"Ha~"
The forest was dense, its leaves dark and deep. Brown earth lay under a thin blanket of snow, looking rather grimy. Upon a stone bench spread with a golden velvet rug, the Golden Haired Tiger yawned and rolled over.
Hearing the clamor from Pingyang Mountain, its whiskers twitched a few times. More clamor, more twitching... The noise reached the cave and echoed without cease. The Golden Haired Tiger raised its sleepy eyes, lifted its head crowned with a tousled mane, scratched at its fur balls, and casually grabbed to its right.
Its paw came up empty.
"Mm... Where's the hedgehog? Who's making all that noise outside?"
"Little Great King, it's the Xingyi Marquis! The Xingyi Marquis has come to Pingyang Mountain! His river otter and Scarface River Otter from beneath the Arhat's seat are fighting at our mountain gate again, so it's gotten noisy." A bat hung upside down in the cave, shrieking as it flapped. "The hedgehog went to the temple to offer fruit, and the mountain pig is up on the mountain rooting snowballs!"
The Golden Haired Tiger perked up a little and stretched its head forward.
Blurred through its vision, it saw two black shadows tangled together in the snow outside the cave. One held a massive bone club high and fiercely hammered the other's head, smashing it into the ground like pounding a stake.
Straight as a board.
The Golden Haired Tiger paid it no mind. "The Xingyi Marquis is here... Does he have business?"
"No business. It seems he came looking for Young Master Huai Kong."
The Golden Haired Tiger smacked its lips.
If he had not come looking for it, then there was nothing to worry about.
Spring drowsiness, summer fatigue, autumn naps, winter hibernation.
It rolled over and went back to sleep.