The Dragon Prince's Warrior

Danger in the forest I

The impact on the ground had been nothing more than the sudden fall of the black tiger with white stripes that the woman had mentioned a few moments ago, and indeed, its fur and eyes were of an intense jet-black color. Yun had never believed that such a creature existed; typically, he only knew of white tigers and the conventional orange ones.

From the corner of his eye, the disguised prince observed the weak woman's expression shift to one of panic. He immediately gestured for her not to move under any circumstances. It appeared that the lurking black tiger had intentions of attacking.

Despite the impending chaos, Yun remained calm. If they were lucky, the tiger would leave without harming them. However, if it came to that, he would have to fight the ferocious animal at all costs. He sincerely hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Slowly, Yun positioned himself directly in front of the woman to block the tiger's view, assuring her that he would protect her no matter what. The animal kept growling and showing signs of wanting to attack. Tension caused Yun's forehead to bead with sweat.

In slow motion, Yun watched as the beast propelled itself with its hind legs, claws unsheathed, and lunged at him. With swift agility, the young man removed his hat, spread his feet apart, knees bent, and unsheathed his dagger, lunging forward. He wouldn't fear the jaws that were almost right in front of him; he would fight with everything he had. Yun aimed the dagger straight at the tiger's throat, or if not, at least inflict a strong wound on its legs or snout.

The woman let out a frightened cry, and Yun executed a horizontal strike that cut through the air, hitting the beast squarely on one of its front paws. He cheered, as he had thrown it off balance, but in return, the tiger had swiped at his right arm. Yun only realized the injury when sharp pain and the sensation of dripping blood hit him. However, his immediate concern was the woman's emotional stability. He turned to speak to her:

"Are you okay?" he inquired, but the woman, with a trembling hand, pointed for him to focus on the beast.

Yun turned back, and the tiger had launched itself at him again. The only action he deemed appropriate was to counterattack once more. What neither he nor the tiger took into account was an object flying in and knocking the animal to the side, away from Yun. Still breathing heavily due to the adrenaline, he quickly moved to see what had happened.

"What just occurred?" asked the woman in surprise.

"I have no idea, but stay back," Yun requested, using his arm to block her path. "If it gets up and you're here, I won't be able to protect you."

"Alright," she replied, stepping back to give Yun space to investigate.

Yun's eyes widened when he saw what had knocked the beast down. He looked around frantically, turning and spinning with a hint of unease, perhaps even... desperation? This newfound behavior piqued the woman's curiosity, as Yun had always displayed serenity and confidence in his countenance since she first met and interacted with him. Emboldened, she dared to ask:

"Uh... Is there something wrong with you?" Curiosity was getting the better of her.

"Yes... No, no "Yun responded, his voice faltering due to his unease.

"It's just that I see you restless, that's why I'm asking " She dared to approach his side to see what was going on". I think the animal is already dead, and it was because of that arrow, right?

"I believe so " Yun said, still lost in thought, as he knew exactly what an arrow meant.

The tiger had stopped breathing; the arrow had pierced its throat. There was no doubt that the owner of that weapon was Siu. That stubborn girl had dared to follow him, and now she could be hiding behind any tree or bush. Yun couldn't help but smile subtly. He could already picture her holding her stomach with laughter, feeling triumphant for doing what she wanted.

"That girl is beyond help," the prince thought to himself.

He didn't want to keep searching for her; if she wanted to, she would find her way to where he was. Despite any annoyance Yun might feel from Siu's persistence, there was something oddly comforting in the thought of her being out there, somehow accompanying him on this life-or-death journey.

Painful stabs invaded Yun's arm, so much that he couldn't help but let out a groan of pain. The young man crouched down, lifting the long sleeve of his attire to assess the severity of the wounds. The woman quickly ran to his aid, crouching down to examine the injuries.

"For the gods!" she exclaimed upon seeing that the claw marks inflicted by that jet-black tiger were still bleeding.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Yun said to avoid further concern, but it was in vain.

"It's no trouble to help someone who just saved my life," Mei said sweetly as she began to clean the wound. "By the way... I'm Mei. It's a pleasure to help you."

"I appreciate your help," Yun replied, avoiding eye contact. Being close to women was not his strong suit, and he didn't feel entirely comfortable, but he valued greatly what she was doing.

Mei bandaged his arm with a piece of cloth she took from her own hanfu dress. When she finished, she offered him a faint, timid smile, which he reciprocated with a sly smile before they both stood up.

"Feeling better?" Mei inquired, and he nodded immediately.

"I think I can continue my journey now, and I promise to bring back your children," Yun assured her, readjusting his coolie hat.

"Please be very careful," she pleaded, her hands clasped together; she looked deeply concerned.

"Don't worry, I'll be back soon," he bid farewell and turned to head deeper into the forest.

Yun was determined to help the poor woman who had lost everything; he wouldn't rest until he found her children. That thought occupied his mind as he crossed a row of trees, when suddenly, a startle accompanied by a shiver ran through his body. There he was...

The man Mei had mentioned, but he didn't have any children in his possession at the moment. Instead, it was the feminine silhouette of Siu he had by the neck, trying to strangle her. What was even more chilling was that it was as if the man knew Yun was going to pass by there... as if he was waiting for him to witness the deadly spectacle he was executing.