The tale of the fox and the dragon egg

Chapter 18 - First words

"Lan Zhan", he repeated, his silver eyes turning towards the older dragon, "It wasn't me."

Said dragon returned his gaze.

"I know."

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Silver and gold met.

Wei Ying felt like he didn't see the other in years and his heart yearned to catch up. Even if it were just some weeks at most, something in him squeezed almost too painfully at the thought.

They stood in the middle of the destroyed village, one in black and one in white. Between the dark, black burned houses and mountains of corpses the other dark fox had left behind.

Lan Zhan returned his gaze – Lan Zhan, he was here – and Wei Ying found himself unable to look away.

It was a moment of peace between all the chaos that had befallen him in the last couple of days. Like a calming breeze after a heavy rainstorm where one would close his eyes and enjoy the faint scent of rain.

Bichen was long sheeted, covered by the heavy white robes that made Wei Ying almost chuckle. Even in the warm summers of Yunmeng, the Lan didn't even break a sweat in their fight. Somehow, he was a little jealous. Back in his young years, he always whined to his siblings about it.

But he wouldn't expect anything else from one of the Jades of Gusu Lan.

"Lan Zhan", he began. The name was soft as it rolled off his tongue and he could already see how those golden eyes softened almost instantly. The other clearly waited for more words that Wei Ying always had on his sleeve.

When did he learn to read him?

But when he wanted to open his mouth again, something wiggled against his chest.

Wei Yings hands came up to move the wiggling bunch into them, holding it carefully.

"A-Yuan, you little pest! This is what brought us into this situation in the first place", he said, but couldn't be prouder that his son was apparently doing well. So well, that the little red head was fighting itself out of the clothes and popped out only a second later.

Silver eyes looked around, until a little coo resumed through the air as they met Lan Zhan. The little one was surprised and happy to see the second person he knew in this young life.

The older dragon looked at him in return. And Wei Ying almost couldn't believe his eyes as Lan Zhans mouth corners tugged upwards in a soft smile. These golden eyes softened and Wei Ying was almost jealous of his little radish.

He enjoyed it for a few seconds until he snapped out of his thoughts, his hand coming up to his heart as A-Yuan slipped himself around his arm.

"Lan Zhan! My poor heart! You can't just smile like that without warning!", he whined, dramatically fainting to fall unconscious.

But Lan Zhans smile stayed for a few seconds more, golden eyes turning towards Wei Ying and now he really felt like fainting. He wanted to open his mouth to tease the other, but suddenly Lan Zhans smile vanished from his face like snow in the hot sun of summer.

He stepped towards him, sure and with urgency and the fox had the sudden instinct to step back a little. However, he did not. Instead, his silver eyes looked down towards the pale hand that grabbed his arm, where the injury of his shoulder was almost healed.

There was still blood there, visible on the black fabric of his robe. It has long dried, only stains remained that would surely never wash out again.