Chapter 1 — Legend of the Fire Cloud

When I was young, I followed my grandfather into the mountains to hunt and accidentally destroyed a wolf den. That wolf nest had no sign of an adult wolf guarding it. The only survivor was only one wolf cub, its eyes still tightly closed. Next to it, three small wolves were stiff and cold, with deep tooth marks on their necks, and their fresh blood had soon been drained. Grandfather sighed and said: "This wolf's temper is so cruel! He drained the blood of his fellow humans, only to be able to regain a fragile breath." I brought it home to raise and named it Hoa Van. Because on its body it wears red fur like afternoon clouds, both beautiful and strange. Hoa Van was fierce when he was young, and every day he could bring home a plump royal concubine. The most experienced hunting dogs in the village, every time they see it, they retract their necks and hold their tails, only daring to whine to please. Two years have passed, Hoa Van has grown as big as a young calf, with a majestic body and majestic aura. It's not like a dog that's close to humans, it always likes to lie still in its nest, not bothering to care about anyone. {Read full on page Nguyet Hoa Cac} Grandfather said: "It's wild nature is too deep, it's hard to tame. If you're not careful, I'm afraid it will harm people." Afraid he would go out and cause trouble, I built a fence for him in the yard. But… can a wall that is more than a meter high really stop it? Sure enough, Mr. Ly's chickens and ducks nearby were all bitten to death. His son said he saw Hoa Van sneak into the yard with his own eyes. I don't believe it. Why did Hoa Van steal cattle? But... at the corner of his lips there was still some blood that hadn't dried yet. I caressed its warm, silky fur and whispered softly: "Ho Van... did you really bite someone's livestock?" Its blue eyes stared at me, shining with a trace of contempt. He is royalty in the mountains and forests, why would he do that vile thing of "stealing chickens and catching dogs"? That night it rained heavily, afraid it would get wet, so I took it into the house to sleep with me like when we were children. In the middle of the night, I suddenly had a nightmare, my chest felt like something heavy was pressing on me. When I woke up, I saw Hoa Van's front legs placed on the edge of the bed, the wolf's muzzle was close to my throat... very close... very close... "Hoa Van, what are you planning to do?" – I shouted loudly. He saw me awake, shook his head slightly, then retreated to the corner of the room and curled up to sleep again. The next morning, I told the story to my grandfather. He took a drag of his cigarette and suppressed his voice: "It has tasted fresh blood, its wildness has emerged... One day it will harm people. It cannot be held back!" But I... I don't believe it. After so many years together, Hoa Van... could he have bitten me? In the village, there were more and more stories of chickens, ducks, and geese being stolen, and rumors also arose—all of which were caused by Hoa Van. The village chief himself came to the house, sat with my grandfather and talked for a long time: "This is a wolf, how can you raise it to tame it? Today it only harms animals, tomorrow if it becomes a cannibal, can you bear the consequences? We must get rid of this uncertain threat soon." Grandpa didn't answer, just silently exhaled cigarette smoke, but I knew... he was starting to waver. That day, I followed him down to the town to sell goods in the wild. When I returned, a horrifying scene suddenly appeared before my eyes—Hoo Van was knocking my grandmother to the ground, her white fangs flashing, her eyes glowing fiercely. “Fire Cloud!” — I shouted loudly. Grandpa immediately raised his gun and fired a shot into the air, fearing he would accidentally hit her. Hearing the gunshot, Hoa Van raised his head to look at me and him, only stopped to blink, then let go of his grandmother and threw himself over the wall. The moment it stood on the wall, I clearly saw it turning back to look at me... its eyes were hazy, with a hint of tears. I quickly helped her up and asked her about it. She trembled and said: "I was feeding it, but suddenly it got mad and tried to bite me. Luckily you two came home in time, otherwise... I would have had to collect my body." Why? Why did Hoa Van become like that? Could it be that... wolves really cannot be raised like dogs? From that day, I lost a friend. And in the mountain, another king appeared wearing red fur like fire. Under the sunlight, that fur burned brightly, making many hunters crave it. People call it the Fire Wolf King. There was a rich merchant in town offering a reward: Whoever could skin the Fire Wolf King would win 100,000 silver. Ten thousand... enough to buy half a village! Immediately, experienced hunters from dozens of miles around the area crowded into the mountain, determined to kill Hoa Van for the reward. But beyond everyone's expectations, Hoa Van is extremely wise. No one can catch it. It understands the power of fire weapons, and whenever it sees a human shadow, it stays far away and out of range. Humans don't care about dead bodies or rotten food left behind, so poisoning them is useless. There are cunning hunters lurking, waiting for wolves to surround and kill wild boars, then open fire to scare the wolves away. He put the drug in the pig's carcass, believing that the wolf would come back to eat and be fooled. Sure enough, the wolves returned. Leading the way is the Fire Wolf King. But under its guidance, all the poisoned meat was bitten off and thrown aside, before the rest was slowly torn and eaten clean. Indeed, that scene made the hunters gasp and widen their eyes. As for me, I just found it funny, but in my heart I felt joy for Hoa Van. Through binoculars, the hunters discovered that recently Hoa Van was often wrapped around a white wolf - white as early winter snow. It's the season when the wolf looks for a mate... and the white wolf is its mate. Unable to capture the Fire Wolf King, they changed their plan and targeted the white wolf. Finally, when the wolves went down to the stream to drink water, the wolf hunters caught the white wolf, who was not too wary. They tied her to a wooden stake at the beginning of the village, then cut her flesh one by one, letting her pitiful howl echo as far away as tearing through the night. "Once a wolf has accepted a mate, he will never change his mind for the rest of his life. Let's just wait and see, will the Fire Wolf King... fall for the trick?"