“What are you doing?” Jaewon seized her by the upper arm. “You’re gonna get yourself killed!”
Kira bit back an angry retort when she saw the terror on his face.
“Trust me,” she said.
Jaewon’s face was tortured, but he gave her a terse nod and let go. She lowered herself into the pit, carefully avoiding the bamboo spears. Once down, she hacked away at several spears that were in her way. The tiger was watching her through slitted eyes.
Reaching the tiger’s side, Kira noticed that a slivered part of a spear had pierced through its armpit and out its shoulder. The tiger didn’t move or make a sound. As she reached for the spear, the tiger licked her hand, as if in gratitude.
“Don’t worry,” Kira said. “I’ll get you out of here.”
Kira grasped the bamboo and swiftly removed it. The tiger rumbled in pain. Untying her water bag, she poured water over the wound and then inspected it for splinters. Seeing none, she removed her sash and quickly wrapped it around the wound.
She then began to look for a way out of the trap. Reaching over to the other side, she pulled out the unbroken bamboo spears and began to stab them into the side of the pit in ascending order. Stepping lightly on the spears, close to the wall, she made a makeshift staircase. Out of the pit, she turned and whistled to the tiger. Cradling its injured leg to its side, the tiger surged up the flimsy ladder, barely making it as the spears cracked under its weight. Once out of the pit, the tiger collapsed at Kira’s feet. She sat and cradled its large head, stroking its fur and wishing her tiger spirit would come and heal it.
“We’ll camp here for the night,” she said.
Jaewon didn’t question her, not even mentioning that it was still quite light to be making camp. Instead, he stared in wary surprise at their unexpected companion.
“Are we going to feed the tiger too?” he asked, moving slowly around the other two. “I don’t want to be mistaken for its next meal.”
“Don’t worry,” she said, stroking the tiger’s head. “It won’t hurt us. I promise.”
“I trust you, but not the tiger.”
As she inspected the tiger’s wounds, she noted that there were numerous puncture wounds across the now blood-matted fur. Opening her bag, she pulled out the small leather bag filled with the salve Shaman Won had given her at North Wagay Village. She spread the pungent herbal medicine over each of the tiger’s wounds. In gratitude, the tiger licked Kira’s face, tickling her.
Kira glared at the tiger pit. “That is just cruel and awful,” she said.
“Well, you can’t blame the villagers,” Jaewon said. “Tigers are dangerous to most normal people, of which you are not. Normal, I mean.”
“But it’s strange,” she said. “There aren’t any villages nearby.”
“No, it makes sense to me,” he replied. “This must be part of the tiger’s territory. So they built a trap where they’d be sure to catch it.”
Kira frowned. “There should be no reason for the tiger to bother them if they stay out of each other’s territory,” she said. “The problem with people is that they are greedy. Trespassing into places they shouldn’t and killing off all the game.”
“People have to eat too,” Jaewon said mildly. “It’s not like life is easy for them either.”
Kira was in no mood for his opinion. Ignoring him, she sat by the injured tiger’s side and murmured softly into its ear. The tiger purred in response, nestling next to Kira as if it were a mere cat.
Jaewon sighed. “I should be used to strange things by now.” He scanned the area and shook his head. “I don’t think we are safe here.”
A deep and menacing growl began to rumble from the tiger’s throat. It was chilling to hear. Kira felt the churning of her gut in response. She slid out from under the tiger and grabbed her sword. She beckoned for Jaewon to gather their things and hide within the dense foliage of a large red-flowered camellia bush. The tiger limped over with them. Moments later, a Yamato patrol appeared through the woods.
Two Yamatos appeared, arguing with each other. From Kira’s viewpoint, they looked more frightened than anything else. But it was the third soldier coming up behind them that Kira focused on. The shimmer of demon magic gave him away as did the stench that permeated the entire area. Stronger than the wild animal musk of the tiger.