the center.

From the space between them, directly above his head, water droplets fell incessantly, landing on his lips. He instinctively extended his tongue to taste them.

It was colorless and tasteless, much like the pristine spring water he had once discovered during his solitary retreat in the mountains.

The milky-white light in the air began to coalesce, drawing together like smaller motes of light drawn to a larger one by an unseen force, eventually forming a single incandescent orb that hung directly above Tolke’s head.

Although the light remained dim, Tolke’s pupils merely constricted, and the scene before him sharpened into terrifying clarity.

Merciful heavens, this was no spring water.

It was the drool of a monstrous beast!

Tolke stared, utterly transfixed, at the space between the two marble pillars, where a magnificent tiger, its fur a striking tapestry of red and white, was glaring intently at him.

“Ah!” Tolke cried out in terror; he had never before encountered such a fearsome creature. It possessed an elegant majesty, resembling a cat yet armed with colossal fangs.

“Silence, you cursed golden-furred monkey!” the great white tiger roared in fury.

Tolke promptly clamped his mouth shut.

The great white tiger spat a gob of saliva squarely onto Tolke’s face, then grumbled indignantly, “Just look at what you’ve done, meow! You foolish golden-furred monkey! My pristine, lustrous fur is utterly ruined because of you, and you, audacious primate, even dared to bite my face!?”

‘What fur? When did I ever bite its face?’

Tolke was utterly bewildered. He was certain this was his first encounter with the articulate white tiger. How, then, could he have damaged its fur or bitten its face?

“I didn’t…”

Before Tolke could finish his protest, the great white tiger promptly flopped down, pressing the thick fur of its neck firmly over the youth’s mouth and nose. No matter how Tolke thrashed his legs, it refused to release its hold.

Only when Tolke was on the verge of losing consciousness from oxygen deprivation did the great white tiger finally stand, granting him the precious right to breathe once more.

“I knew you’d try to argue,” the great white tiger declared. “That was just a small lesson for you; next time, I won’t be so lenient, meow!”

Tolke gulped down several deep breaths of fresh air, a rising irritation stirring within him. Whether it was the Valkyries or this beast, why did they all seem to revel in playing such suffocating games?

“I don’t…”

The great white tiger settled down once more, and this time, the suffocation felt far more protracted. Tolke sensed time stretching into an endless void, desperately wishing for it to conclude swiftly.

His eyes rolled back, and just as his brain reached the critical threshold of oxygen deprivation, the great white tiger finally relented.

“Hoo—hoo—hoo—” Tolke gasped, his eyes bloodshot and bulging. He was utterly convinced that one more second of suffocation would have killed him, sending him back to face those twisted Valkyries.

“Do you want more, meow?” the great white tiger inquired.

‘I’m no pervert. Why would I want more?’

Drained of all strength by the great white tiger’s repeated acts of suffocation, Tolke, though seething with resentment, found himself too weak to even express his anger.

The great white tiger craned its head, gazing at the night sky visible through a narrow window slit. “Lend me some starlight, meow,” it requested.

“Very well,” an ethereal, sacred voice resonated within Tolke’s mind.

In the next instant, a star in the night sky flared with sudden brilliance. The previously incandescent-sized orb of light expanded rapidly, transforming into a blazing white fireball that bathed the entire room in its glow.

“Noren?”

The sudden burst of light disoriented Tolke, but once his eyes adjusted to the intensity, the scene before him left him utterly dumbfounded.

A blonde girl lay fast asleep upon the great white tiger’s back, while the tiger itself used its two front paws to pin down Tolke’s chest, his head still gripped between the two marble pillars.

“Just look, look!” the great white tiger exclaimed, presenting its fur, which was impeccably white and pure, without a single blemish.

Yet, starkly contrasting its pristine appearance, numerous bald patches marred its white coat, exposing the delicate pink skin beneath.

“This is all your fault, meow,” it grumbled. “You inexplicably rubbed me all over just now, making me look hideous! If Noren Mama didn’t care for you so much, I’d have bitten off that long tail of yours in a single snap, you golden-furred monkey! Hmph~”

The great white tiger let out an arrogant huff, then bared its fangs at Tolke once more.

‘The big white cat is so cute~’

“How is it that I’ve never seen you before?” Tolke finally asked, breaking the silence.

“Noren Mama cherishes me dearly!” The great white tiger proudly lifted its head. “She never shows me to outsiders, meow! She always says white tigers are harbingers of death and shouldn’t be revealed, constantly hiding me away. Only on bathing days or at night does she ever play with me for a little while!”

“Hmph~ Mama is so annoying, meow!” the great white tiger whined coquettishly.

“So… am I the first person besides Noren to ever see you?”

“Yes, meow~” the great white tiger replied, then proceeded to give Tolke a vigorous lick with its barbed tongue, leaving his face thoroughly coated in tiger drool.

“Didn’t you say you couldn’t be revealed to others?”

“You’re different, you see~”

‘?’

The great white tiger elaborated, “Mama says you possess the bloodline of the Azure Dragon. Even though you haven’t received its full inheritance in these far Western lands, making you, at best, a savage dragon unfamiliar with magic, meow, you needn’t fear being harmed by my aura of slaughter, meow!”

Utilizing the newfound light, Tolke finally noticed the distinct bite marks scarring the great white tiger’s face. He raised a hand to touch them, then asked, “Did I do this?”

The great white tiger, yelping in pain from its wound being touched, let out a furious roar. It opened its blood-red maw, poised to snap off Tolke’s offending hand.

Helplessly, however, its jaws were obstructed by a milky-white, sieve-like membrane. The great white tiger could only extend its large tongue to lick people or drink water, utterly incapable of biting anyone.

‘What a pity.’

Tolke’s hand recoiled as if from an electric shock, and a look of genuine contrition crossed his face. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, abashed. “If I truly was the one who injured you, I sincerely apologize.”

“It’s good that you acknowledge your mistake,” the great white tiger nodded, then added, “But from now on, you’ll have to play with me often, meow!”

“Ugh… who’s making all that noise? Can’t a person get some sleep?”

The blonde girl, nestled on the tiger’s back, slowly stirred awake. She rubbed her eyes, then let out a soft yawn.

Noren then witnessed a scene she would forever struggle to erase from her memory.

Her own beloved great white tiger was practically nose-to-nose with the youth, whose face was glistening with moisture and whose nose was a vivid red. The tiger, too, bore patches of white and red across its fur.

Heaven only knew what antics the two had been up to.

“Mama.” “Noren.”

The great white tiger and Tolke offered awkward greetings to the girl. Given their apparent familiarity, it was clear they had spent a considerable amount of time bonding.

At this sight, Noren nearly choked, her head spinning. She couldn’t tell if it was from sheer fury or the lingering effects of the aphrodisiac.

Once her dizziness subsided slightly, her lips parted, yet for a long moment, she found herself utterly speechless.

“Noren, I…” Tolke began, seeing the girl’s distraught expression, intending to offer comfort. Instead, his words provoked a sharp reprimand from her.

“Get out!” Noren hissed, lowering her voice, keenly aware that she was still a guest in another’s castle and unwilling to make a spectacle of herself.

“I…” Tolke stammered, gesturing towards the two marble pillars. “I can’t get out…”

Noren’s face flushed then paled. She stood, pushing aside the two marble pillars, and Tolke was finally freed from his restraints.

“Clothes.”

“Oh, right.”

“Screeeak—” The wooden hinges of the door groaned, an especially jarring sound in the quiet of the night.

“Thud.” The door softly closed, and Tolke was gone.

Once Tolke had departed, Noren’s tense expression eased slightly. She let out a long breath, then collapsed back onto the bed, sighing deeply.

“Oh, heavens—this!” Noren exclaimed, curling into a ball, her hands covering her face. Her small ears, peeking out from her blonde hair, were flushed crimson.

“Oh, what am I to do now? I can never show my face again!” Noren had merely been under the influence of the aphrodisiac moments ago, but with her clarity of mind now restored, every single memory flooded back to her.

The reason the aphrodisiac had rendered her limbs weak and her instincts dulled was that its sole effect was a 20% increase in fertility, devoid of any negative repercussions.

In other words, this was all her own doing.

“I regret not heeding Tolke’s words!” A single tear escaped the corner of Noren’s eye. “If only I’d known, I would never have drunk that wine!”

Yet, there was no turning back time, no elixir for regret. She could only face it calmly, though not before she dealt with a certain beast.

“You! Why are you hiding? I’m talking to you!” Noren declared, yanking out the great white tiger that had been attempting to conceal itself beneath her. The creature had, by now, transformed into an adorable little white cat.

Its large, innocent eyes looked up piteously at the girl, and it waved a pink paw, mewling, “Mama~”

An ordinary person might have softened instantly, but Noren possessed a heart of stone, her usual affections reserved for stroking ponies and observing birds of various sizes.

She held no fondness for cunning little cats, even one she had raised herself.

“Speak! Do you know what you’ve done wrong?” Noren demanded, her voice icy as she held the kitten by the scruff of its neck.

“I, I, I, I did nothing wrong, meow!” The little white cat attempted to argue.

Noren grew even angrier. Having personally raised the cat, she felt a responsibility for its education and domestication. She flicked its forehead with a finger, causing it to yelp and meow.

But as much as it hurt the cat, it pained Noren too.

“Do you admit your mistake? Hmm?” Noren glared fiercely, her green eyes beautiful yet stern.

“Meow-w-w~” The little white cat wailed pitifully, lamenting, “I’ve been refining my transverse bone for too long, but that membrane over my mouth is so annoying, so bothersome! I wanted to break it…”

“Break your mother’s!!!” Noren slapped the cat’s head, sending it reeling, then winced herself. “Hiss~”

Ignoring the pain, Noren pointed at the little white cat’s pink nose, warning it repeatedly: “Listen! You are mine, and that barrier over your mouth is also my decision. You are not allowed to destroy it without my permission!”

“Do you understand?”

“Mhm mhm!” The little white cat nodded woozily. “Understood, meow~ Mama, I won’t do it next time~”

“It’s good that you can admit your mistake and correct it, kitty,” Noren said, rubbing the cat’s head to ease her own discomfort. “I won’t play with you tonight. Tolke kept you entertained long enough; I imagine you’ve had your fill of mischief.”

“Go to sleep!”

“Okay, Mama~”