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Mist rolled down the side of the mountain as the light of the full moon tried to chase away the lingering remnants of the storm. It only obscured Wei Ying's vision even more. He dashed between pagodas and steles, weaved between towering bamboo trees, and prayed he didn't meet his end at the cliff face.
Though jumping off the mountain seemed like a more preferable end than what laid behind him. At least, if he were to jump off of this mountain, he could reincarnate as something bigger, stronger, and not afraid of—
AWOOOOO
The echoing howls of the hunting dogs drew closer as the path before him closed in. There were no burrows, no holes he could slink into and hope they ran by him. He was already injured and the hounds had his blood in their noses. As his energy waned, all he could do was hope that they took a tumble off the cliff instead.
His path ended abruptly, the dirt and underbrush gave way to a clearing that caused Wei Ying's anxiety to spike. His little heart hammered in his chest, louder than the thunder that shook the skies only hours ago. These couldn't be normal hunting dogs, not for how they never lagged or lingered as the rains poured and the winds whipped their faces. Wei Ying's paws skittered on the smooth stones beneath them, slick from the rain. He looked about frantically before eyeing an opening in the wall—or what he hoped was an opening.
He made for it and let out a soft yip of relief when he saw the giant hole. Had he been thinking clearly, he would have noticed the change in air as he slipped through the Mountain Gate. Instead, he ran past even more steles and dove beneath the first building he came to.
Waiting, he couldn't help the deep breaths. Even laying flat on his belly, paws over his muzzle, his heartbeat drummed in his ears. He could hear the dogs barking and the men shouting, the baritones of their voices carried in the silence, but he couldn't make out their words. That didn't matter, not when he realized that they weren't following him.
A few more moments passed before Wei Ying cautiously crept from his hide-hole. He shook himself off, all three tails standing tall behind him as he lifted his head and gave the air a curious sniff. He couldn't smell the hunters either, which meant they were well and truly gone.
He dropped back to the ground, all four limbs spread out in relief as the adrenaline left his body. In a shimmering green flame, he rolled onto his back and stared up at the moon. She lead him here, up the mountain and through the storm, guided his feet until he reached the peak. Had she agreed that he might reincarnate into a more terrifying foe?
But really…
"Who hunts húli jīng?!" He shouts. Cultivators, that's who, patrolling the outskirts of villages and hunting down all manner of demons and other-worldly creatures. No wonder the dogs kept his scent, they were probably spiritual animals. He sits up and rubs his hands over his face, wincing as a stich in his side reminds him that he did not make it out of the chase completely unscathed.
Wei Ying shivers, and not completely unrelated to the cold, as he gets to his feet and dusts himself off. His outer robes are damp and rugged, the bottom hem fraying in places and worn away entirely in others—leaving the soft grey of his inner-robes to peek through.
"Now…where am I?" He asks the moon as he takes in his surroundings. To his left is a drum tower, and his right a bell tower, which means he's on sacred soil. How old these grounds are he can't tell, some of the buildings look new while others appear to be a breath away from collapse. The gardens are overrun with weeds that have long since choked the life out of any vibrant flowers and the koi pond has dried, leaving the cracked mud unsuitable for even the hardiest of vegetation.
Continuing along the path Wei Ying glances at the pagodas, trying to see a name he might recognize that would help him place the temple. He's lived and hunted in these mountains for the better part of a century, and he cannot recall ever stumbling upon it before. Which he doesn't believe possible, the grounds are massive—and the cultivators knew well enough not to pass through the gate with murderous intent.
Or maybe, just too few in numbers.
Had someone, or something, moved into the temple and claimed it as their own? It certainly didn't look or feel inhabited, but Wei Ying knew well enough that didn't mean anything.
Carefully, he made his way along the path, trying to imagine what the temple looked like in its youth. How shimmering and brilliant the faded paint must have been, how tall the half collapsed buildings. There must have been hundreds of monks that called these walls home, and thousands more who undertook pilgrimages or sought shelter within.
A rustle to his left makes him pause mid-step, foot hovering just above the ground. His ears flick back against the side of his skull and his tails stand stiff. He's ready for a fight—or flight if it turns out that one of the dogs managed to sneak up on him. Another rustle and a blur jumps out from behind the bushes.
A white rabbit stops in the middle of the path, both Wei Ying and the tiny creature stare at one another for a moment. Wei Ying's stomach rumbles, reminding him that it's been days since he'd eaten anything and had expended energy he did not have while running. The rabbit crouches, it's long floppy ears brush against the ground as its dark eyes grew wide with the realization.
On one foot, it turned, taking off with a startling cry of;
"Lóng-gege!"
It startles Wei Ying enough that he slips on the wet stone, landing hard on his wounded hip. Did that—it did.
"Wait!" He calls after the rabbit. Scrambling to his feet he chases after it, through the run-down and dilapidated buildings and into a clearing in the back of the temple. A large cave-mouth sits between the graveyard of pavilions and halls, sinking deep into the ground. The little white rabbit sat at the edge of the cavern, shaking, as another white rabbit—along with a golden hare and a brown-spotted one as well—tried to calm it down.
"Wait, I'm sorry…I didn't mean to frighten you." Wei Ying calls, trying to keep his voice neutral even as he pants for breath. "Where are we?" He tries again, watching as all four rabbits huddled closer together. Maybe he was hallucinating due to the pain and hunger. Wei Ying took two more steps before collapsing. Only then did the rabbits approach him, and as his vision faded he swore he heard them call for their lóng-gege again.
✩₊˚.⋆☾𓃦☽⋆⁺₊✧
"…is it dead?"
"What is it?"
"Shh…it's moving."
Wei Ying groaned. He ached from the tips of his ears to the soles of his feet. Even his tails felt like they had been plucked of their vibrant red fur strand by strand. He could hear the soft chittering of the rabbits he had seen earlier, could smell them just off to his side…and down?
Opening his eyes he was met with a jagged ceiling. Glowing moss grew in patches along the dirt walls, covering the small room in a dim light. He turned his head and came face to nose with the wiggling cheeks of one of the white rabbits. Its dark brown eyes seemed to sparkle with curiosity now that it knew it wasn't about to be dinner. Its front paws were near Wei Ying's shoulder, and the fox came to the conclusion that he was on a bed.
The rabbit turned its head, looking down at where Wei Ying assumed the rest of them were. "It's awake. Go get Lóng-gege."
"Sizhui…I don't think that's a good idea. It shouldn't be here in the first place."
"Jingyi, did you forget what the lady said? Three red flames will thaw the frozen heart."
There was a thump, three in quick succession, and Wei Ying sighed deeply. Talking rabbits shouldn't be much of a surprise to him, he's seen and talked to many yāoguài that took on various animal forms. But even those that disguised themselves as pack animals tended to stay away from herds. To find four of them huddled together…and who is this, Lóng-gege they keep mentioning.
He sits, rubbing the back of his head, and shakes the dirt out of his fur and robes. Though the dirt has caked in places, his damp robes turning the soft ground into hard mud, and doesn't brush off so easily. Wei Ying turns and drops his legs over the side of the bed, the rabbits skitter back to avoid being stepped on.
The one that had been next to him—Sizhui—wriggled its nose and stood tall on its hind legs. He noticed between it, and the other white one—Jingyi—their ears were slightly different lengths, and Sizhui had a singular black spot beneath their chin.
Wei Ying looked between the four of them, "Again…where am I?"
Sizhui hopped up on the bed beside him, "You're in Lóng-gege's home."
"What is the name of this temple? I've lived in these mountains most of my life and have never seen it before, but even the cultivators knew to be wary of it." Maybe it was a ghost temple and only appeared during certain circumstances during a certain time of year. That would explain many things.
All four rabbits tilted their heads and chittered among themselves. Apparently they could decide when they wanted others to understand them, and when they wanted to whisper in secrecy.
"This is Lóng-gege's home…but what is the name of this mountain?"
"Mount Baifang."
The rabbits chittered some more, the golden one slunk forward, foot thumping on the floor, "Impossible."
It was the fourth rabbit, who stood on its hind legs and placed one little paw on the golden ones' head. "Not impossible, fate, A-Ling."
Wei Ying watched them argue about fate and destiny, first with words and then delved back into chitters and squeaks, nose wiggles and foot stomping. Clearly he had come and upturned their life, but he had not done it alone. It seemed as though this temple was supposed to be situated on a different mountain.
The appearance of a temple where there had not been one for centuries would be another reason the cultivators turned and fled. Or not fled, but left to regroup and gather their forces. Wei Ying tried to picture them storming the Mountain Gate with all their spiritual weapons and animals, just to be confronted with four tiny, talking, rabbits.
Or whatever just made that noise.
Wei Ying's head snapped towards the direction of the passage, the tunnel veered off into the darkness and even his low-light vision was having a hard time discerning how far it went. Though he knew he was in a small offshoot of the cavern, he couldn't tell how far down he was either.
"What…was that?" He asked, as the rumbling continued. Dust fell from the ceiling as the walls trembled beneath the vibrations. The rabbits, at least outwardly, didn't seem alarmed in the slightest.
Sizhui hopped in place, "Lóng-gege is awake."
Wei Ying wrinkled his nose, ears pressed flat against his skull once more. "And who exactly is Lóng-gege?"
Jingyi, who was all white with no spots, hopped onto Wei Ying's lap and stuck his nose against the foxes. "Lóng-gege is Lóng-gege. Who exactly are you?"
Wei Ying blinked, his vision going cross-eyed as he watched the little rabbits nose twitch. He tried to ignore the shaking of the cavern as the noise grew louder and more…more. He couldn't quite place the sound, the closest he could compare it to was the sound of children running and dragging sticks along stone walls. The low but constant shhhh and occasional pause as they hit a hole in the masonry.
"You can call me Xian-gege."
"I don't think I will." Jingyi hopped from Wei Ying's lap and landed with a soft thump beside his friends.
"Xian-gege, can you make fire?"
Wei Ying blinked, again, this time in confusion as he tried to think of why these rabbits would need a fire. "I can, do you want me to roast you? Even after I promised not to eat you."
"Lóng-gege would stop you before you took your first bite." Jingyi said at the same time A-Ling said "I'd like to see you try."
Wei Ying had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from asking who this mysterious Lóng-gege was. It was clear that he wasn't going to get an answer out of the rabbits. He stood, stretching out his limbs and shaking his tails to relieve them of the stiffness that had seeped into his bones from running in the rain.
He was still hungry, but a promise was a promise and he didn't want to possibly lose his life over a couple of rabbits who wouldn't satiate his hunger anyway.
"Where are you going?" The rabbits chittered and stomped their feet, jumping in front of Wei Ying as though he couldn't simply step over them in his current form.
"To find something to eat," he eyed them, as they conversed among themselves. "I was running for days from those cultivators and used up a lot of spiritual energy. That nap was great, but I still need food." His stomach growled, agreeing with his need to consume something.
Sizhui hugged his ears in front of his chest, his little eyes and nose poking through the wall of fluff, and nodded. "Alright, follow me."
He started hopping down the corridor, the other rabbits chasing after him in a line as Wei Ying fell into step along side them.
The cavern had stopped shaking, the noise from earlier faded into the distance, whatever it had been—whomever Lóng-gege was—was gone. Instead the eerie silence that came with being far underground surrounded them, only interrupted by the soft thumping of the rabbits as they moved down the hall.
Wei Ying had expected there to be stalactites hanging from the ceiling and more bugs than he could shake his tails at, but the ceilings were bare and he didn't even see any worms. The walls were covered in the same soft glowing moss that the room had been, and light blue mushrooms also cast a pale light along the tunnel. They didn't do much, but they did help him keep track of the little rabbits when they turned down a different path.
The tunnels split into three. The rabbits had gone left, and paused to wait for him when they realized he had stopped at the crossroads. The middle path started flat and then inclined, making him believe that was the way back to the surface. From the right path, came a chilling breeze of malcontent and, faintly, the same dragging noise as before.
"Xian-gege, this way." Sizhui prompted, hopping back to the intersection.
"Yeah, mind your business and only go where we take you."
"But we want Lóng-gege to see him…" If rabbits could sigh, Wei Ying felt there would have been one of longing at the end of that sentence.
"Zizhen…Lóng-gege just woke up, let's wait a little longer." Sizhui moved back to his friend and patted the brown spotted rabbits' head.
Wei Ying rubbed his face. His curiosity was starting to get the better of him surrounding Lóng-gege.
He felt a pressure against the back of his calf and looked down to see Sizhui on his hind legs, front paws pressing into Wei Ying's leg, as he tried to get him to move in the right direction.
"Alright, alright. I'll leave your Lóng-gege alone." For now, anyway.
The path branched off multiple times, some on the same level while other paths continued even deeper underground. He couldn't imagine why anyone would need so much space, let alone four tiny rabbits who would be better off on the surface. He didn't question it, or rather he did but he went ignored. Even Sizhui stopped responding to him.
Rude.
They went around another bend and a small incline, Wei Ying had to duck to pass through into the next part of the tunnel and into a large room. There were the missing stalagmites and stalactites, throw haphazardly around the cavernous space. The same glowing moss and luminescent mushrooms grew along the walls and the floor, mixed in with patches of grass and wild flowers. In, what Wei Ying assumed to be, the center of the room was a large tree on a mound of dirt. Water surrounded it on three sides forming a pond at the back of the cavern, and sunlight streamed through in mismatched beams through holes in the ceiling.
Wei Ying hadn't even realized that they'd come so close to the surface.
The four rabbits bound ahead of him, their chittering echoed but nearly as far in the vast space they were in.
He watched as they stopped near the bit of land, and that was when he noticed a hole in the side of the dirt mound. No. Not a hole.
Sizhui jumped inside. It was a burrow.
A burrow within a burrow. His head hurt just thinking about it. Thankfully, he didn't have long to dwell on it as more rabbits came tumbling out from beneath the tree. All white, some pure white, others with different markings and color patterns.
Sizhui came back towards him, followed by two larger hares—one white with soft grey, two-toned, ears, the other was also white but had a streak of black starting from its' chin and went part way down its' chest, as it stood on its' hind legs.
"This is Xian-gege," Sizhui introduced him to the two new rabbits, "Xian-gege, this is Zewu-Jun and Lan Xiansheng."
"Hello!" He greeted with a smile.
The second rabbit, and the more Wei Ying stared at it the more it looked like it had a little goatee, thumped his foot on the ground.
"What is the meaning of bringing this—this fiend into our home? Explain yourselves at once."
Jingyi shook out his fur, "I told you this was a bad idea."
Jin Ling groomed his ears, "Don't try to put any of this on me. I also thought it was a bad idea."
Sizhui and Zizhen both sat together, firmly between Wei Ying and the angry Lan Xiansheng. "Because we're in his home." Sizhui tried. He was interrupted by another quick thump as Lan Xiansheng's foot continued to beat against the ground.
Zizhen nodded, "It's the truth. We're in…" he turned back to Wei Ying, "What did you call this mountain?"
"Baifang."
The thumping stopped and the rabbit fell over. Wei Ying raised an eyebrow, torn between asking if he was alright and simply ignoring it. When none of the other rabbits rushed to Lan Xiansheng's side, he assumed that meant it was a regular enough occurrence.
"Zewu-Jun, we aren't lying. Even the air smells different." Sizhui pleaded with the silent rabbit.
The two-toned ears flicked, and his nose twitched, before letting out a sound that was as close to a sigh as any. "You know you're not supposed to go to the surface."
"But Zewu-Jun, look at him. He fits the description of the curse perfectly." Zizhen ran circles around Wei Ying's legs, ducking beneath his tails, and slipped in and out between his feet.
"That's the second time you've mentioned a curse. What exactly is going on here?"
"Well, for starters—" There was another rumble that shook the cavern. Dust motes rose from the ground and pieces of rock and soil fell from the ceiling.
Wei Ying raised his arms to protect his ears, and peaked an eye open when the room stopped moving.
"Let me guess, your Lóng-gege again."
Zewu-Jun nodded, and after a moment nodded again. The rabbit had made his mind up about something and turned, "Follow me and I'll explain."
"Sure," not that Wei Ying thought he had much of a choice. He supposed he could have eaten till he was full and then smoked the rest for later, but there was a small voice in the back of his mind that told him he made the right choice.
He followed the five rabbits, Lan Xiansheng was still collapsed at the entrance, until they reached the entrance to the second burrow. Zewu-Jun climbed to the top and dug beneath the base of the tree, pulling out a small stack of dried bamboo strips.
A white ribbon secured the small strips together, and Wei Ying bent down to pick them up.
The writing was old—in fact the bamboo was so old it had started to fray and splinter. Wei Ying couldn't remember the last time he had seen anyone use strips for writing, not since the creation of paper. Though he did miss the smell of cured bamboo, it was much nicer than the smell of boiling mulberries.
He also couldn't read it. He was old, but whatever was in his hands was even older. The ink had faded into transparent lines, absorbed deep into the fibers of the bamboo, though he doubted he could have made out any of the characters even if it had been freshly written an hour ago.
"What is this?" He asked, carefully untying the ribbon, and started to unfold the strips. They were connected by thin pieces of hemp rope, also fraying and well past the end of their life cycle.
Zewu-Jun wiggled his nose and inched closer. "These outline the curse that was put on us centuries ago." He stood on his hind legs and placed a paw on the strips, "We used to be humans, a prominent clan, well respected among the rest and highly regarded."
"What did you piss off?" Because that had to have been what happened here. A whole clan didn't spontaneously turn into rabbits, even on a wayward curse. The backlash would only happen to the originator, and one rabbit is easier to hide then…hundreds.
"My didi, Lan Wangji, broke off his engagement to a member of the Wen clan."
Wei Ying wrinkled his nose. Even now, for all the time that had passed between their lifespans, the Wen's were notorious and ill-regarded, even as they claimed the title of number one clan and their banners could be seen flown throughout the entire area.
"And they cursed your entire clan…"
Zewu-Jun nodded, "The curse can only be broken by the heat of three scarlet flames." His nose twitched as he eyed the three, scarlet, tails behind Wei Ying. "And I believe the young-ones think that is you."
"They mentioned something about…the three flames thawing the heart but, I still think you have the wrong fox."
"What color is your foxfire?"
"Purple."
"See, Zewu-Jun," the juniors pipped up from behind him. Sizhui and Zizhen bounced excitedly while the other two looked like might be convinced of something yet. "Red and blue make purple. It's fate. He's the one."
Wei Ying opened his mouth to protest some more, when his stomach reminded them all that a starving predator stood among them. "Sorry, it's been a few days since I've eaten."
"That was what we came here for," Jingyi thumped his foot. "To feed him and escort him out of the tunnels."
He didn't care if he stayed or went, as long as he got something to eat before—
POOF
A small purple fire engulfed Wei Ying, and where once an extremely attractive young man stood there was now a lanky scarlet fox. He rubbed a paw over his face and shook his head, things just weren't going his way.
"I'll be back with some food. Sizhui, come help me bring it out."
He watched as the two rabbits slunk into the depths of the burrow and he distracted himself by wondering where it went. Moving to the edge of the pond, he opened his mouth and licked his lips at the plump koi that swam in the water.
"Don't even think about it," Jingyi said as he came up beside him. "Those belong to Lóng-gege."
But what else could their possibly be in a rabbits nest that would fill a foxes belly?
"Your Lóng-gege has it good. Spends all his days sleeping and has a fluffle of cute little bunnies tending to his fishes and gardens. Tell me, how do I get such a splendid curse put on me?" Wei Ying stretched, the pads of his paws skimmed the waters' surface as he flicked his tails behind him. Laughing when he heard a scoff.
"Lóng-gege doesn't sleep all the time. He is awake all night watching over us."
"The least he could do, I am sure."
"Ugh you're impossible!"
"No, I'm Wei Wuxian." And he was sure that if Jingyi thumped his foot any harder, the little rabbit was going to create a new burrow.
He lifted his own leg and gently scratched the itch behind his ear, and shook out his fur as he stood. He couldn't eat the fish or the rabbits. He wasn't sure if he wanted to as about the weird looking fruit that grew on the tree.
At first he had thought it was a plum, but its' skin was white as fresh snow. It almost looked as though there were a snowstorm beneath the peeling, but Wei Ying was sure it was simply his eyes playing tricks on him from being underground for so long.
"Well, I should be off."
"Sit down. Sizhui and Zewu-Jun have gone to get you food. You're going to eat it before you leave."
Wei Ying placed a paw over the black tuff of fur on his chest, "Careful, it almost sounds like to do care about my well being."
Jingyi bristled, "I don't!" He snapped and hopped away to where Zizhen and Jin Ling sat.
He continued to explore the cavern. He sniffed at the glowing mushrooms, going so far as to lick the cap of a larger one, before deciding that it wasn't worth the risk to see if they were edible. Even if the quick taste was as vile as any rotten carcass he had scavenged from before.
"Xian-gege!"
He lifted his head at the sound of his name and turned to see Sizhui bounding towards him; ears flopping and tail twitching.
"Did you find something to suit your Xian-gege's sensitive stomach?"
Sizhui nodded, "We did. Follow me."
Wei Ying did so and blinked in surprise when he saw the veritable feast laid out before him. There was a small pile of bayberries next to a small pile of beetles. It was no meat, but it was enough of a treat that Wei Ying couldn't find fault with the rabbits. The berries had to have come from their personal stores and…well he supposed he could have tracked the insects down if he really needed to.
"Thank you."
He ate the berries, and used a few of them to cover the taste of dirt and bile of the unwashed—uncooked—beetles. At least they weren't squirming their way down his throat. He was also impressed with himself at not choking, he scarfed the meal down.
A soft chitter had him lifting his head, berry juice stained his muzzle and he gave his fur a quick rub with the back of his paw, as Zewu-Jun sat in front of him.
Zewu-Jun was larger than the other rabbits, his two-toned ears flopped at his side, and the thick fur around his eyes gave him an air of serene calm that the others did not have. He held the bamboo slates in his paws, hugged tightly to his body, as he watched Wei Ying with a curious tilt to his head.
"Is this the part where you ask me to leave?" Wei Ying said, breaking the silence that had blanketed the cavern. He wouldn't mind leaving, as much as he enjoyed his time playing with the bunnies—he had places to be, chicken-coops to raid, and a burrow to call his own.
The rabbit shook his head and dropped the slates. He flipped through them with the grace of someone who was well read but, well, had their slender hands replaced with the clumsy paws.
"The opposite, actually." Zewu-Jun replied after a moment. He seemed to have found what he was looking for and turned his beady little rabbit eyes on Wei Ying. "You do match the description of the being named in the curses legend and, if it's not too much to ask, would like to test the theory."
"And what would I have to do? Offer myself up to Lóng-gege and pray he takes mercy on my delectable little self? How do I know he won't think me a sacrifice from his colony thanking him for all his years of protection and cheers to a good harvest?"
Zewu-Jun patiently sat through Wei Ying's rambling, watching as the three tails behind the fox flicked back and forth with a nervous energy.
"Wei-gongzi wouldn't have to do much, just visit my didi and you will know right away if you can break the curse or not."
"And if not?"
Zewu-Jun shrugged, "I will ensure you escape with all your tails."
✩₊˚.⋆☾𓃦☽⋆⁺₊✧
Wei Ying did not go and see Lóng-gege, he was still mulling over the fact that Zewu-Jun had called him his didi. Not that he could tell how old everyone was, but the idea of a rabbit having a dragon for a younger brother made Wei Ying roll over and laugh. If it wasn't for the curse he would have laughed even harder, and perhaps even painted a portrait of what he assumed their parents to look like.
Of course their mother would have to be the dragon. Even a divine rabbit would be too small to birth a dragon.
He passed the time by exploring the outer warren, as he had come to call it. The expanse of caves and tunnels that ran beneath the temple grounds seemed to stretch on forever, though every time he reached the dark western tunnels, he turned back.
There was no array blocking his path. No flag or talisman warding off evil or mischievous spirits that kept him from setting foot or paw down the passage. What stopped him was the presence at the other end. Eventually that tunnel would turn into a cavern not much smaller than the one that housed the rabbits and their tree. Inside he knew he would find the slender and scaly form of Lóng-gege—and the ice cold temperament that he was known for.
Allegedly.
While the juniors—the four bunnies that never seemed to leave him alone—babbled nonstop about how great and wonderful their Lóng-gege was, other members of the Lan clan had mixed opinions about the cause of their strife. No one said anything outright awful about Lóng-gege, but other than the young ones, and Zewu-Jun, no one had anything particularly good to say either.
So Wei Ying continued to carefully collect his evidence and explored the rest of the area.
"Xian-gege, where are you going?"
Wei Ying glanced over his shoulder. With enough rest and a belly full of stolen fish, he had regained enough strength to keep his hybrid form. He preferred to explore with hands and feet, and he could tell that the rabbits were more relaxed when he wasn't so obviously a fox.
He saw his four little shadows hopping up the slope behind him, the sky above was overcast but the sun was making a valiant effort in chasing the clouds away.
"Just to get some fresh air. I've been underground for so long that I've forgotten what the wind feels like."
The rabbits continued to follow him, chittering among themselves as the five of them continued up the slope and out into the courtyard.
It was exactly how Wei Ying had remembered it, decrepit and rundown. He walked through patches of knee-high grass and pushed low hanging branches out of his way as he explored what—he assumed—used to be an extravagant garden.
"What did you say the name of this temple was?" He asked his little shadows.
Jingyi wiggled his nose as he leapt up on to a boulder, putting him at chest height with the fox. "We didn't."
"Gusu."
"And this is why you're my favourite." Wei Ying chuckled as he picked Sizhui up and gently scratched behind the bunny's ears. Jingyi let out a low growl as he jumped off the rock and landed squarely on Wei Ying's foot, getting a surprised yelp out of the man.
With a soft little hmph, Jingyi scurried on a head, leaving the rest to trail after him.
"Gusu…" Wei Ying repeated softly, still petting Sizhui, as he followed the bunnies further into the abandoned gardens.
He'd never heard of it before, unless the temple went by a different name in the secular world, and he was still trying to figure out how it landed on top of his mountain. Wei Ying wasn't old but he wasn't young either, he had lived on Baifang long before the first human village had been erected and, while there were shrines and places of worship, those humans had never built anything so grand.
Wei Ying hadn't explored very far from Baifang. He'd never a reason to. All he needed and wanted sprawled the mountain; from sweet spring water that trickled down from the snowcaps, to the wide variety of fowl and fish for him to fill his belly. There were always humans to help, humans to reprimand—and cultivators to play pranks on.
"How did your temple get here, I wonder." He spoke softly, more to himself than the bunny dozing in his arms, or the others playing around his feet.
Sizhui yawned, his whiskers twitched as he stretched in Wei Ying's hold. "We don't know. Every few centuries we just…move."
"Is it part of the curse? If, within a certain time frame, the soulmate doesn't appear…then everything moves to a new location. I wonder what the radius is. I didn't feel a shift in the air, or see the light of an array." He had just been running through the forest during a thunderstorm while being chased by cultivators and their spirit hounds.
"Xian-gege would have to speak to either Zewu-Jun or Lóng-gege." Sizhui sat up in Wei Ying's arms and placed a soft little paw on the fox's cheek. "They know the details better than anyone."
Wei Ying sighed as he paused next to the dried remains of what was once a large pond. A statue, chipped and smoothed by the passing of time, stood crumbling on a small patch of land in the center. While it was missing its head, the out stretched arms looked inviting enough—as though they were waiting for someone to reach out and take their hands, and guide them back to land.
He shook his head, ears twitching as the winds shifted and brought with them the sound of barking dogs. They weren't spirit hounds—the air lacked the scent of burning sage that followed the celestial beasts. Just normal humans hunting for their dinner.
"Let's go back inside…" Wei Ying called to the bunnies, they all stopped and stared at him. It was uncanny, the way their heads turned in unison, and all four pairs of beady black eyes bore into his own crimson ones. "I think it's time I met, Lóng-gege."
✩₊˚.⋆☾𓃦☽⋆⁺₊✧
Wei Ying walked at a sedated pace, down the slope that lead back to the underground warren. Sizhui and Jingyi had bounced off ahead, leaving him to walk with Ouyang Zizhen and Jin Ling. The former waxing poetics about how romantic the whole curse was, being destined to eventually meet your one true love, while Jin Ling hissed and huffed and berated Wei Ying for waiting so long.
It had only been a week.
When Wei Ying had voiced that, both rabbits had stopped in their tracks and turned back to look at him. He thought that he might be the first fox in history to be eaten by a pair of adolescent bunnies.
They round the bend, now that he had traveled the tunnels multiple times he realized that they weren't nearly as long or daunting as he had first thought. Everything was quite compact, despite how wide the tunnels were and how grand the main cavern. As he stepped through the mouth of the warren's cave, the mid-day sun still shining through the gap above the tree—the spot he had been trying to locate on the surface—and cast a warm glow through the shimmering leaves. Lan Sizhui and Jingyi were waiting for him, alongside Lan Xichen and,
"Ah, Lan Xiansheng…you came too."
Lan Qiren puffed his chest as he sat up to his full height. Which, wasn't that far and even with his ears held high barely reached Wei Ying's knee.
"Of course! You think I will really allow you to see my nephew than you are grossly mistaken."
"I don't think I'm gross, or mistaken. Everyone has been pestering me to go see him since I first fell down this rabbit-hole, and I have a few questions that I'm sure only he can answer. You know, being the source of the curse and all."
"You—!"
"It's alright, Shufu," Zewu-Jun placed a paw on his uncle's back. "There's no harm in letting them meet. If nothing happens then Wei-gongzi can return to his home."
Wei Ying raised an eyebrow. Technically, he was still home since they were still on Mount Baifang. Unless the temple existed both in and outside of the secular world, and the gate to the temple was on the mountain while the temple itself was elsewhere.
He pinched the bridge of his nose. Nothing would be answered arguing with an elderly hare.
"Zewu-Jun, would you do me the honour of showing me the path?" Wei Ying asked. He knew the juniors would be more than happy to drag him down the western tunnels, but he had questions and the little ones wouldn't have the answers.
Lan Xichen nodded, his ears brushing the ground as his head bobbed, and hopped forward. "Of course. It's been a few days since I last visited Wangji myself."
Lan Qiren's beady little eyes bounced back and forth between Wei Ying and his eldesr nephew. He sat their, on his haunches, and rubbed his paws down the black strip on his belly. Wei Wing tried not to laugh, the habit of stroking a beard must be hard to break.
"Xichen, tell me truthfully if anything is to happen between Wangji and this…creature."
"This creature could still decide to eat you for dinner." Wei Ying growled, tails puffing behind him as his ears laid flat against his head.
"Now, now," Lan Xichen sighed as he stood between the two, "Shufu, I will don't worry. Wei-gongzi, we should get going."
Wei Ying didn't want to be the one to break eye contact first, but he also didn't want to waste anymore time. With a huff of his own, he turned in a flourish of dirty robes and twitching tails, sending a gust of spiritually guided air towards Lan Qiren. He swore he heard the elder rabbit curse beneath the chittering, muttering that if he was human then Wei Ying wouldn't stand a chance.
He glanced over his shoulder, watching as Lan Sizhui helped Lan Qiren back to his feet with a soft, "Okay, Shufu."
✩₊˚.⋆☾𓃦☽⋆⁺₊✧
The western tunnel was still as dark and forboding as he remembered it. The entire week he would stand in the cross-tunnel and stare into the pitch black as he tried to make out any shapes or movements. He was convinced that there was nothing at the end, just a wall of stone and a picture of a dragon that the delusional rabbits worshiped. Though he wasn't entirely sure if that would be better, or worse, than finding a real dragon there either.
Lan Xichen hopped a few paces in front of him. The two-toned rabbit had started off with telling stories of their youth, giving Wei Ying information on Lan Wangji as a human; quiet, stern, some called him cold but Xichen knew better. He knew that his little brother was simply shy and did his best to be the best and most well behaved. Because that was the last thing their mother had said to them.
"Be good for your Shufu, and you can come visit me."
"Did he?" Wei Ying asked, as they stopped at another break in the tunnel. Three options laid before them, and though he knew Xichen knew the way, it looked like this was the first test.
Before that, however, Lan Xichen tilted his head, "Did he what?"
"Did he get to visit his mother."
A soft puff of air, that Wei Ying had come to register as laughter, escaped Lan Xichen. "Of course, every other week, Shufu would bring us both to the jingshi to see her."
"That's good. No child should be kept from their mother…" He trailed off and locked his own memories back into the small little box he stored them in. There would be times to share stories about his mother and her grand adventures, but now was not one.
Wei Ying cleared his throat. "Which one?"
Lan Xichen sat in the middle of the fork and stared at him. "Which one calls to you."
Right. Soulmate. Wei Ying had nearly forgotten about that part and the fact that he should be able to, what? Scent the air and pick up the mythical waves of whatever strings were supposed to be binding them together? He called horse-shit. And bullshit. And all the other types of animals that could shit freely and in large amounts all at once.
Wei Ying had never been one for fate or destiny. He didn't actively denounce their existence, that would be foolish, but he tried not to fall into the habit of letting them become a crutch like humans did. That it was someone's fate, to lose their parents at a young age and fight wild dogs for scraps behind inns. That destiny was predetermined and an orphan had no business trying to rise above a nobleman's son.
He shook his head, casting off the memories and the look of concern on Zewu-Jun's face. "Right, let's go this way then."
With an air of confidence that was only surface level, Wei Ying marched down the right-most tunnel. He stopped after a few minutes of his fast pace, wondering if Lan Xichen had been able to keep up with his stride or not, and waited for the rabbit to catch up with him. When the soft sound of Xichen's light hops didn't reach his ears, Wei Ying took a step back the way he came.
"Zewu-Jun?" He called, the tunnel behind him as dark as the way ahead. Wei Ying hugged himself, shivering as a warm breeze brushed against his ankles. His tails curled around his lower half as he dropped to a crouch, ears pressed flat, and made himself as small as possible.
"Xiongzhang has returned to the warren."
The voice came from everywhere and nowhere. As deep as the caves that rumbled beneath the shifting scales of the massive creature behind him. Wei Ying turned, slowly, watching as the darkness cleared from his vision and the path opened to reveal another grand cavern.
This one had no tree, or sun shining down through a hole in the ceiling. Instead, the soft glowing fungai grew in large clumps along the walls and a soft moss carpeted the ground. The pale light reflected off an another pool, though smaller than the one in the warren, it was fed by a waterfall—where it started Wei Ying couldn't make out—and cast off in a slow moving stream that vanished beneath the far wall.
At least that explained the underground pond. But not the koi.
"Who are you."
"Xian-gege, as the kits have taken to calling me." Wei Ying crept forward, still poised to run out as fast as his legs could carry him. He let his eyes wander over the shifting form before him. Lan Wangji wasn't nearly as large as he had first thought, though still three times the size of Wei Ying. The dragon's head was large enough that if Wei Ying wrapped his arms around it in a hug, his fingers would barely touch, and he was long.
Wei Ying couldn't even begin to guess where the dragon's tail was hidden. The shimmering white scales reflected the pale blue light of the fungi and coiled endlessly.
"Mm."
Wei Ying watched as Lan Wangji lowered his head, bringing it within inches of the fox's torso, and sniffed. His pale green eyes glinted like twin jades set against the dark velvet of his brow. If he were this handsome as a transformed beast, Wei Ying could only begin to imagine how he looked as a human.
"Zewu-Jun…seems to think I might be able to break your curse."
"Do you?"
Did he? Did Wei Ying really think that he was going to be the one in a million wandering souls out there that would break the curse on Lan Wangji and his family? No, not even a little bit. There was nothing special about Wei Ying, he was smart and cunning; but so were all húli jīng.
Wei Ying reached a hand out and hovered it above the flat of Lan Wangji's face. He felt the warm air steadily flowing from the dragon's nostrils and tried not to think of how easily Lan Wangji could bite his hand off. His whole arm, for that.
"I'd like to try." Was the near breathless answer, as Lan Wangji closed the distance and pressed his head into Wei Ying's hand.
It was instant.
What it was, Wei Ying wasn't sure, but it crashed over him as violently as waves in a storm. His heart thundered in his chest, hard enough to hurt, and his vision swam in the torrent of emotions that rushed through him.
His hand warmed, where the two of them touched, but he couldn't bring himself to sever the connection. Wei Ying's eyes watered at the thought.
As the sensation calmed, he sea inside his heart settled into a smooth, reflective surface, Wei Ying felt…well he wasn't sure what he felt.
The closest thing he could compare it to was a large bowl of hot soup on a cold winter's night. Being warmed from within and feeling satisfied as he laid down to sleep on a full belly, curled up in a nest of soft blankets and dry hay. All while knowing that the farmer's daughter would return in the morning with scrapes from the breakfast table.
It had almost been a home.
Now the mountain was his home and he stayed away from pretty daughters and their hearty steamed dumplings.
Now…
"I think…" Wei Ying trailed off. The dragon's eyes were closed and a soft rumbling shook the ground beneath the foxes feet. It took a moment to register it for what it was. Lan Wangji was purring—or at least that was what it sounded like.
When those large eyes opened again, the shone with a new light—a silent hope that perhaps this truly was what they both thought it was. Not that Wei Ying wanted to believe it. That he had been abandoned, orphaned, and tossed aside so many times…only to be chased into the deep forests of Baifang Mountain. That he might have suffered for centuries to ensure that this day happened—and…what would have become of him if Lan Wangji had never been cursed?
"You think too much."
"This is a situation that requires a lot of thinking. There's so much thinking. First, second, and third of all…why me? And then, do we even really know if it is me? Maybe it's just really warm down here, you give off a lot of heat and I'm…well I'm not on fire right now, but I could be."
The dragon snuffed. "Frivolous."
"Excuse me, there's nothing of the sort. I-I need insurance, to know that you aren't going to leave me on this mountain the next time your temple gets legs and walks off again. If, and it's a big if, I am going to have a chance at breaking your curse."
"Mm."
"I'll take that as a yes." He slipped his hand from Lan Wangji's face and shivered as the damp cave air brushed against his still warmed skin.
Wei Ying stared at his hand for a moment before he leaned in and pressed a light kiss between the dragon's eyes. It lasted only a fraction of a second, before he realized what he was doing.
"Oh-oh no. Oh I'm sorry, I'm—leaving." He didn't wait for Lan Wangji's response, and he also didn't see the way the silver scales lit a soft pink hue, before running back down the tunnel.
✩₊˚.⋆☾𓃦☽⋆⁺₊✧
The kiss didn't break the curse. Because of course it wouldn't be that simple.
Wei Ying sat beneath the plum tree, atop the entrance to the rabbits warren, and carefully flipped through the bamboo planks. The writing was just as faded and worn as the last time he looked through the booklet, and he was scared that it would turn to dust beneath his fingers, but there had to be something. He was sure an answer was obvious.
Well. It was obvious, Wei Ying just refused to entertain it.
The kiss didn't work because this wasn't an average curse. If it were, he could have used his own spiritual powers to reverse it. That also hadn't worked, and Wei Ying spent the last few days hiding from Lan Wangji. Incase the dragon was still upset about the singed whiskers.
"Xian-gege."
Wei Ying looked up and smiled softly as his four little shadows joined him in the shade of the tree. "Hello, kits, finished your chores for the day?" He still didn't know what it was they did. It wasn't like they needed to maintain the temple above, and the older rabbits took care of the underground gardens and ponds.
Sizhui nodded, his ears flopping about as he settled next to Wei Ying. "Even though we're rabbits we still need to learn."
"What's the one thing you miss the most about being human?" Wei Ying asked, as the other three kits huddled up against his thigh.
There was a pause, and Wei Ying's mind drifted back to the writings in his lap. He assumed that the bunnies had decided to take a nap, as they often did in the late afternoon.
It was Jingyi that broke the silence, thumping his foot on the ground and pulled a startled yelp out of the fox.
"I miss riding around on my sword."
Jin Ling sat and brushed out his ears, head tilted in contemplation. "I miss…my mom's lotus soup."
Ouyang Zizhen stretched out next to the blonde bunny, his brown spots freckled across his back. "I miss my books." He had an air about him, like he wanted to say more on the subject, but caught sight of the far-off trance that Jin Ling had fallen into, and decided against it.
Wei Ying could assume, regarding the passage of time and the fact that the kits who missed their parents would eventually have to deal with the reality that they were long gone. He also, wasn't about to be the one to break the news to A-Ling. Lan Xichen could have that conversation with them.
"What about you, Sizhui?" The fox asked as he leaned back against the trunk of the tree, hands pillowed behind his head.
The little bunny gave a soft shake of his fur and wiggled his nose. "Tangren." The other three made of chirps of agreement as they curled closer together for their afternoon nap.
Wei Ying smiled as they fell into their routine, and stared up at the hole in the ceiling. The afternoon sun cascaded over the little outcropping and warmed the grass. The crystal plum-like fruit glistened like diamonds hanging from the branches high above.
He had asked Lan Xichen about the strange fruit, which had pulled an exasperated sound from the rabbit. Wei Ying hadn't been surprised when Lan Xichen had told him it had to do with the curse. That every century a new plum would bloom, and if the curse wasn't broken before the last blossom bloomed they would remain so for eternity.
With just a brief glance from where he sat, Wei Ying could count eight plums and dozens of blossoms. This was either the most forgiving curse in existence, or the least. Eight centuries of living as a dragon while his clan was trapped as rabbits. Wei Ying shuddered to think what might have happened if Lan Wangji had been even the slightest bit a villain. Perhaps the curse giver had been hoping for him to snap and eat the rabbits over the years.
Wei Ying made a face and shook his head. He had only met with Lan Wangji once, but even from that brief moment, Wei Ying knew that Lan Wangji would never harm innocent people—let alone his own clan members.
With a drawn out sigh, Wei Ying closed his eyes and joined the kits for their nap.
✩₊˚.⋆☾𓃦☽⋆⁺₊✧ Six Months Later ✩₊˚.⋆☾𓃦☽⋆⁺₊✧
Wei Ying hadn't really thought that anything was going to come of this.
Hadn't let himself believe that he was really Lan Wangji's soulmate, or whatever title Lan Xichen had given him. But as time had moved forward, Wei Ying found himself spending more time with the dragon and less time thinking about leaving.
Wei Ying hummed a soft tune as he made his way down the familiar halls of the underground cavern. There wasn't a passage that scared him, or made him weary about exploring. He'd done a lot of that with his four little shadows and had even started to clean up the surface gardens.
Which was where he was making his way back from. Covered in dirt and exhausted from spending the afternoon under the cloudless sky, Wei Ying was ready for a bath in his semi-private room.
"Lan Zhaan~!" He cooed as he slipped into the western cavern.
Lan Wangji rumbled in acknowledgement as the dragon moved through the opening in the far end of the cave.
Wei Ying had been pleased to discover that Lan Wangji had a room full of books and items befitting a thirty year old man. The snow-white sword, Bichen, hung from a place of reverence above a wooden mantle. On the mantle were small figurines, and other little trinkets. One wall was lined with shelves that overflowed with scrolls and books, while the other two were bare and cornered the space that Lan Wangji used to sleep.
With a soft smile and a large wave of his arm, Wei Ying beckoned the dragon over as he started to undress. He let his dirty robes fall to the ground and jumped into the cool water of the pond. He broke the surface with a sharp gasp and shuddered.
A snort had him turning around and Wei Ying grinned as Lan Wangji settled at the edge of the water.
Lan Wangji lowered his head and brushed the tip of his nose against the top of Wei Ying's head.
"Did you have fun?" He asked.
"Of course. Those young bunnies might be spry, but Xian-gege is sprier. They thought they could outsmart a fox and ended up slipping into their own traps." Wei Ying laughed, eyes closed in delight as he reached up and wrapped his arms around Lan Wangji's nose.
Lan Wangji hummed, the vibrations of his chest sent shivers through Wei Ying's entire body. "I am glad. And what of…the others?"
Wei Ying stretched his legs out behind him and floated, using Lan Wangji's face as both an anchor and a flotation device.
"Zewu-Jun has also been a big help these last few months. He thinks he has figured out what is written on the faded pages." Wei Ying laid his head between the dragon's eyes. "You uncle, however…well if it weren't for the curse he would probably have tuned me into fox-soup ages ago."
"Mm," Lan Wangji hummed his agreement. Lan Qiren wasn't Wei Ying's biggest fan, and quite frankly seemed to go out of his way to make Wei Ying's stay less than pleasant. The joke was on the old hare, Wei Ying was determined to have not only a great time but to be the best curse breaker he could.
"Lan Zhan—" Wei Ying stood, the water lapping at his hips as he slid his hands down the side of the dragon's face, "Lan Zhan, do you think that maybe we should—"
"Lóng-gege!"
The heavy sound of rapid feet pounding against the ground echoed through the cave. Wei Ying, spooked, turned into his fox form in a light poof of purple smoke before climbing his way out of the pond. He shook the water from his fur as Lan Sizhui and Jingyi burst through the mouth of the cavern.
"Calm, what is it?"
The two kits stopped before them, sides heaving as they leaned against one another.
"Humans are trying to get inside the temple." Sizhui caught his breath first.
"They have swords and talismans and spiritual animals!" Jingyi jumped ahead.
Wei Ying frowned, as much as he could in his fox form. "It sounds like the cultivators who were hunting me have finally gathered their wits to try again."
"They won't get passed the wards." Lan Wangji's voice was low and steady. It worked well to calm the two kits who were still trying to catch their breaths from running full speed across the warren.
Lan Sizhui shook his head, "Maybe, but Zewu-Jun has already gone up top to keep an eye on things and was the one who told us to get you."
Wei Ying stretched, his tails flicking nervously behind him. He knew what he had to do but he didn't want to. He didn't want to leave and risk never being able to return. He also didn't want to leave it to chance that the cultivators wouldn't break through the temples defense.
"I'll go give Zewu-Jun some company. I might even be able to scare them off."
"Wei Ying—"
He licked Lan Wangji's nose and tapped it with a paw. "I'll be fine."
✩₊˚.⋆☾𓃦☽⋆⁺₊✧
Famous last words, as he ducked and dodged between the steles. It was smoother running on a clearer path, since he had been the one to clear it. Making way for new growth and possibly the rains to fill the little pond once more—he still didn't know where the waterfall that fed into Lan Wangji's cave came from. Instead, it was also working in the favor of the spiritual dogs that nipped at his heels.
He could hear the screams and hisses of the Lans, as they emerged from the underground warren to try and defend their home from the intruders. A few of them had been injured, stepping in traps that were laid for him—he would recognize those locking arrays anywhere—and one unfortunate rabbit had been snapped up in the jaws of a dog.
There was a stitch in his side as he tried to circle back and make his way to Lan Xichen, who (for a rabbit) was putting up quite the fight against the humans. Wei Ying could only imagine how graceful and powerful he had been as a man; and was glad to have taken the hit for him.
Pain flared as he lead the dogs around the temple grounds. His heart thundering louder than their barks as the adrenaline spiked through him. Wei Ying jumped, hoping that there was a hole he could crawl into and loop back to the front of the temple. Instead, he landed in a corner.
"Oh…oh no."
His tails went up as he turned to face the three dogs that inched toward him, their teeth bared as they snarled. Wei Ying tried to call on his fox-fire, even if it was only enough to make the beasts flinch, but nothing came. He had expended too much energy early on in the attack, trying to keep them from stepping foot through the gate.
His eyes darted around, looking for an escape route. He was small enough, he might be able to slip beneath the belly of one of the dogs and make it to the other side. Which he could see now, and watch as the cultivators started to bag the rabbits. Their voices carrying over the open garden as they loudly discussed the price of snow-white fur.
"No!" Wei Ying cried out as he saw the largest man lift Lan Sizhui by the scruff of his neck. Where was Lan Xichen, Lan Qiren—where was Lóng-gege. He couldn't see either of the elder rabbits, and he had no way of getting to the dragon right now. There was no time.
Wei Ying made the run for it, mustering the last of his strength he ran between the dogs and ignored the sharp graze of their fangs against his flank as they tried to grab his tails. This wouldn't do. He concentrated and shifted as he ran, he needed hands and he was just as fast with two feet as four.
"Let him go!" He shouted as he reached the group of men, dogs still hot on his tails. Wei Ying reached forwards, purple flames gathered at the tips of his fingers and shot towards the cultivators. A few of them startled, dropped their bags, and scattered. He could only imagine what they saw; a fox yao, robeless, covered in dirt, scars, and dripping blood from the wound in his side.
Wei Ying's eyes burned a cold-misty silver as he stared down the cultivators who remained. "Let him go."
Instead of following the order, the human unceremoniously threw Lan Sizhui into the bag with the others.
Wei Ying almost lost his footing, as the ground shook from the thunderous roar that emerged from the depths of the earth.
He paused his charge and grinned. "You're going to regret ever harming a single hair on these hares."
The man pointed his sword at Wei Ying. "You should have killed me when you had the chance, yao." He sliced through the air, sending the bright light of a sword-glare towards Wei Ying, who did not have the chance to move.
He flew backwards and connected with the hard surface of what he thought was a tree. Until he felt the rumble and Lan Wangji's face came into his watery view.
"Ah, Lan Zhan. You came afterall…I'm sorry, I wasn't enough. I couldn't protect your clan…I couldn't fight off the cultivators. I should have left before giving you a sense of hope in lifting this curse." He felt the sting of tears even as his side and legs went numb. "I wish I could have seen you as a human. And the kits…Ah, Lan Zhan, don't look at me like that. We had a wonderful time together, and if I reincarnate then I will find you again. I promise."
There was another roar, and Wei Ying's vision went dark.
✩₊˚.⋆☾𓃦☽⋆⁺₊✧
"He can't really be dead."
"Zewu-Jun said it's like being dead."
"Where did his tail go?"
"It got ripped off by a dog."
Wei Ying groaned, his head was filled with war-drums and his side burned worse than the time he had rolled down a hill and landed in poison-ivy.
"You're too loud," he croaked. "Let Xian-gege rest…"
There were four sharp gasps, followed by the piercing sound of someone screaming names. Too many names, they all melted into one muffed sound as Wei Ying covered his ears and tried to die.
No, he did die.
Didn't he?
"How am I alive?" He asked the darkness behind his eyelids.
"Plum blossoms."
Wei Ying frowned. All of these voices were so close to sounding familiar but he could not place a single one. The soft yet high pitches of earlier that drove blades through his headache. The soft baritone of the one who spoke now, still grated on his skull but was more bearable.
"I didn't do anything worth saving. Everyone is gone." He must be in limbo. Needing to plead his case for reincarnation, or perhaps he'll roam the world as a vengeful ghost and haunt every cultivator he sees on Baifang Mountain for the rest of eternity. Just as his poor Lan Wangji will remain a dragon—only now alone.
"Xian-gege, we're still here."
"Mm." A sixth voice, floated into the space above Wei Ying's face. No, that was inaccurate. It was more of a pull, from the aura of the voices' owner. That Wei Ying did recognize, even with his eyes closed and extremities tingling as feeling slowly returned to his limbs.
He sat up and opened his eyes. There was a moment to ward off the nausea that threatened to knock him back down again, and then Wei Ying took in his surroundings through squinted eyes. The light was dim, but still too bright for his headache, as he looked around the small room.
The walls were white and made of wood and stone. He was in a proper bed, soft blankets over his bare skin, and—through the window across from him—he could see sunlight and clear skies and bamboo trees.
Focus. He told himself, as he turned his attention back to the six very human people that crowded his bedside.
Three young faces grinned up at him from the foot of the bed. The fourth pouted with his arms crossed over his chest, but even he couldn't hide the relief in his eyes. An older man, with a calm expression -placed a hand on the shoulder of the other man who looked his twin but a little younger, and squeezed.
"I'll take the juniors outside. Give you two a moment."
There was a round of aww's but none of the teenagers put up any resistance as they followed—it couldn't be, Lan Xichen?—out of the room.
"Wei Ying."
"Lan…Zhan?"
Arms—human arms—wrapped around Wei Ying and pulled him tight to the man's chest. He smiled and returned the hug with what strength he had and shook his head.
"What did Zewu-Jun mean, by the curses conditions?"
There was a pause and Wei Yin was about to ask the question again when he felt Lan Zhan shift against him and lean back.
"The curse, wasn't about love…"
Wei Ying raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, not about love? Wasn't it made to find the one person who could complete you and thus break the curse?"
"Mm."
"So why—"
"It wasn't because you love me." Lan Wangji lifted a hand and brushed stray hairs out of Wei Ying's face. "But because…you died and I love you."
His eyebrows did a funny little dance before Wei Ying narrowed his eyes at Fate and Destiny and whichever idiot came up with that curse in the first place. He hoped they were immortal so he could meet them and give them a piece of his mind. And a handful of foxfire.
"So I'm alive…because the conditions of the curse were met…and it reversed my death?"
It was Lan Wangji's turn to have an interact dance with his facial muscles. Though he had the excuse of not using his mouth to form words for centuries. The loss of his telepathy must be taking its' toll on him.
"After…" Lan Wangji paused, and Wei Ying wondered what exactly he did to those cultivators. Lan Wangji shook his head and continued. "The tree started to bear fruit in rapid succession. Once the last plum dropped, the curse lifted."
"Lan Zhan, you are horrible at explaining things." Wei Ying chuckled as he placed his hands on either side of the strikingly handsome face. Of course he still would have loved Lan Zhan even if he didn't look like he was carved by the heavens. No wonder a yao cursed him.
"Xiongzhang refined a pill from the plums, after studying the book with your notes. He saved you."
"Then I shall properly thank him later. For now," Wei Ying smiled as he leaned in and rubbed their noses together. "I don't want to think, my head hurts too much for such complicated thoughts."
"Mm."
"I need rest."
"Mm."
"Lan Zhan, come lay down with me."
Lan Wangji did not need to be asked twice, as he carefully laid on top of the blankets with his arms still wrapped around Wei Ying. There was a little bit of shuffling, both of them realizing that the bed was not quite wide enough for the two of them, but neither cared as they drifted off to sleep.