[MDZS] The Dragon and the Fox

The Fox

No one knew. If they did, they never understood. No one understood. No one cared. At least, that's how one young cub saw it to be. That was, until he met a certain person who changed his mind completely.

It was a bright sunny day. Wei Ying was lazing away, basking in the warmth of the sun's rays, when he heard a low growl from somewhere nearby. He shot upright, his ears twitching, trying to pick up the sound. He searched all around him for the source of the sound, but there was nothing. Then he heard it. A low, cold and menacing bark which shook him to his very core. He froze for a moment.

He knew that bark very well. It was his archnemesis: Jiang Cheng! He immediately ran away, climbing a tree. He hid himself there, wrapping his body with his tails to blend in further. He watched through a slit between two of his tails as Jiang Cheng moved into view.

Jiang Cheng: "I know you're here, Fox! You can't hide from me!" he called out. Receiving no response, he took his human form. He sniffed the air, his eyes searching the area for any sign of the creature he sought after.

After what felt like an eternity to Wei Ying, Jiang Cheng gave up and left the area. Wei Ying breathed a sigh of relief once the other's figure disappeared completely from view. Wei Ying decided it was best to stay in the tree for the time being, though he was hungry and needed to hunt prey. He decided to wait for a couple more hours to ensure the other was truly gone.

Wei Ying had been hunted like a wild animal since the passing of the Jiangs. Jiang Cheng always blamed him for it. After all, Wei Ying was found next to their corpses with his eyes glowing a menacing red and an angered expression. Without investigating things first, Jiang Cheng immediately set off to hunting him down as soon as he ran away.

Wei Ying only ran because the other had taken on their wolf form. Wei Ying was afraid of dogs as it was. After all, it was a pack of barbaric dogs which killed his parents. Since then, he's been running nonstop. It's been months since the incident, but Wei Ying was too frightened to go anywhere, so he stayed in the general same area.

Wei Ying fell asleep. The next time he awakened, he found himself being cradled by strong arms. He didn't know who's they were, but he was frightened by them. He thought maybe, perhaps, Jiang Cheng had found him and was dragging him back to Lotus Pier! Yet, the breathing, scent and heartbeat were not the same. This one smelled of sandalwood. Wei Ying began to wonder who it was.

He opened his eyes, so they were mere slits. He looked to the face of his captor. His eyes widened completely when he saw it wasn't Jiang Cheng at all, but a beautiful male who seemed as though he'd been carved from jade. Wei Ying studied him for some time before the other spoke.

"Awake yet?" Wei Ying recognized the voice, but he couldn't place it. He found the words he wanted to say had become choked. He found he was dumbfounded and baffled all at the same time. "Don't worry. Won't harm. Will protect." No matter how much Wei Ying thought about it, he still could not place where he'd heard the voice before. It just didn't make any sense to him.

Wei Ying: "I'm hungry, but...where are you taking me? Who are you?"

Stranger: "Will see. Relax. Sleep."

Wei Ying felt himself fall into a deep slumber, before he knew what happened. The next time he awakened, he was in a room slightly on the small side, but everything was very simplistic. He felt very comfortable and safe in there. The bed was very soft as well as the sheets and blanket. He looked around, taking in everything.

A table with cushions around it and a guqin laying on top was in the center of the room. There were two bookshelves with the books all neatly arranged in alphabetical order. Wei Ying left the bed to scan through the many titles on the shelves.

"Want to read one?" Wei Ying jumped and turned around, curling himself into a ball to hide in the corner. "Sorry. Did not mean to scare. Here. Might like this one." The jade took the book from the shelf and offered it to Wei Ying.

Wei Ying gingerly unwrapped himself and accepted the offered book. He read the title. He gave the jade a look of "Really?" and gave the book back. "Sorry. I don't read much."

The jade placed the book on the shelf in its slot. "That's alright. Come. Food is prepared."

Wei Ying wondered where the food was, until a sweet smell wafted into his nose. He sniffed the air. It smelled like a fresh kill. His stomach growled rather loudly. He hid the blush behind one of his tails. His blushed deepened when he saw the other smile. It was a very minute smile, but it was there. Seeing that smile, Wei Ying's brain blanked completely. He found he could only stare at the beautiful man.

Wei Ying was led to a dining area in the building. Sitting atop a table was all kinds of meats. Some of them were even spicy. There were even fruits and vegetables. Wei Ying sat down eagerly and at once began to devour the food. "Slow down." Wei Ying pouted but obliged. They ate the meal in silence with Wei Ying having eaten a large portion of it.

Wei Ying looked at the other curiously. "Who are you? Where is this place?"

The jade looked at him. "Lan Zhan. Lan Wangji. This is Cloud Recesses." Wei Ying dropped the piece of chicken he was chewing on. He'd heard of Cloud Recesses before, but he thought it was a fairytale. It was said that long ago there resided a place where the Earth's guardians lived. They were hunted down by humans who wanted their scales and ivory horns to trade for profit. He thought they were gone.

Wei Ying stared in shock at the beautiful male. "I'm Wei Ying. Wei Wuxian. It's nice to meet you." Wei Ying winced a bit when he saw the pained look on the other's face for a brief moment.

Lan Zhan: "Know Wei Ying. Wei Ying does not remember this one."

Wei Ying looked at the other curiously. His ears twitched as he thought about where he could have met the other. "Lan Zhan. Where did we meet before?" He continued to rack his brain for anything at all related to meeting the man before, but he drew up nothing.

Lan Zhan: "Wei Ying needs to think about it himself." He left the table.

Wei Ying at once felt as though he'd done something wrong. "I'm sorry," he spoke dejectedly. "My memory is bad. I don't even remember what happened before the Jiangs died." Lan Zhan's breath hitched. Wei Ying was crying. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" he repeated over and over.

Lan Zhan felt bad. He hugged the fox, wrapping him in a gentle embrace. When Wei Ying had calmed down, Lan Zhan cautiously inquired, "What does Wei Ying remember?"

Wei Ying sniffled. "All I remember is a dark figure standing over their bodies and laughing manically. I was very angry, and everything went black after that. I woke up to Jiang Cheng hollering at me. He took on his wolf form. I panicked because of it and ran away. He'd been chasing me ever since. That's all I remember."

Wei Ying wanted to stay in the warm embrace a while longer. He wished Lan Zhan hadn't released the hold. "Will help Wei Ying."

Wei Ying looked at him as a wondering child. "Really? You mean it?"

Lan Zhan hummed. "Am certain Brother will help."

Wei Ying: "Who is your brother?" Lan Zhan didn't respond. He only dragged the poor fox from the building and to another where they met the brother.