The path of the wolf

Chapter 1

Yang Hong-man was riding through the forest at a quiet pace. He was impatient to get home but he also wanted to enjoy the beautiful spring night. A cool breeze was blowing and all the shadows were sharpened by the full moon's light, creating a poetic though uncanny atmosphere. He'd spent the whole day talking to the villagers of Hoengseong about their taxes. In the last few weeks, he'd done the same in several other villages in the district and was now convinced that the governor was embezzling a part of the taxes and royal tributes he levied on the commoners. Hong-man was very concerned about the well being of the people. Born and raised in Wonju, he'd only left his hometown for a year and a half, when he was preparing for the civil service examination in the capital. After passing it, he'd refused a position at the palace and asked to be sent back to his hometown. Both his parents were dead and he had no siblings, so he was the only one to bear the incomprehension and even contempt brought by his decision. But he didn't care. He belonged in Wonju, and had been fine being a local magistrate since then, working with dedication and doing his best to be fair, regardless of the people status.

A few weeks before, as he was having lunch with a relative at a local inn, he'd heard some men complaining that the taxes were so heavy that they had barely enough left to feed their families. Something they said had caught Hong-man's attention : the taxes had been raised two years before, and again, the following year. Hong-man knew there was no reason for that. Those were peaceful times and no plague or disease had struck the country. His curiosity aroused, he'd started to pay extra attention to the tributes that was sent from Wonju to the capital and noticed that, according to his calculation, at least a fifth of them were missing. Now, he needed to gather some evidence of the governor's wrong doings, and that wasn't an easy task. His rank didn't allow him to have access to the governor's ledgers. He could have asked his son for help but he didn't want him to be involved. Myung-jun worked with the governor and this could harm his reputation and his career. Though Hong-man cherished his quiet life in the countryside, he had always hoped that his only son would make a great career at the palace. He was intelligent and quick-witted and would undoubtedly become a high-ranking official. The young man hadn't disappointed him : after brilliantly passing the state examination, he'd been appointed a royal secretary. But two years ago, just a few months after his mother had died, Myung-jun had sent a letter to his father, informing him that he planned to give up his position and come back to Gangwon province. Hong-man had traveled to the capital and tried to talk his son out of it but the young man had been inflexible. Since then, assuming that his son had come back because of him, Hong-man had tried his best to convince him that he was fine and could deal with the pain of losing his wife. But Myung-jun's answer was always the same : he didn't plan to return to Hanyang ever again. Nevertheless, he could still change his mind and Hong-man didn't want to hinder his chances to resume the promising career that awaited him at the palace. Therefore, he needed to act cautiously while trying to bring the governor down.

He was an hour's ride from Wonju when he heard male voices ahead of him. He couldn't see who was talking as the men were hidden by a bend of the road. Wary that it might be bandits, he stopped his horse and carefully got closer, treading discreetly under the cover of the trees. Three men were coming up the road with a cart heavily laden with wooden boxes and pulled by a horse. Two of them flanked the cart, as the third man, whom Hong-man recognized as one of the Governor's men, led the horse by its bridle. All of them wore swords. The magistrate watched them as they left the main road and drove the cart along a small path that wound its way through the forest and up the slopes of the mountain.

"What are they doing here at this hour ?" Hong-man asked himself. "Sounds like something illegal".

He knew that the governor owned two storehouses in town but if he was indeed embezzling royal tributes, he probably kept them somewhere else. Maybe it was his lucky day and these guys were about to lead him to the evidence he needed. After tying his horse to a tree, he started to tail the men. They strode on the stony path as it gradually rose, and he heard the men curse when they reached a steep slope and had to push the cart. Seeing them struggle like this, Hong-man wondered what could be in the boxes they carried. Then the slopes became gentle again, and after an hour or so, they reached a clearing in the woods where a small house was standing, with a forge next to it. As soon as they stopped the cart, a tall stout man went out of the house and came to them. They exchanged a few words, but Hong-man couldn't hear what they were saying. The men brought the boxes into the house before taking other boxes from the forge and loading the cart with them. Then, they departed again and took another path that started across the clearing and resumed its climbing up to the heights of the mountain.

Hong-man waited for the blacksmith to go back in his house then strode after them. The cart seemed as heavy, if not heavier, than before and the men walked slowly along the way. Fortunately, after a while, the path became flat and darker with the tall thicker trees stretching their dark limbs above it . After a bend, the men disappeared from Hong-man's view but he could still hear them curse and grumble. At this moment, a new sound arose that chilled him to the bones. A low menacing growl, that could only come from some wild beast. And as he approached the place where the path bent, a huge shadow appeared and blocked his way. It was a great wolf, twice as big as any wolf he'd seen, with a pitch black fur and red eyes fixed on him. Its fangs were bared and its mouth twisted in what looked like a sinister grin.
Ahead, the men's voices dimmed and Hong-man considered calling them for help. But he realized that the wolf was actually protecting them. It had let them pass and was now stopping him from tailing them. Was it even possible to train such a beast ? That didn't make any sense. Anyway, it seemed obvious that the wolf would attack him, whether he tried to flee or pass by. So Hong-man unsheathed his sword and waited as the beast walked toward him. Suddenly, the wolf ran to him and, after a powerful leap, knocked him to the ground, one of his paws crushing the arm holding the sword. The burning eyes stared mercifully at him, the growl getting more intense. The magistrate tried to free his arm but as if it understood what he was doing, the beast weighted more heavily on it, and its powerless victim squealed in pain. Then the fangs sunk in his flesh and Hong-man's yell filled the night.