Sons of Nature

4 The Last Rose of Winter (6)

The next few days, Fu Yun returned to the clearing where Yue Ji lived just as early, staying an hour or two before hurriedly returning to the village so nobody would realize what was going on, sometimes managing to hunt at least a rabbit or some other small animal while making his way through the woods.

Of course, keeping this kind of secret was easier said than done. These days, Fu Yun was more and more absentminded. He tried to go about his days as usual by not only sticking to the usual times he was out but also by doing the same things he normally did. Thus, the villagers would see him clean the space in front of his hut and prepare the prey if he managed to catch one. He'd go to the town with the other men to exchange some of their game for other provisions they'd need throughout the rest of the winter as well. Sometimes, he would even sit with everyone in the evening, eating and drinking together as if everything was normal.

But no matter what task he started, his mind would wander off in the middle of it. One moment, he might be skinning prey but the next, he'd stare off into space and only come back to himself when somebody approached or if he heard something in the distance. In the evening, while gathering with the others, he'd be quieter than usual, clearly more thinking to himself than talking to the rest.

No matter how much Fu Yun tried to pretend that everything was alright, the other villagers noticed that something was wrong with him. Soon, they started to whisper about what might be going on with him since they couldn't get a straight answer out of him when they asked.

"What's the matter with him? He looks like he lost his soul."

"It's been like this for a few weeks. Might just be the winter getting to him. It's not like he has a family to share the burden so it's not that strange either."

"But it's never been like this, has it? We've all grown up together and this isn't his first winter alone either. Also, it's not like he doesn't know that a lot of families would take him in if needed. Does he have a reason to be like this?"

No matter how much they questioned his behavior, they naturally had no way to know the real answer. Without Fu Yun acknowledging anything, this could only amount to idle talk. It made him worry though and certainly did not help with keeping his bearing.

The village and the forest were still in the tight grasp of winter, the trees and underbrush buried under a thick layer of snow while ice cones hung from the eaves of the huts. The snow also kept on falling, adding to the beauty of the landscape around while making life all the more difficult for the people.

Fu Yun stared out of his window that afternoon, his brows tightly furrowed. He had talked a lot with Yue Ji these days and he already knew that the spirit wouldn't be harmed by the weather. No matter whether it was his true body or the one he had cultivated, they were resilient against the forces of nature, more so than a human body or a plant could ever be. He didn't need to worry about him. But he did have to worry about their future.

He couldn't keep the pretense that everything was normal up for much longer. He had heard the others talk. Soon enough, somebody might follow him out of a misguided attempt to help him either suggesting it beforehand or just silently doing so. If they saw Yue Ji ... he was afraid it wouldn't end well.

For a day or two, he had entertained the idea of slowly introducing him to the others. If not everyone, then at least the people he was closest to. But later, he realized that this would never work. He didn't know how it was elsewhere but in the villages in these parts of the land, secrets like this couldn't be contained. If he told one person, everyone would soon be aware. And among those people, there would at least be one or two who could not accept a spirit like Yue Ji. Thus, this relationship of theirs could not be exposed.