The tale of the fox and the dragon egg

Chapter 32 - New arrival

The further up they went the more dust and rocks covered the ground. Wen Ning kept quiet for the whole way. It was clear that he felt out of place here, in the home of a clan that had fought and defeated his own in the war.

When the first remains of the wall appeared before him, coupled with the first guards that kept watch, Wei Ying shrunk back. The fox wanted to hide behind the broad back of Lan Zhan until nobody could see himself nor his child.

He couldn't even fathom how Wen Ning felt right now. 

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Wei Ying loved his new little group. The one he called his family.

He loved how Lan Zhan held little A-Yuan in his arms, how little A-Yuan rubbed his eyes and grinned up towards them, how Lan Zhan gently tugged those little hairs out of his face-

He was totally smitten.

Totally, totally infatuated with them.

It turned out that his little son was very grumpy in the morning. Maybe he took that after the fox, but to see that little pout on that face when Lan Zhan told him that it was time to truly get up, it was simply adorable.

What came after that wasn't so much. Wei Ying knew that the mood of a child could swing right and left in just one second, but when A-Yuan started to turn even more grumpy, started to grouch when he was nudged and then began to leak tears – it was not something Wei Ying had known that much beforehand.

Wei Ying ears flattened against his head at the loud voice of the child boomed through the cave when he took the little one from Lan Zhan's arms. The same had a lost look on his face, truly overwhelmed by the strong reaction he got.

He knew this behaviour only a little from his dragon form. But it was something totally different when one tiny dragon baby whined or when a three-year-old child took huge breaths and cried like that.

"Little radish, don't cry like that. Your old mother is here, nobody will do you any harm", Wei Ying hummed as he gently rocked the child in his arms, but it was no use. Little A-Yuan clung to him with everything he got, but didn't stop his grumpy assault.

Wei Ying was truly helpless now.

He shot one urgent look towards Lan Zhan, but the same had his eyes cast onto the crying child in the foxes' arms. There was only the tiniest bit of a crease between his eyebrows.

That was when he looked towards Wen Ning. The phoenix was one of the softest and empathetic people he knew. It was truly amazing how well he was liked by children, even when he didn't know how to handle them most of the time.

However, that was mostly with children that jumped around him like a dog looking for a treat. An image at which Wei Ying shuddered violently himself.

"Master Wei", Wen Ning began, a thoughtful look on his face, "When was the last time he ate something?"

Of course, Wei Ying instantly opened his mouth to answer, but it was firmly shut the next second.

When did his little A-Yuan actually eat something? Certainly not today and maybe even not yesterday.

Waking up to a more then empty stomach was surely nothing a person could handle and definitely not a small child like this! Wei Ying's hand gently stroked A-Yuan's belly, the one that he could hear rumbling and growling now that he paid attention.

"Oh, my little radish, your mama is so sorry!", the fox instantly wailed, cuddling his son even more against his chest. The same pressed nearer, then his cries turned into hiccups, only to turn louder again. With how sensitive his ears were, the high pitch almost hurt them violently, but Wei Ying didn't let loose.