Tamed or Captured

However, she pondered the difficulty people would face in removing their clothes if they were drenched, just like her parents. 

Mel tilted her head, lost in her thoughts.

Eventually, she snapped out of it, realizing that her mom and dad wouldn’t want anyone to be troubled.

 “My mommy and daddy are good people! They don’t prank people!”

Melissa hoped that her hardworking parents, who had dedicated several days and nights preparing for the rain ceremony, would remain unharmed.

She felt that she should stop this mischievous spirit.

But Nek stood upright and playfully taunted her by sticking out his tongue.

 “If you don’t want to play with me, I can do it alone! This is my first prank in years, so I can’t let it go! I’ll make you pay the price for ignoring me! Ha ha ha!”

As soon as Nek finished speaking, he took off running.

 “No……!”

Melissa reached out her hand and chased after Nek, but the water spirit was notoriously fast, much like a wild horse.

True to its original form, Nek had already raced far ahead.

After a while of pursuit, Melissa grasped her knees, bent over, and gasped for breath.

She had to catch that spirit before the ceremony began.

* * * * *

Jackal and Asha completed the preparations for the rain ceremony. Now, all that remained was to summon Nek and perform the final ritual.

However, as Jackal placed his hand on his waist, he suddenly realized that his dagger was missing.

His forehead furrowed.

 “That rascal again…”

Worried that someone might recognize the water spirit, Nek had run away like water flowing from Jackal’s waist.

Jackal had been too engrossed in the preparations to notice Nek’s disappearance.

Just as the ritual was about to commence, Jackal attempted to communicate telepathically with a puzzled expression.

 [… Where are you? Come out when I ask you nicely.]

Soon, Jackal spotted Nek running towards him from a distance.

Jackal, unaware of Nek’s plans, began to pray for rain with relief.

He and Asha positioned themselves by the riverbank, facing the stream from the pavilion, and placed a vessel filled with water from the valley on the altar.

Nek stood beside them, gazing alternately at the two with a solemn expression as they closed their eyes and prayed.

The four clan chiefs, standing beside them, beat drums and recited incantations with solemnity.

When the time came, Nek raised both hands to the sky.

At that instant, the river water started overflowing.

The villagers who had gathered for the rain ceremony widened their eyes at the sight.

However, the sound of horses’ hooves and neighing resonated from a distance.

All heads turned toward the direction of the sound.

What emerged, riding a golden wind, was a young foal with golden hues cascading over its body.

Asha, her eyes widening, asked.

 “Melissa…?”

Gracefully standing atop a rock, Melissa’s golden mane fluttered in the wind, accentuating her petite stature.

Asha and Jackal looked at Melissa, speechless. 

Never before had they witnessed such a breathtakingly beautiful golden horse.

Sosa, full of emotion, enthusiastically applauded Melissa, who had transformed into a horse.

Melissa soon saw Nek standing before her parents and ran towards them at full speed.

Even though it was her first time transforming, she was incredibly fast. Her agility reminded them of Jackal.

With a determined expression, Melissa charged at Nek, delivering a powerful blow that sent him plunging into the river in front of the pavilion.

 “What are you doing to me, the water spirit…!”

Nek cried out, but Melissa was not satisfied. She leaped into the river herself, sinking her teeth into Nek’s hair and pulling firmly.

 “Ouch! You’re pulling my hair!”

Just like Asha’s initial encounter with Nek, Melissa exhibited a similar reaction.

With Nek trapped in her strong jaws, he eventually surrendered, pleading for mercy.

 “I surrender! I surrender! Fine, I won’t play any prank. Just let me go, okay?”

Melissa, who was chewing his hair like straws with her strong teeth, finally let go.

Then, she proudly emitted a ‘Huff, huff’ sound while wearing a triumphant expression.

Unbeknownst to her, Melissa had transformed and raced at top speed, fueled by the desire to help her parents.

Melissa’s blue eyes widened as she finally took a closer look at her own reflection in the river.

Then, Asha came up from behind and hugged Mel.

 “My adorable foal, congratulations on your transformation.”

 “I’m so proud of you.”

Melissa looked at Asha and Jackal, and once again let out a short, excited ‘huff, huff’ sound.

She was so cute that Asha hugged Melissa by the nape of her neck and gently rubbed her face. 

Jackal transformed into his horse form and walked in front of Melissa.

The two horses, with different fur colors, stood facing each other in the water.

However, their eyes, as they met each other’s gaze, were bluer and clearer than the river.

Jackal gazed down at his foal daughter with affectionate eyes.

 “…… Purung.”

As Melissa playfully shook her golden tail, Jackal lowered his head, facing Melissa with his eyes closed, as if communicating with her.

Somehow, the scene was very picturesque, and the villagers had gathered in a circle to watch them.

Jackal and Melissa then turned their heads to look at Asha.

Asha smiled at them and took each of their faces in her arms.

The woman who had two horses seemed to be the happiest person in the world.

Jackal transformed back into a human and emerged from the water, now dressed in clothes.

He covered Melissa’s wet head with a large towel.

At that moment, Melissa also returned to her human form.

Jackal’s eyes widened once more as he witnessed her effortlessly shifting between human and horse forms.

As Melissa tightly covered her body with the large towel, Jackal spoke with an affectionate expression on his face as he took something out.

 “I prepared this as a gift for when you could transform into a horse.”

Melissa’s eyes widened as she observed the necklace resting on her father’s palm.

It had a rustic, antique design, with a crystal gemstone that resembled Melissa’s blue eyes.

 “It’s a necklace that I gave to your mom. Daddy gave it to her as a promise.”

Asha had received another ring that belonged to the Kelpie clan when he proposed to her, and she wanted to pass this necklace on to her unborn baby.

Speaking in a calm tone, Jackal continued.

 “This necklace will protect you, just as it protected your mom.”

Melissa’s eyes became moist.

 “Do you like it?”

 “Yes… This necklace will be Mel’s number one treasure from now on.”

With a smile, Jackal personally placed the necklace around Mel’s neck.

The people surrounding them erupted into loud celebrations, rejoicing over Mel’s successful transformation.

The Lycaons imitated the howling of departing wolves as a congratulatory gesture.

On the other hand, Nek, who had failed in his prank, wore a gloomy expression akin to dark clouds, quietly dispersing rain over the village.

* * * * *

After a plentiful rain, numerous flowers began to bloom in the village.

Today, Mel ventured out into the fields to admire the flowers.

Lately, Mel had developed a strong interest in flowers and had taken up the hobby of picking and gifting flowers that matched people’s surnames based on the season.

With a sensitive sense of smell, once Mel caught a whiff of a flower, its fragrance would never be forgotten.

Nagy, now a teenager, often played alongside Mel.

As they sat side by side, Nagy whispered.

 “Do you know what Uncle Gabe’s last name is?”

 “What is it?”

 “It’s Narcissus. It’s a winter flower known as daffodils. In the language of flowers, it symbolizes self-love and self-esteem. They tend to boast about themselves a lot. Sometimes it seems like they’re completely absorbed in themselves. They’re quite a show.”

Mel chuckled while observing Nagy, feeling that the language of flowers suited Gabe well.

As they gazed at the beautiful trumpet flowers blossoming on the fence, Nagy proceeded to share the surnames of the other Lycaons.

Aunt Yuri’s surname is ‘Morning Glory,’ and its flower language represents good news and solidarity.

Uncle Wede, the chef, came out of the minority village as ‘Weed,’ claiming that he personally gave himself that nickname.

Mel glanced at Nagy and inquired.

 “And what about you, Nagy oppa?”

 “Me? Mine is Dogtail Grass.”

The flower language of Dogtail Grass signifies ‘thank you for your kindness’ and ‘childlike innocence.’

Nagy’s personality aligned perfectly with the flower language as well.

However, some boys from the village spotted Nagy and called out to him.

 “Nagy hyung! Let’s go hunting!”

 “Sure!”

Nagy enthusiastically agreed, leaving Mel behind.

His back resembled a playful dog wagging its tail.

Mel had pleaded with them to let her join the hunting expedition, as she was eager to go, but to them, Jackal was a very frightening person.

Nagy, who usually granted all other requests, had denied her that one.

He no longer wanted to be scolded by Jackal.

As Mel observed a caterpillar swiftly devouring a leaf, she let out a deep sigh.

She also wanted to learn how to hunt quickly and go hunting with her oppas.

Mel persistently pestered Jackal to teach her hunting, causing him to be troubled.

He thought it was too early to teach a five-year-old about hunting.

Time passed, winter arrived, and a new year began. It was then that Jackal finally made the decision to teach Mel about hunting.

In the white-painted winter forest, Jackal took Mel on their first hunting expedition together.

For the sake of his daughter, her training journey began.

Melissa felt extremely nervous and wore a serious expression on her face during her initial training.

 “Take cover!”

When Jackal screamed, Asha and Melissa each hid behind a tree.

Melissa instinctively covered her mouth with both hands, taking her training seriously.

They hid any trace of their presence so effectively that if anyone walked by, they would think it was just trees, and they became one with the tree.

No sound of their breath or visible white exhales could be detected, only the gentle rustling of the wind filled the air.

However, Jackal’s attention was drawn to something, causing him to frown before speaking.

 “Melissa Hyacinth.”

 “Yes, yes…?”

Melissa replied, taken aback by the mention of her name.

Jackal’s expression remained dry as he pointed out.

 “I can see your foot.”

 “Oh!”

Mel hurried to hide the foot that was slightly sticking out of the tree.

Observing her reaction, Asha, who was nearby, smiled and waved her hand as if to encourage her.

 “Honey, hands!”

Asha’s face stiffened at the sound of Jackal’s call.

Mel covered her mouth with both hands, stifling a giggle when she saw her mom’s reaction.

 “Melissa! Snow is falling from the tree. Even a passing dog would know someone is laughing behind the tree.”

Upon hearing those words, Asha couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

As a result of their amusement, the tree was shaking incessantly, and the snow that fell from the leaves was flying everywhere like snowflakes.

Jackal sighed, expressionless as if he had given up, but then a slight smile appeared on his lips.

Then Asha and Jackal decided to show Mel how to hunt.

They believed that actions spoke louder than a hundred explanations.

With bows slung across their backs and knives strapped to their waists, Mel gazed up at her parents with widened eyes, uttering a heartfelt ‘Wow’.

Asha also placed a toy bow on Mel’s back.

Although the bow lacked an arrowhead for safety purposes, Mel’s cheeks flushed with excitement as she proudly carried the bow and walked with confidence.

Finding it endearing, Jackal chuckled and reached out from behind to lift Mel by the waist.

 “To spot the prey, it’s important to climb to higher ground and survey the surroundings.”

Mel, perched atop Jackal’s shoulders, surveyed the surroundings with a determined expression. Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she pointed with her index finger.

 “Oh, there! There’s a wild boar!”

Upon hearing her words, Asha and Jackal also directed their gaze in that direction.

They saw a large wild boar roaming nearby.

A wrinkle formed between Jackal’s brows.

 “It’s a big one. Today, we must show our abilities properly.”

Asha looked him in the eye and nodded seriously.

Armed with their weapons, the two of them focused their attention on the wild boar.

Mel swallowed nervously, feeling tense on her first hunt.