A Gentle Torment

'Princess Qian Qian' (Gugu)

"We're here."

"But this is just a clearing..." Hua Dong's voice suddenly fills with fear, worried that he's been taken far out into the mountain only to be hurt.

"Close your eyes," Yan Zhi murmurs, waiting until the innocent child complies to lower the shield. Clearing her throat, she waves her Phoenix over when he spots her, "Hua Dong, this is the man I mentioned."

"Hello." Hua Dong offers a polite bow, "I'm called Hua Dong. What is your name?"

"I don't have one." Passing them, the Phoenix gruffs as he opens a new bottle, "I'll be back shortly. We're out of berries again."

Bai Qian watches him leave before turning to the young boy, "It's... complicated, I guess. Why don't we go inside?" 

Yan Zhi nods before offering her hand to the young boy again, "Come along, Hua Dong. If you like, we have smoked rabbit meat in the hut and some tea. Other than that, you'll have to wait for dinner."

o~O~o

 "When was the last time you ate...?" Bai Qian asks softly to the boy across from her, watching as the mortal counterpart to Dong Hua Di jun voraciously fills himself on smoked rabbit, a stray plum from the fruit bowl, and a cup of tea.

The boy straightens slightly, looking down as he counts on his hands, "Nine... days... I think."

And then he returns to eating.

Both amused and feeling pity for the young boy, Bai Qian turns her attention to the tiny black snake sleeping in the basket to distract herself, "His horns look so smooth... would he mind if I pet them?"

Hua Dong looks at her curiously, tilting his head to the side in contemplation, "I'm not sure... No one ever has. I think it wouldn't hurt to try, as long as you're careful."

Bai Qian nods, tentatively reaching into the basket to take the small snake out. His tiny scales are surprisingly silken to the touch. Despite the early age of the snake, both his eyes and his scales are as dark as onyx.

So familiar...

"What is his name again?"

"Hua Ye."

Fighting the urge to choke out of surprise, Bai Qian gently runs her finger along the top of the serpent's tiny body, rousing him carefully. It's a mortal trial, most likely, so it's quite possible that he might not even be...

The snake lifts its head up to her, staring unblinkingly for a moment before rising higher to greet her. 

Smiling warmly at him, she slowly reaches out and gently pets the top of the snake's head along the horns, "They're so smooth. How nice..."

Yan Zhi clears her throat from the entrance of her bedroom, "I think I've figured out how to turn his form. Can you keep holding him for a few minutes more?"

Bai Qian grunts quietly in response, distracted entirely by the tiny, coiled up snake as it pushes its head towards her finger. Letting out a soft giggle, she faces Yan Zhi with a small smile, "Mei Mei, this snake is quite friendly."

I'll be the judge of that. Yan Zhi sighs, fighting the urge to shake her head. This nine-tailed fox and her Celestial dragons... what is she going to do with all of them?

o~O~o~O~o

One Year Later

"Shh..." Yan Zhi carefully bounces the small bundle in her arms in an attempt to soothe the screaming baby, "Be good, be good..."