* * *

‘What on earth…?’

Jibeom looked down at the cape wrapped around his waist with a sour expression.

Of course, as a panther, his face remained expressionless, so the subtle change went unnoticed by Saewoo, who continued to beam happily.

“Looks great, right? I figured this would be much easier than you carrying it in your mouth. Plus, it avoids any misunderstandings with the other shifters.”

The real reason, however, was Saewoo’s own convenience, though he emphasized the other reasons to make Jibeom more agreeable.

In the shifter world, being ridden in animal form was considered offensive, so Saewoo was treading carefully.

Saewoo had once met a horse shifter during college, who was dating an egret shifter at the time.

When the egret begged the horse to give him a ride to school, he was promptly dumped on the spot for being “rude.”

The memory left a lasting impression.

Wild predators like Jibeom might be different, but even more docile shifters like giraffes and elephants despised being ridden, so Saewoo had his doubts.

“…….”

Jibeom didn’t respond to Saewoo’s explanation.

Instead, his long tail thumped against the ground several times.

Finally, with a snort, he crouched down to let Saewoo climb onto his back.

‘Yes! I get to ride a predator!’

Saewoo grinned with excitement as he cautiously approached Jibeom’s body.

Grabbing the short, bristly fur, he noted it wasn’t soft like feathers but felt sturdy and safe.

“Okay, pardon me for a moment…”

Carefully, Saewoo climbed onto Jibeom’s back, settling into the sling-like cape tied securely around him.

It felt surprisingly cozy, almost like a nest.

“All set.”

The moment Saewoo gave the signal, Jibeom rose to his feet.

The sudden movement made Saewoo wobble precariously.

“Whoa…!”

Instinctively, he clung tightly to the panther’s fur.

“Sorry! Does it hurt?”

“Grrr..”

(Hold on tighter.)

Instead of being annoyed, Jibeom instructed him to grip more firmly.

Saewoo hesitated but repositioned his hands to hug Jibeom’s large frame more securely.

He noticed the fur beneath his hands twitch slightly but decided to ignore it.

His face brushed against the warm, dense fur as he settled into position.

“Grrr…”

(I’ll move fast this time.)

As Jibeom let out a low growl in warning, his back muscles shifted in preparation for a leap.

Feeling his pulse through the contact, Saewoo squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself.

‘His heart’s racing… Is Jibeom nervous too?’

Matching the rapid thudding, Saewoo tightened his hold around Jibeom, feeling oddly comforted by the firm, bristly fur.

❀❀❀

Tap, tap, tap.

Before long, Jibeom and Saewoo reached the building where the leopard shifters were stationed.

Landing on the opposite side to avoid detection, they hid under the staircase leading to the rooftop.

The shifters seemed too engrossed in their chatter to notice.

With his claws fully retracted, Jibeom crouched low, observing his targets with sharp focus, ready to pounce.

“Why are they hanging out in such an open area…?”

Saewoo whispered softly, glued to Jibeom’s back.

At first, he thought the shifters were careless, but on second thought, the spot seemed too conspicuous.

Could it be a trap?

Saewoo pressed his hands into the thick fur on Jibeom’s back.

“I think it might be a trap… Jibeom, are you listening? A trap—”

“Grrr…”

(Even if it is, it doesn’t matter.)

Jibeom growled resolutely and began moving again, choosing a path along the wall instead of the exposed staircase.

Like a predator stalking its prey, Jibeom moved fluidly, and Saewoo held his breath, matching the tension.

Suddenly, Jibeom stopped mid-step under the staircase.

“Huh?”

Before Saewoo could ask why, something soft brushed against his head—a black tail.

“Grrr…”

(Lower your head.)

“Huh…?”

Following Jibeom’s command, Saewoo lowered his head and peeked up cautiously.

He gasped softly.

The wall above was uneven with jutting bricks, a hazard he hadn’t noticed.

Without Jibeom’s warning, he might have hit his head.

Feeling grateful, Saewoo buried his face into Jibeom’s back and whispered softly.

“…Thank you.”

“…….”

Jibeom didn’t reply, but his tail thumped playfully against Saewoo’s head.

Surprised, Saewoo grabbed the fluffy tail.

It wriggled in his hands, as if annoyed.

Unlike the stoic expression on Jibeom’s face, his tail seemed to have a mind of its own.

‘What the…? Is this panther two-faced or something? His tail’s so fluffy, though….’

Saewoo fidgeted with the tail using his fingers.

While the stiffness was much more pronounced toward the tail’s base, it was oddly satisfying to touch—perhaps because of its cute shape.

Naturally, it reminded him of a cat.

‘I’ve always wanted to have a cat since I’ve never owned one….’

Panther, being felines, had many cat-like features.

Their perky ears and soft paw pads were particularly similar.

If they were smaller in size, they would’ve been irresistibly adorable—just like real cats.

‘Wait, that means Mr. Jibeom must’ve been small once too, right…?’

Saewoo imagined a baby black panther in his mind.

He vaguely recalled seeing a photo of one on the internet during his time in the human world.

While slightly different from a cute kitten, it was still incredibly…

“Over there! Under the stairs!”

That was when a sharp voice rang out in the quiet building.

Footsteps clattered noisily on the stairs above.

Judging by the sound, it wasn’t just one or two individuals.

There seemed to be more leopards aside from the ones Jibeom and Saewoo had been chasing.

At that moment, it became clear why the leopards had been leisurely grooming themselves on the rooftop earlier—it had all been a trap.

“Jibeom, we’ve been—ugh…!”

Chiiiiiiik…!

Just as Saewoo exclaimed in surprise, something dropped to the floor below, releasing a thick cloud of mist.

A smoke grenade.

“Jibeom… this… cough cough…!”

The smoke quickly began to spread, and Saewoo, whose respiratory system was sensitive, started coughing uncontrollably.

Thud-thud-thud…!

Realizing Saewoo’s condition, Jibeom immediately veered away from the stairs, deviating from their original plan.

He bolted toward a section where the smoke hadn’t yet spread and ascended further.

“Grrr…!”

“Kyaaaah…!”

The air filled with deafening roars.

While they had anticipated more than a few leopards, the rooftop was now teeming with dozens of them.

In an instant, Jibeom and Saewoo were surrounded.

“Wh-what do we do? There are so many of them…!”

“Grrr.”

(Hold tight.)

When Saewoo whimpered in fear, Jibeom positioned himself protectively and gave a reassuring growl.

From what they could see, there were about a dozen enemies, though there were likely more out of sight.

Most seemed smaller than Jibeom, which gave him an advantage.

“Hey! Throw another one up here!”

The leopards weren’t oblivious.

With a thud-thud, more smoke grenades were tossed onto the rooftop.

Jibeom swiftly kicked one away with his front paw before it could release its smoke.

“Damn it! What are you waiting for? Get them!”

As soon as someone barked out the order, the leopards lunged toward Jibeom, launching an all-out attack.

“Grrrr…!”

But Jibeom wasn’t one to be easily cornered.

Puffing out his fur, the black panther let out a menacing growl and crouched into a battle stance.

Before engaging, he whispered to Saewoo, who was still clinging to his back and coughing.

“Grr..”

(Turn into the sparrow now!)

“W-what?! Now?!”

Saewoo’s eyes widened in shock, but there was no time to hesitate.

Just before landing back on the smoke-filled rooftop, he shed the protective cloak and transformed into a tiny sparrow.

Poof!

Now in his sparrow form, Saewoo flapped his wings frantically.

Fortunately, he managed to escape the smoke and breathe in fresh air, calming his coughing fit.

However, Jibeom, who lacked wings, was another story.

“Chirp! Chirp-chirp!”

(Jibeom!)

Saewoo cried out as he watched the black panther disappear into the thick fog below.

* * *