The scenery at the Mud-Pit Pig stable was more chaotic than ever.
The large mother Mud-Pit Pig, true to her name, rolled and tumbled in the mud, while the piglets wrestled fiercely for a spot at her teat.
“Oh my, if you keep rolling around there, you’ll catch a cold! Kau!”
A young Kahuka tribesman shouted out in worry, but the Mud-Pit Pig didn’t care at all and splashed the mud around with even more delight.
The mother Mud-Pit Pig, with a belly as big as Namsan, had become especially sensitive these days.
“Gong… geung… gon…”
She let out a weary sound, and at the pen of a full-term Mud-Pit Pig, a Kahuka woman was waving a fan endlessly as she watched over the animal.
“Tired, aren’t you? Just hold on a little longer. The cute piglets will be out soon. I’ll be cheering for you! Hang in there, Kau!”
The passionate cheering was as if she were watching a sporting event.
Following the Fierce-Horned Chickens and Mud-Pit Pigs, the latest addition to their livestock was the Thunder-Mane Ox.
Leon had diligently explored the surrounding area and had already brought back ten Thunder-Mane Oxen.
In the past, the Ahoa Tribe didn’t have enough land to farm, but now that their territory had expanded, they had plenty of space to build large pastures for the livestock.
Sang-woong devoted himself to setting up fences over wide areas so that the animals could roam freely.
Making fences from wood cut from the land required too much effort, so he ordered pre-made fencing and was installing it.
At regular intervals, sturdy posts were set up, and between them, iron mesh was stretched, moving the work forward.
The pasture where the Thunder-Mane Oxen grazed looked peaceful, but occasionally, unexpected incidents would happen.
Especially the largest Thunder-Mane Ox, who was as stubborn and ill-tempered as he was big.
One day, a Thunder-Mane Ox stopped grazing, suddenly snorted, and began to ram the fence Sang-woong had installed with his horns.
Sang-woong, in the middle of his work, shouted in surprise.
“Oh my, what’s gotten into you? Do you not like the grass?”
Sang-woong tried to calm the Thunder-Mane Ox as he approached, but the beast ignored him and rammed the fence even harder.
“He’s taking out his frustration after being rejected by his favorite Thunder-Mane Cow, Kau!”
A Kahuka tribesman tending the Thunder-Mane Ox laughed as he explained the reason.
When Sang-woong saw his carefully built fence break, he warned the Thunder-Mane Ox sternly.
“I get it, but if you ram it one more time, you’re getting hit.”
At his resolute tone, the Thunder-Mane Ox lowered his angry tail slightly.
Sang-woong patted him understandingly and brought a sturdy new piece of fencing to patch the broken part.
Raising livestock gave a tremendous boost to their farming.
The livestock’s manure was the best natural fertilizer.
It enriched the soil and played a decisive role in dramatically increasing crop yields.
But even on peaceful days, the Kahuka Tribe’s mischievous tendencies were not easily subdued.
Especially the children’s playful antics were unpredictable.
One sunny afternoon, near the sturdy Thunder-Mane Ox fence Sang-woong had installed, a group of Kahuka children huddled together, whispering.
Puka, cheeks round and full, spoke with sparkling eyes.
“Our Thunder-Mane Oxen look so bored, don’t you think? Kau!”
Luka, beside him, nodded vigorously.
“Yeah, ever since the fence went up, they’ve been eating nothing but the same old grass every day. How stifling! Let’s give them something more exciting to watch, Kau!”
The gleam in their eyes betrayed their mischief.
Rika, the only one with a sense of caution, tried to stop them with a worried face.
“No! If you do that, the adults will scold us, Kau!”
But the others didn’t even pretend to hear Rika’s warning.
“Then Rika, you’re out! Kau!”
“Yeah, Rika, you can just sit this one out. Kau!”
With the others pushing ahead, Rika had no choice but to reluctantly go along.
Their plan was simple, but carried the risk of unforeseen consequences.
Because the Thunder-Mane Oxen seemed bored inside the fence, their idea was to open the fence for a little while and let them experience a bit of freedom.
“I’ll pull out the support pole over there. You guys be careful and step back so you don’t get startled when the oxen come out, Kau!”
Giggling, Puka shook the fence support pole with his small hands.
At last, the support pole came out, and a large gap appeared in the iron-mesh fence, big enough for an adult to walk through.
At first, the Thunder-Mane Oxen simply stared at the unexpected gap with puzzled faces.
At that moment, Puka stealthily crept up behind the biggest Thunder-Mane Ox and poked its rear with a thin wooden stick he had in hand.
“Whaaa—!”
Startled by the sudden pain, the huge Thunder-Mane Ox bellowed and charged out through the gap.
The other Thunder-Mane Oxen, startled by the noise, also stampeded out after him.
“Wow! They’re out! They’re out! Kau!”
The children clapped their hands in excitement.
But their joy didn’t last long.
As soon as the Thunder-Mane Oxen came out of the fence, they suddenly changed direction and began charging furiously toward the farmland the Ahoa Tribe had worked so hard to cultivate.
“Ah, this is bad! Kau!”
Rika was panicked and at a loss, but the Thunder-Mane Oxen were already unstoppable.
As the massive oxen charged in a herd, the peaceful village instantly descended into chaos.
“Wha—wha—? Why are the Thunder-Mane Oxen here?! Hua!”
The Ahoa villagers were terrified as they saw the stampede heading their way.
The Thunder-Mane Oxen plowed forward, their huge hooves trampling everything in their path.
The carefully tended crops were crushed and scattered in an instant beneath the gigantic hooves.
The lush green fields were flattened without a trace, the thickly fruiting pumpkin vines were torn up and destroyed.
The ripening tomato fields were devastated in an instant, and the leafy greens were trampled and rolled in the dust.
“Oh no, our precious crops! Hua!”
“What is this disaster! Get those beasts out of here, now! Hua!”
The Ahoa Tribe, frantic, grabbed their farm tools and ran at the Thunder-Mane Oxen.
Startled by the show of force, the oxen scattered in all directions.
“No! Don’t come this way! Kau!”
A Kahuka tribesman managing the Mud-Pit Pig stable screamed as he witnessed the scene.
The mother Mud-Pit Pig, frightened by the sudden arrival of the oxen, grunted nervously, and the piglets desperately burrowed into her side.
The Kahuka woman who had been fanning beside them bolted from the pig pen in a panic.
“Oh no! This is bad! Kau!”
Chesko, who was watching over the Fierce-Horned Chicken coop, was no less horrified.
As the villagers shouted, an agitated Thunder-Mane Ox rammed the chicken coop.
The coop door was smashed, and dozens of Fierce-Horned Chickens burst out in panic, flapping and flying up into the sky.
Feathers swirled like a blizzard, and the chickens’ cries filled the air.
Just then, one Thunder-Mane Ox raced past Sang-woong and knocked over Chesko’s morning-gathered Egg Basket.
Eggs broke, and yolks splattered all over the ground.
“Those guys, they’re even flying up to the sky! Hua!”
The Ahoa Tribe were even more bewildered as they watched the Fierce-Horned Chickens take flight.
Chesko, gazing at the ruined coop and the chickens covering the sky, was utterly dumbfounded.
“Oh no, my chickens! What am I supposed to do, Kau!”
He stood frozen for a moment, then snapped back and desperately chased after the fleeing chickens.
The land looked just like a massive animal escape show.
The huge Thunder-Mane Oxen swept through, making a mess everywhere, the panicked chickens flew across the sky, scattering everywhere.
The Mud-Pit Pigs grunted anxiously in their pen, and the piglets burrowed deeper into their mother’s side.
The Ahoa villagers lamented as they saw the destroyed fields, chasing after the oxen with their farm tools.
The Kahuka Tribe ran frantically, trying to catch the chickens flying through the air.
“You blasted Thunder-Mane Oxen! Stop right now! Hua!”
“Fierce-Horned Chickens! Where are you flying off to! Kau!”
The entire village rang with the cries of the animals, the shouts of the people, and a mixture of anger and confusion.
It was utter chaos, impossible to predict what would happen next.
“Leon, round up the Thunder-Mane Oxen first.”
Sang-woong calmly gave instructions.
“Understood. Kom!”
Leon sprinted away at lightning speed.
“Aria, stop the Fierce-Horned Chickens from going too far.”
“Yes, Master.”
Aria flew into the sky after the chickens.
Sang-woong also ran with all his strength to catch the Thunder-Mane Oxen.
The situation seemed to be spiraling out of control.
The Thunder-Mane Oxen rampaged throughout the village, smashing into livestock stables and homes, even scattering clothes hanging on the laundry line.
Then, one ox began charging straight toward the food storage, the place most important to Sang-woong.
“You! Stop right there!”
Sang-woong dashed like lightning and blocked the ox just before it could smash the storage door.
“Whew~ That was close. If chaos had broken out in here…”
Inside the food storage, not only the villagers’ food supplies but also all the animal forage was stored.
If a Thunder-Mane Ox had rampaged inside, their precious food and forage would all have been destroyed.
Just imagining it was horrifying.
With the combined efforts of Leon, Aria, and all the villagers, the great animal escape was quickly brought under control.
The Thunder-Mane Oxen were herded back inside the fence, but the village was left a complete mess after the animal rampage.
The children who had started the commotion were terrified by what they’d done, hiding and peeking anxiously at the adults.
The long, exhausting day finally ended only as evening fell, and the commotion subsided.
Sang-woong looked at the broken fence and let out a deep sigh, while the Ahoa Tribe mourned over their ruined fields.
The Kahuka Tribe hung their heads, filled with guilt and shame.
Chesko, brushing chicken feathers off himself, glared sharply at the children.
“You brats! What on earth were you thinking, doing something like this! Kau!”
His voice was low and threatening.
Puka and Luka, eyes brimming with tears, pleaded their case.
“We just thought the oxen looked bored… We never thought it would cause such a disaster. Kau…”
Chesko sighed as he looked at the children’s downcast faces, but made sure to scold them firmly.
“I understand how you feel. But animals aren’t as simple as you think. If you open the fence or play around carelessly, a big accident like today can happen! Remember that! Kau!”
Morning on the land always began cheerfully, but the children’s reckless prank had left the whole village with a bitter memory of a tough day.
But the villagers didn’t stay discouraged for long.
The next morning, the Ahoa Tribe energetically restored the damaged fields, and the Kahuka Tribe tenderly cared for the startled animals, working to return to their peaceful routines.
And that day’s commotion became, for Sang-woong and the villagers, another special memory—one they could now laugh about.
***
A small Restaurant in a City.
The owner, Miju, took off her Apron and let out a deep sigh.