[MDZS] The Dragon and the Fox

Lan Zhan's Patience

Wei Ying awakened early the next morning. It was earlier than Lan Zhan. He wanted so badly to start another lesson, but he had to wait for the other to awaken first. Lan Zhan had a tight hold on Wei Ying. The fox boy pouted. He looked at the other sleeping peacefully. He took in every detail of the dragon's features, of their face. He timidly poked the pure white cheek and giggled. When the other didn't respond, Wei Ying kept poking their cheek and laughing like a child, thinking it was funny.

Wei Ying's laughter abruptly halted when Lan Zhan grabbed his wrist and held it. Wei Ying was thinking Lan Zhan was upset with him, and he was scared, his ears laying all the way back. Lan Zhan did the opposite. Instead of awakening with a glare and hollering as Wei Ying thought, the dragon simply flattened the fox's hand and held it against his cheek.

Wei Ying couldn't help the blush which crept up his neck and across his cheeks. "Mama..." Wei Ying relaxed knowing Lan Zhan was only dreaming. Wei Ying decided to sleep a little longer.

When Wei Ying awakened again, he felt someone caressing his cheek. He heard a voice softly and gently say, "Wei Ying. Time to wake up."

Wei Ying whined. "Jus- fi- mo- minu-es..."

The person hummed. Lan Zhan allowed him to sleep as much as he wanted. It wasn't until midday in which Wei Ying awakened fully. He scanned the room for any signs of Lan Zhan only to find it empty. Wei Ying panicked! He thought Lan Zhan had left him. He was a useless servant after all. Why would anyone want him, even a dragon lord? Wei Ying began to sob quietly.

The door opened softly. Lan Zhan entered with a tray of food. Not knowing what happened, seeing the fox boy crying, Lan Zhan at once placed the food on the table and went to him. He held the other close to him.

Lan Zhan: "Wei Ying. What happened?" he inquired after the other had calmed some.

Wei Ying sniffled. "I thought you left me..."

Lan Zhan was shocked. He pulled the other into a gentle embrace, caressing their hair. "Will never leave Wei Ying. Promised Wei Ying. Will keep the promise."

After some time, Wei Ying stopped crying completely. Lan Zhan wiped the fox's runny nose and tear stained face with a handkerchief. "Come. Eat." He carried Wei Ying to the table and set a dish of food in front of him. Lan Zhan sat behind Wei Ying with the other on his lap. Wei Ying felt strange sitting in that position.

Lan Zhan handed him a pair of chopsticks. Wei Ying gingerly took them and stared at the food. He wanted to vomit just from the sight of it, let alone the smell.

Wei Ying: "Lan Zhan..." He pushed the tray of food away. "Is there something different I can eat? I don't like this food..."

Lan Zhan was very concerned. "What does Wei Ying want?"

Wei Ying didn't know. All he knew was the more he smelled and stared at the food, the more he felt like vomiting.

Wei Ying: "I need a basket for one thing." He quickly placed his hand over his mouth as bile rose to his throat. He grew pale. Lan Zhan quickly carried Wei Ying to the basket at the far corner of the room where the fox vomited into it. It was empty bile, but it still concerned Lan Zhan greatly.

Wei Ying dry heaved into the basket. He had already lost some weight from being ill and not eating properly. Lan Zhan didn't know what to do except to knock him out.

After an hour or so, Wei Ying found himself on the floor with his head on Lan Zhan's lap. "Feeling better?" Wei Ying shook his head. He still felt sick to his stomach. "Wei Ying. What would Wei Ying like?"

Wei Ying didn't say anything. He only rubbed his head against Lan Zhan's hand. Lan Zhan patiently pet the boy between his ears, waiting for his answer. A quiet purr sounded from him. After a few minutes, Wei Ying said, "Meat buns and another lesson."

Lan Zhan nodded. He set the tray of food outside the door. He proceeded to place Wei Ying at the table. Then he went to fetch Wei Ying his food and more paper and ink.

Wei Ying wanted to try to write the character for rule again, but Lan Zhan said they would do a different word. Wei Ying pouted. Lan Zhan wrote a random word at the top of a paper. He did the same as before: repeat it two or three times, then show the fox how to write it by writing it with him, and then allowing him to write it himself.

The word Lan Zhan chose was a bit more difficult to write, but was easy to pronounce. Wei Ying nearly threw the brush a couple of times out of frustration. Lan Zhan would gently stay the other's hand and wait until they were calmed, so they could continue.

Lan Zhan had packed their belongings along with a few packs of meat buns for Wei Ying as the fox seemed to enjoy eating them the most. They set off to find information on the shadowed man. Lan Zhan really wanted to know about the mysterious fox he had scented in the forest that one night.

The two went to a tavern. Wei Ying was excited, because he could finally drink! Lan Zhan smiled, seeing how Wei Ying was happy and in a good mood. He allowed the fox to drink to his heart's content.

They inquired of one of the waiters if anything strange had been happening lately. "Let me think...Unless you mean like how an entire town completely disappeared a few nights back, I can't help you."

Wei Ying: "Wait! An entire town disappeared? Where? How? Why?"

Waiter: "The town is about half a day's journey from here. No one knows what happened exactly. The only detail on it has been a massive red light during one of the sunsets, and then nothing. Not even the screams of the people were heard. It's not only that town. Several other towns seemed to have vanished off the face of the Earth. The stories all remain the same: red light at sunset, then nothing."

Wei Ying and Lan Zhan looked at each other, communicating silently. "Which direction is the town in?" Wei Ying inquired.

Waiter: "North of here."

Wei Ying: "And all the other towns?"

Waiter: "Three others: one in the south, one east, and the final one west of here. Why?"

Wei Ying: "Nothing really. It all seems coincidental. We will investigate it."

Waiter: "If you do find out what happened, will you inform me?"

Wei Ying nodded. "You'll be the first to know. Let me say one thing: I believe this town is next on the list to disappear, so! if you don't want to vanish along with everyone else, I would leave immediately if I were you."

The waiter only blinked. Then what the fox said hit him hard and he scurried out of there as fast as he could go.

Lan Zhan: "Wei Ying."

Wei Ying: "What? I'm serious! Whoever it is doing the deed is forming an array where this town is the central sacrifice of it."

Lan Zhan froze, surprised. "Then we better hurry." With that, they paid their tab and left the tavern to search for the one responsible for all the disappearances.