Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 193

Chapter 193
Ah? Fur?
When I mentioned “needing fur to give in,” sister Seol’s eyes widened slightly. It might have seemed like a casual remark, but since she belonged to the beastfolk who primarily raised mammals, I wasn’t sure she’d grasp my meaning. For me, this was a deeply important matter.

Mammals, with their soft, fuzzy coats, also radiate body heat, setting them apart from amphibians, reptiles, insects, or slime beings—creatures that might be tidier in some ways, but are also far messier in others. Fur sheds dandruff, and when they relieve themselves, oils and secretions from their scent glands are released. If these glands become overactive, it can even make them slide around as if skating on ice.

I remember once as a child, visiting a friend’s home, when both my mother and I were stunned to see their dog sliding across the floor due to its scent glands. My friend, a dinosaur, made a similar comment—though, naturally, I couldn’t relate.

“Fur? That’s really too much!”

I’d heard remarks like that before, but even so, when it comes to arthropods like ants, I find their strawberry-like form to be far more helpful. The lawyer’s family also never hesitates to support their daughter.

For me, furry mammals were something I’d steer clear of whenever possible, no matter how charming they might appear. After all, there are plenty of wonderful creatures out there. But who would go out of their way to make sacrifices for such things?

The distinction with furry mammals isn’t as pronounced as it is with reptiles, amphibians, or even insects.

“I suppose it’s alright either way.”

Sister Seol still wore a puzzled expression, as if she couldn’t fully process my thoughts. When I shot her a look that said I’d rather not dwell on it, she gave a playful smile and nodded.

In any case, I wasn’t going to say anything particularly flattering about sister Seol’s current circumstances.

“I see… but what does it matter? The important thing is that I’ll be getting a creature soon, right? Hehe. Thank you, So-ryong. You’re the only one I can truly rely on.”

As always, sister Seol was quick to catch on.

After we’d settled our informal agreement about the creatures, Hwa-eun pointed toward the bushes and said:

“Eh? One head?”

I followed Hwa-eun’s finger and looked toward the bush, and sure enough, two creatures were poking their heads out, staring straight at us.

“Eh!? There are really two heads!?”

Hwa-eun and sister Seol paused, suddenly realizing I had never actually mentioned how many heads the creatures had. I’d rushed through the explanation earlier without clarifying.

Nodding, I answered their question.

“Oh, there are three in total.”

“Three!?”

“Three!?”

Both Hwa-eun and sister Seol were taken aback by the number three. Sister Seol, in particular, stared at me as if she couldn’t believe it.

She had assumed I would only hand over one creature—but three?

“W-Wait. You’re not giving away all three, are you!?”

“Of course I am.”

“Really!? I can’t believe it… but even one would have been…”

Sister Seol had clearly expected to receive just one, but I smiled and said:

“Even if there were ten, I’d give them all to you.”

“Naturally, I’m giving you all three. Sister Seol, all three are yours.”

“What!? Seriously!?”

Sister Seol’s eyes widened in disbelief at my words. And then, from those very eyes, a sound like the cry of a whale-like Choco-pup escaped, as though it were a desperate, joyful shout.

“Kaaya! Thank you, So-ryong! Thank you!”

True to form, sister Seol understood in an instant.

Just as the two of us had more or less settled the matter regarding the creatures, Hwa-eun pointed toward the bush and said:

“Eh? One head?”

Hwa-eun gestured toward the creature, and sure enough, two of them were now poking their heads out, watching us intently.

“Eh!? There really are two heads!?”

Hwa-eun and sister Seol suddenly realized I had never specified how many heads the creatures had. I’d hurried over without explaining properly.

Nodding, I answered their question.

“Oh, there are three in total.”

“Three!?”

“Three!?”

Both Hwa-eun and sister Seol were stunned by the number three. Sister Seol, especially, gazed at me as though she found it hard to believe.

She had assumed I would give her just one creature—but now it was three?

“W-Wait. You’re not giving away all three, are you!?”

“Of course I am.”

“Really!? I can’t believe it… but even one would have been…”

Sister Seol had clearly thought she would receive only one, but I smiled and said:

“Even if there were ten, I’d give them all to you.”

“Naturally, I’m giving you all three. Sister Seol, all three are yours.”

“What!? Seriously!?”

Sister Seol’s eyes widened in disbelief at my words. And then, from those very eyes, a sound like the cry of a whale-like Choco-pup escaped, as though it were a desperate, joyful shout.

“Kaaya! Thank you, So-ryong! Thank you!”

Overwhelmed with excitement, sister Seol couldn’t hold back a scream. At that moment, from within the creature’s hiding spot, like adorable little moles in a game, the creatures took turns peeking out and came into full view.

In the shadows, the red gleam in their eyes was intense and somewhat frightening, but seen up close, they looked rather endearing, almost as if they were trembling with fear.

“Chiiiii!”

“Chii!”

Watching them chatter among themselves, uncertain what to do, Seol, who had responded first, spoke up.

“Alright, I’ll clear a path for all of you. Do you think they’ll be able to get away?”

“Yeah, that’s fine. We’re not planning to catch them by chasing them down.”

Seol was taken aback by my unexpected comment as I began clearing a path. Her expression seemed to ask, “What do you mean by that?”

Smiling, I explained.

“We can catch them just by following them quietly. Those little guys.”

“Eh?”

“You can catch them just by following them quietly?”

Hwa-eun and Seol exchanged glances, both wearing expressions of doubt. The creatures were incredibly swift and agile, so they couldn’t understand how simply trailing behind would be enough to capture them.

But the truth was, these creatures could indeed be caught just by following them.

The reason I said we could catch them easily by following was due to the unique characteristics of the shrews.

Shrews belong to the animal group known as Insectivora, which includes small mammals with high metabolisms, like hedgehogs and bats. Unlike rodents such as rats, shrews don’t develop large front teeth and are strictly meat-eaters. They hunt small animals for protein, which is essential for their high-energy lifestyles.

Despite their tiny size, shrews require a tremendous amount of energy, which is why they consume only protein-rich foods. Their metabolisms are incredibly fast because their hearts beat at an astonishing rate—anywhere from 900 to 1500 times per minute, depending on the species. This rapid heartbeat consumes a great deal of energy, keeping them highly active but also forcing them to eat constantly.

That’s right. Due to their heart rate, shrews have a higher metabolism than any other animal and must eat only protein. Depending on the species, if they go without food for 3 to 24 hours, they can die of heart failure. The shrew’s heart beats rapidly for extended periods, drawing energy from muscles and bones until, when those reserves are exhausted, the heart simply stops.

No food? Well, if that happens, the heart takes a break. But if the heart rests? A short break can become a permanent one.

That’s why I told Seol and Hwa-eun we could catch them just by following quietly. If they go without food, their energy will drain rapidly, and we’ll be able to capture them easily. If they grow desperate from hunger, we can negotiate with food. If I were to say, “Choose between starving or coming with me, and I’ll feed you,” they’d obviously pick the latter.

“They lose energy very quickly if they don’t eat for a few hours. They probably haven’t eaten since morning, so they’ll likely surrender soon. That’s probably why they hunted in such a rush, even under pressure.”

“Really? So that’s why?”

After my explanation, Seol, who had been blocking the upper path, quickly cleared the way. At Hwa-eun’s signal, we moved into the brush. Then, startled by the sudden movement, Seol darted toward the path where the creatures were.

As we checked the brush, a creature lay before us, seemingly lifeless. It had clearly abandoned its family, fleeing without a single bite to eat.

“So-ryong, how much farther do we need to chase?”

Seol asked after confirming the presence of the wolf in the brush.

I smiled and replied, “Well, it seems we’re almost there.”

***

The shrews, after hunting the wolf, clung tightly to the prey’s trail and followed it slowly. They knew it was still warm, but the late hunt hadn’t been very fruitful. They understood they wouldn’t be able to flee very far.

It seemed they had hunted in a hurry and hadn’t eaten since the night before. That meant time was running out, and they needed to hunt again. If they didn’t eat, their lives would be at risk.

Sure enough, after only a short pursuit, I spotted the shrews, which had attracted the attention of a raccoon coming to drink from the well.

Chiiik!

Chiiik!

Kkaeeek!

One of the shrews distracted the raccoon by seizing its attention, while the other two, like wild beasts, lunged in to bite and then quickly retreated—an efficient hit-and-run strategy.

With their speed and paralytic venom, this was the perfect hunting method for these creatures. But despite their earlier cute appearance, they now looked fierce.

Though they might seem adorable, their hunting was brutal, and given their life-or-death situation, they didn’t behave like the typically friendly, cute shrews. They bit at anything in sight—sharp and cunning.

Thud.

When the hunt ended and the raccoon collapsed from the paralytic poison, the shrews swarmed over it in a frenzy.

Yoho-ya… taking the high ground was a clever move.

Kieek!

At my words, Yo-hwa growled angrily at the shrews, and they, startled, retreated back to lower ground, moving in an odd way.

“Hey! So-ryong, look! They’re acting so strangely!”

“So-ryong, what’s going on with them?!”

Seol, curious, pointed out the shrews’ behavior. It was indeed strange—they were now moving while holding onto each other’s tails, a behavior rarely seen. This is common among young shrews, who travel together in this way because their eyesight is poor.

It looked like they were moving as a family unit. This suggested they weren’t fully grown yet, likely just independent juveniles. Given that they were also preying on human food, it seemed they were still in the early stages of development.

If they had been adults, they wouldn’t have behaved this way. They wouldn’t have needed to rely on each other like this.

“Normally, they move in a line, holding each other’s tails because their vision is poor. But I believe these shrews are still very young. They probably do this to depend on one another for safety,” I explained.

“Yeah… so does that mean their mother isn’t with them?”

Seol smiled happily at my explanation.

Even after the shrews had caught the raccoon, there was still noise coming from up ahead. Not far from us, two of the shrews were shaking the raccoon, making sounds of distress.

It seemed one of the shrews was exhausted.

Chiiik!

Chii!

One of them lay down, worn out, struggling to rise.

I handed the dead wolf carcass to Seol and said:

“Seol, take this to the shrews and see if you can communicate with them.”

“Ah, okay! I’m a bit nervous…”

Seol carefully secured the large wolf carcass and began moving forward slowly.

As we drew closer to the shrews, I noticed the sharp, watchful eyes of two others.

Chiiik!

Chiiiii!

It felt like a warning not to come any closer. The two shrews then tossed the raccoon, which they had been gripping by the neck, toward us.

Thud!

The shrews recoiled, startled, frozen in place. Seol then threw the wolf carcass toward one of the shrews and said:

“Hey, are you hungry?”

Chii?

Chaat?

Suddenly, a gentle voice rang out, and the shrews began to drool.

Looking at them, Seol nervously made an offer.

“If you come with me, I can provide food. Would you like to follow me? Doesn’t your little one need to eat as well?”

At Seol’s words, the two shrews glanced at each other. Seol then pulled a fairly large knife from her pouch and cut off a big piece of wolf meat, holding it out.

“Here, let’s feed your little one first—it’s urgent.”

As the shrews squabbled, blood slowly trickled from their mouths.

A moment later, the shrews that had stepped forward were met with a sharp warning from one of the others.

Chaat!

The shrew that had been about to approach immediately flinched and backed away. But the shrew that had issued the warning looked at its bloodied sibling on the ground and, seeming to decide there was no other choice, cautiously approached. It took the meat from Seol’s hand.

After placing it near the bloodied shrew’s mouth, something amazing happened. The nearly lifeless shrew suddenly sprang up and began devouring the meat greedily.

The other shrews watched with hungry eyes, drooling.

Seol, seeing this, moved closer and cut more meat, placing it in front of the others. Only then did the remaining shrews begin to eat.

It seemed they were all accepting the offer now.

‘Well, if they’ve all started eating, I guess everything is settled?’

Although I was a little disappointed that the new shrews were small, furry mammals, I felt satisfied with the catch since Seol had managed to tame them.

Watching the scene, Hwain suddenly exclaimed:

“Oh! I remember their name! Those are definitely Blood-Eyed Grass Green Fur Grass!”

Looking at them now, the name seemed to fit.

“Maybe we should add a little flair to the name?”