The Symbiotic Relationship Between the Rabbit and the Black Panther

A few hours ago, I had been in a strange state when Ahin had bit my neck. I felt suffocated as if someone was choking me and my head had turned completely stiff.

‘Uh…’

I couldn’t even understand why I had felt so anxious.

Perhaps, am I sick? Having made this conclusion, I opened my eyes as I couldn’t bear the pain.

The blurred vision soon captured the clear landscape in front of me. On the opposite side, I could see Ahin pulling the blanket up to his shoulders. Somehow, I felt anxious whenever I looked at him.

Blinking my eyes, I stared at Ahin whose silver hair glistened in the lamp fire. Unlike a wild beast, it seems he was feeling really cold today so he had covered himself up with a blanket.

My gaze slowly wandered between his silver hair, long eyelashes and his well kept appearance. Unlike how he usually looked, his sleeping face was more gentle and neat compared to any other wild beast.

‘Unbelievable.’

I wish he could be like that even when awake. Sadly, the divine beast had given unimaginable beauty to Ahin but did not give him a kind, affectionate personality.

Or maybe the entire group of black panthers was like that.

It wasn’t a mistaken assumption, but it was a hypothesis that became true just by looking at Evrin. He had even dared to carry a book on herbivore cooking in front of me.

‘But Meimi and Miss Valence….’

Meimi was very sweet except for the times when I had tried to escape and Miss Valence was a good black panther, putting aside the fact that she would give me snacks until my stomach was about to burst.

The rage that would build up inside me because of Evrin would usually be put out whenever I interacted with Meimi and Miss Valence.

‘Try to be at least half like them.’

Those thoughtless wild beasts. Inside, I was cursing Ahin and Evrin bitterly and eventually, my headache stopped.

When the tormenting pain in my body subsided, I finally fell asleep. Gradually, my view turned blurry.

[ Bibi. ]

The voice that had just called out my name a while ago did not leave my mind. Somehow, when Ahin said that name, it felt like that ordinary name had become special.

The more I thought about it over the month, the more questions arose in my mind. Maybe Ahin had also sensed my pheromones just like Miss Valence.

And why don’t they have any suspicions about me? Don’t tell me that you really think that I’m just a normal pet. These random questions were all over my mind.

‘Aren’t you curious about who I am?’

As my consciousness faded, I could feel Ahin getting farther and farther away. Closing my heavy eyelids, I inadvertently stretched my front foot towards his face.

Then, instead of the usual white fur, five slim fingers appeared in front of my eyes.

‘Fingers…?’

It was a kind of human form that I’d thought of sometimes. When I had heard stories about humanization, this is the kind of fantasy that I would have at those times.

The situation was so ridiculous that I almost burst into laughter.

Moreover, It wasn’t just fingers, but a whole hand that was touching Ahin’s cheek. A vivid warmth could be felt from that touch.

‘…It’s warm.’

Although it was just an illusion, I didn’t want my hand to get bitten.

Tick, tick. It felt as if the time was passing very slowly. In my mind, I glanced at that unfamiliar hand which soon moved away.

It had already been a month since Bibi Raebian, who was an eyesore, had left this mansion. Bibi’s mother, Yvn, who was drinking tea looked out of the window.

‘How come?’

No matter how much she thought about it, she felt uneasy because she hadn’t heard about those men who had taken Bibi away after that day. At first, she thought that they must have been hunted by the black panthers in the woods.

However, the two men were known for being proficient in martial arts. It wouldn’t have been that difficult for them to handle one or two black panthers.

However, it was also strange to think that they violated the orders and ran away. Why would loyal servants who’ve been working in the Raebian mansion for more than a decade run away with a little rabbit?

Since she was cursed, it would be hard to keep her as a pet or even have her as a meal.

The second son, Kyrie Raebian, who had read Yvn’s thoughts, looked at his worried mother. He was still young, having just passed the age of fifteen at his first coming of age ceremony.

“I’m sure they must have been hunted because they went in too deep. Don’t mind it too much, mother.”

“But isn’t that area of the forest close to the mansion of the Grace family? Maybe some members of that family….”

“Are you saying they must have found Bibi Raebian? Then isn’t that better? They must have taken care of it themselves.”

This kind of thing happens openly amongst the nobles. Kyrie, who murmured to himself, was drinking black tea.

The Grace family, which was the head of the black panther territory was famous for being merciless. If anyone was found crossing the border recklessly, then it would be no wonder that not only the servants, but also Bibi Raebian would be killed in one strike.

Even though Yvn agreed with Kyrie’s words, she still couldn’t erase her strange anxiety. Kyrie, who looked at his mother’s face, placed the teacup down silently.

“If you feel uncomfortable, you can send out a few people again for investigation. If they’ve really been torn apart by the black panthers, wouldn’t their bodies or bones remain?”

“….Yeah. That wouldn’t be bad either.”

Yvn stretched out her hand and pressed a bell to call for a servant. It was noon, when the clear sound of the bell sounded reluctant.

Is it a dream or reality?

Is it a fantasy or is this real?

It was too vivid to be a dream, and it was impossible to think of it as reality. Being almost enchanted, I repeatedly rolled back and forth on the cushion.

No matter how much I thought about it, the warmth that I had felt at dawn was way too real and clear. At least at that time, Ahin who had always looked big to me didn’t look so then.

‘Just in case.’

I pulled myself up and stopped in front of the full length mirror in the bedroom. A white rabbit, the size of a fist, was reflected in the smooth mirror.

It was still a herbivore, a tiny rabbit, that could easily cover someone’s palm.

‘…Yeah, this is me.’

Ha, with both my feet on the mirror, I sighed deeply. It was just a familiar ball of white fur, let alone a human hand.

Why would I change all of a sudden? In the end, the five fingers that I had seen were just an illusion.

Furthermore, I hadn’t heard any cases of people randomly reverting back to their original forms after humanization.

“Bibi?”

Before, it used to be “Hey.” or “Rabbit.” Because I had gotten used to such titles, when I heard him calling me that, it was hard to adapt.

As Ahin’s gaze met with mine, he noticed that I was frowning at the mirror. Unlike me, who had struggled the entire night in pain, he had had a refreshing sleep and was now dressed  in a dark luxurious outfit.

“What is wrong with you all of a sudden?”

‘What’s wrong with me? How would a black panther understand my grievances.’

I looked up at him for a moment and sighed again in sorrow. A servant, who was carrying some cravats for Ahin to wear, looked down at me and suddenly trembled.

“Why do you think it’s doing that?”

Ahin asked by alternately looking at the servant and me.

“Pa-pardon?”

“I meant that rabbit. It’s sighing.”

An expression that seemed to say, “How would I know that?” quickly appeared on the face of the servant and then, disappeared. It seemed to be an experienced servant’s response.

“Maybe….”

He looked at me who was sitting in front of the mirror and carefully opened his mouth.

“It must be….hungry?”

“Hungry?”

“That, it looks thin.”

Where the hell are you looking at? I put on an uncomfortable look and tapped the servant’s shoe with my front foot. You there, your eyes are really bad.

“What about morning breakfast?”

Ahin also looked down at me. I shook my head, avoiding the gaze that seemed to say “You sure you didn’t have breakfast?”.

‘What morning breakfast.’

My worries are not so trivial. My current concerns were not a subject matter that could be guessed by black panthers who had already achieved humanization.

“Makes sense, it must be claiming that it’s hungry.”

“Pardon?”

“It must be wanting to get eaten. Looks like it wants to gain weight.”

“I-is… , is that so..?”

“Bibi is very well prepared.”

Why is that interpretation happening again? As soon as I saw Ahin’s lips reflected in the mirror, I felt a shiver.

It turns out it has become Ahin’s habit to stop by in the morning.

“Where are you going?”

Out of the blue, I was caught by the back of my neck as soon as I tried to escape. Being quickly lifted up into the air, he quickly brought his face close to my neck before I could even rebel.

“The lion’s scent.”

Ahin, who took his face away after a moment, smiled. It looked like a pretty smile on the outside, but it only brought shivers on my body.

“It’s completely gone.”

Unlike his glistening red eyes, it was a voice that didn’t seem to instil any fear in me at all. Just how unpleasant is the smell of a lion?

At this point, I was starting to wonder what kind of scent it was. After checking the scent, he petted my chin.

“Bibi, if you come back with that scent one more time, then….”

“Th-then…?”

I faced him with trembling eyes because I couldn’t ask him myself. Ahin, who was staring into the air as if in contemplation, placed me down on the floor.

Then what? Keep talking. I kept waiting with curious eyes, however, he turned towards the door after checking his pocket watch.

“I’m late, I’m leaving.”

“Yes.”

The attendant, who answered immediately, followed after Ahin.

You’re just gonna leave like this? Looking at his distant back, I hurriedly knocked on the carpet.

‘Then what??’

That shapeshifter, you need to finish what you say! While I was rolling my body in frustration, I met the servant who had just left the bedroom. And then,

“Bunny-nim!”

He mouthed those words and held his left hand up go express his gratitude. He even stroked my fur while mouthing the word ‘Fighting!’….

Tch, so I was left alone in agony. Do you want me to fight for my survival or are you cheering me to prepare myself to get eaten?

The meaning was ambiguous, and my feelings were a little complicated.

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Translator’s Corner

Her first humanization!! Although no one saw it~