Fluffy WangXian Oneshots Book Two

Heaven Will Protect

"He who is kind to animals Heaven will protect." Gautama Buddha

A fic request by @howl3

Bichen slices through the last of the men and returns to Lan Zhan's hand. With a flick of his wrist, the blood clears off the blade and he returns the pristine sword to its scabbard in a second.

"Dragon hunters," XiChen exclaims with disgust, uncovering tarragon leaves in the travelling bags of the men they've just killed. The herbs are to dragons as catnip is to cats. "Wens," he adds with disgust. Under their brown robes, the white and red uniform of the QishanWen Sect glimmers in the moonlight.

"Why are they in Gusu?" Lan Zhan demands.

They accidentally discovered this ragtag band of crudely dressed folk when they exposed their true intentions a few regrettable (for them) moments ago. The mountains of the Cloud Recesses are well known for the preservation of all life forms and these hunters are already at the base of this, the mountain entrance to their home. It is only by chance that they were caught and disposed of, but the fact that they dared to trespass this far is worth noting. Lan Zhan and Lan XiChen share a look.

Qishan lies a way away to the north east of Gusu. Why are the Wens this far from their base?

But of course, there's no answer to be found. They search the nearby area and find nothing of substance. What were the hunters hunting for? Did they miss a turn when they were tracking their prey?

XiChen returns home with the others of their night hunting party but Lan Zhan stays behind, offering a lame excuse. He needs to put this matter to rest in his mind and he can't get rid of the feeling that they're missing something. His brother sees through it but thankfully, is indulgent enough to allow him one last look around.

"Don't stay out too late, Didi," is all he says, taking everyone else with him.

Su She, one of the outer disciples, studies him carefully before taking out his sword and leaving with the others when he's called.

Lan Zhan can't say what has compelled him to stay behind; they've already searched the area and found little of concern. But his sword hums by his side so Lan Zhan takes it out. It glows blue, a pale light that shines on the forest floor and something wet and suspiciously like blood catches his attention. The light of the moon and stars is small but the otherwise pitch darkness is nevertheless illuminated enough for Lan Zhan to follow the wet patches. Examining the first one, it is dry compared to others as he follows the gruesome trail to a dark hole at the base of a tree stump. When Bichen's pale glow shows a shimmering black body of scales, Lan Zhan has to stop himself from jumping back out of shock.

It's not a scorpion but it's long enough to be a small snake...and because it's not moving, his fear turns to worry for the poor creature. It's so small. Not longer than the measurement from the tip of his middle finger to the base of his wrist, and this is an estimated guess because the tiny animal is curled in on itself as if it wants to make itself smaller. Lan Qiren, his uncle, has always stressed upon the care of all animals and regardless of what this noodle is, Lan Zhan has been trained to look after all creatures of nature. Even if it is going to die, another guess from the amount of blood loss leading him to it, every animal should be offered water as a last act of kindness.

Lan Zhan looks around for anything he can use as a shallow vessel so the poor thing doesn't have to expend extra energy in trying to drink. It is summertime in Gusu and therefore, an abundance of green and lush fauna is at his disposal. Lan Zhan selects a wide, rounded leaf from nearby shrubbery and bends the stalk to make a shallow bowl, slightly deeper than a saucer. When he brings Bichen closer so that he can pour some water from his gourd into this makeshift container, the tiny noodle squeaks and tries to crawl away, further into the hole.