Sons of Nature

The Last Rose of Winter (10)

The two of them stayed the night in the village but got up early to grab a bundle with some of Fu Yun's things from the hut each before sneaking out with Petal's help. Nobody saw them and soon, they were back at the clearing, putting the bundles where they were protected from the wind and rain before sitting down to chat for a while.

These days, they thought about their own place more and more. They had already discussed how the hut should be built in general and what the layout would be. Now that they were only waiting for the wood to be prepared so they could go and get it, they thought about the details of how the inside would be.

Yue Ji had just seen the way Fu Yun had lived in the village. Seeing as the hunter had to give up so much for him, he felt that they should make it so that their hut reminded him more of home and felt like it was truly a place where he could feel that he belonged.

Fu Yun actually minded little but he also had nothing to complain about going this route. After all, Yue Ji himself had always lived out here in the forest. Adding a hut didn't mean much to him. He actually didn't need it to live there even though he also didn't mind having it. Thus, what was the harm in following his own habits more?

Not to mention that this also gave them something to work with so they wouldn't have to start from scratch. Just building the hut would be difficult enough so furnishing it fast afterward was also welcome. Also, it wasn't like they could never change it in the future either. If they didn't like something later, they could just come up with another idea and work on transforming what they had bit by bit.

With both of them pretty much agreeing, they didn't need long to come to a conclusion. After that, they still had to wait. Even though Fu Yun was staying in the clearing longer now under the guise of 'discussing matters for the upcoming wedding', the time never felt long. In fact, even though he would be there almost from morning till nightfall, Fu Yun was always reluctant to leave.

In this way, the week until the wooden beams were ready finally ended. Fu Yun went to see Yue Ji in the morning but only greeted him with a quick kiss. "I'll go and get the wood so we can start building the hut tomorrow." Even though they had planned for a long time, he also knew that it would be difficult. They'd likely need weeks or even months to finish. After all, he didn't have any experience and not much knowledge of these things either.

Yue Ji nodded but then grabbed his hand. "Since everything is organized, let me come and help. I'll stay in the forest so you don't have to worry."

Fu Yun had nothing to say about that. He only ever feared that Yue Ji would be exposed and find himself in danger so as long as he kept out of sight or had a way to hide his appearance, it was alright. Having his lover accompany him was instead something he very much welcomed. The time needed to get to the other side of the forest was long, after all, and while he had also been happy to get to know Petal better when she followed him the last time, nothing could beat spending that time with Yue Ji.

Since they once again unanimously decided, they immediately left the clearing and made their way through the forest, chatting idly. In this way, the time seemed to pass much faster and soon, they could faintly see the village not far from the forest's edge through the trees.

Fu Yun stopped in his tracks and turned to Yue Ji. "I guess it's better if you don't go further than this."

Yue Ji nodded. "I'll hide behind one of the trees and turn back if I hear somebody approach. Don't worry about it."

Fu Yun hummed, already feeling much less afraid than when they had gone to his own village. Anyway, it was true that Yue Ji could not be distinguished from a regular plant. At most, he'd have to worry about somebody passing by and wanting to pick a bouquet of beautiful roses for their lover. Yue Ji had assured him though that even that wouldn't harm him. The flowers were just an extension of his spiritual energy and could be regrown as long as he spent enough time taking in more of that energy.