White buffalo are meant to be sacrificed—that’s what I’ve been taught since I began training as a Buffalo Chaser seventeen years ago at the age of three.

                The villagers are all vegetarian, which contributes to our role as chasers rather than hunters.  We chase the buffalo to keep our land safe, to keep them from trampling over our crops and our homes.  All of the villagers are called Buffalo Chasers, but those who remain in the village—which consist of everyone besides the six of us Chasers—are in charge of being farmers and gatherers and such.  My father is the village chief, and as his oldest son, I bear the responsibility of becoming the best Chaser.  If I fail, my brother is the next in line to take his place.  It’s a thrill, to chase the massive beasts, to feel the flood of both fear and exhilaration in my body, to be a protector.

                I bring my fingertips to my cheekbones, swiping them across, three crimson stripes on either side of my face.  My hands are cold, stained.  I enter the horse stable and pet my two riding horses until I reach the last and guide Chaslorin, my chasing mare, out of her stall.

                I whisper into the dusk air, “You ready, Lor?” to which she stomps around softly and whinnies at me.  Swinging my leg over her back, I climb on with ease and ride out of the building to the edge of the village, quickly reaching the grassland.

                “There you are, Chanyeol.  Sehun and Jongin just reported a small herd approaching in roughly five minutes,” Baekhyun says, making a face when his stallion eyes Chaslorin a little too seductively.

                “Where are they?” I ask.

                “Getting their horse—”

                “We’re here!” two voices sing out, and we turn our attention to them, trailed by Kyungsoo and Joonmyun.

                Sehun is my kid brother, while Jongin is his best friend.  As the youngest, they look out for approaching buffalo in the cover of the forest, coming back to report their sightings and chase with us in the back.  Joonmyun is the oldest of us all, but following the injury of his shoulder two years ago, he’s become a part of the middle link with my cousin Kyungsoo.  I lead the team with Baekhyun, who’s been my best friend since we both began training back in the day.

                “We should get going before they come too close,” Joonmyun suggests, and I nod, tugging on Chaslorin’s reins.

                It isn’t long before we catch sight of the herd, and with a signaling of my hand, we accelerate, shouting and howling like maniacs as we pursue the buffalo to the border of our territory.  I can never tell if they fear us as much as we fear them, but judging from the speed at which they run off, I suppose we do quite well in scaring them off.  As soon as they’re out of our vision, we ride back to the village, ensuring that no other buffalo have managed to sneak past our radar.

                “Good chase, guys,” I say as I hop off Chaslorin’s back and lead her back into her stall.  “We must be the best Chasers ever.  That was quick.”

                Sehun pumps a fist in the air as Joonmyun gives a small smile and massages his shoulder, the others already rushing off to catch a late dinner.

                I wake in the middle of the night after a strangely lifelike nightmare in which I was chasing after a lone white buffalo calf, spear in hand, jolting awake just as I flung the weapon at it.  I run a clammy hand through my hair and slide out of bed silently, careful not to wake Sehun, meandering into the kitchen for a glass of water.

                That’s when I hear it.  A rustle outside and slow, quiet footsteps on the dirt.  Mustering my courage, I gulp the water down and push open the front door ever so slightly, tiptoeing through the opening and checking my surroundings.  Nothing.  I’m about to go back in when I hear it again, and I whirl around, instantly raising my hands in combat mode.  There’s no need for my eyes to adjust to the dark because the creature’s cream-white coat gives off a faint glow as it walks toward me, its eyes visible in the moon’s reflection.  I think I must still be dreaming because it’s the exact same one, staring me straight in the eye, letting out low snorts as it sticks its little tongue out.  I lower my hands.

                It’s the white buffalo calf.