The tale of the fox and the dragon egg

Chapter 44 - Omen

Just short in front of his lips did the bottle stop. All because of one scent, which was so extremely familiar to him. Not in a good way. In a way that made his stomach turn.

Instantly the fox looked around in alarm and raised his nose into the air higher, trying to think about where he had smelled that before.

"Master Wei?", came the question from Wen Ning as he noticed the strange behavior, but Wei Ying did not regard him.

Instead, the bottle he had just paid for slipped from his grip and burst on the ground.

Xue Yang. 

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"Wen Ning! Wen Ning, listen! What do you think about reconsidering – reconsidering this!"

This was a mistake. This was definitely a mistake.

When Wei Ying talked about Wen Ning flying them towards Lotus Pier, he didn't actually mean it. He didn't. He made a joke about it, nothing more. He swore it on his heart, he truly didn't mean it like that!

Especially not when he was carried within Wen Ning's claws and carried like a dry sack of rice! That was definitely not how he imagined it anyway. This was the whole opposite to when he travelled on Lan Zhan's back as he was a dragon.

That was comfortable. This was almost hell.

As the wind was cutting across his cheeks, the phoenix that was flying high in the sky looked down at him. The long neck was allowing the bird to creak his head down to his claws while he flew and he leaned it to the side as if to ask why with a curious gaze.

Those now red eyes looked at Wei Ying, then A-Yuan, who was curled around the fox's chest and neck in his dragon form. The fear of his mother was not one bit his own. It rather looked like he enjoyed the wind around him, stretching his snout out to feel the direction in his glee.

At least one of them was enjoying this.

The phoenix, who was still looking at him mid-flight, cooed once. As if to say it was his own suggestion and Wei Ying absolutely hated it that he had indeed said it.

They already had three days of travel behind them and the fox had complained about the speed that it took for them to press forward. Even though he hated to admit it, it was a hell of a long way to Lotus Pier on foot. He had forgotten it in all the time Lan Zhan had brought them somewhere, or when he travelled by sword.

The time on foot had doubled when Wen Ning persuaded him to rest in an inn every night on their way.

Lan Zhan had given them enough money to do so, more than enough actually. However, with how long their travel was already lasting by foot, he wouldn't be surprised to already see the dragon right up behind them.

Even though Wei Ying loved to complain about stopping at an inn every night, inside he was thankful about it. After not travelling like this for such a long time, his feet began to hurt after ten hours of constant walking. And A-Yuan grew more restless with time, due to the uncomfortable travel.

This was not something suitable for a tiny child such as him. It showed in the way the little one grew bored and tried to run off more. Of course, he was curious about the world around him, but that same world would be able to snatch him off his feet and into the shadows of the woods.

It was that or taking flight.

But Wei Ying started to regret his question the second the phoenix had taken off into the sky with them.