A Dream of a Long Winter

6: 'Soldiers don't hate deceit'

My eyesight returned as the view of the main cavern of Mount Kunlan appeared before me. I felt a cool sensation on my forehead as I struggled to lift my body from the ground. It was no use. My body just slumped back to the floor, as a numbing pain shot through my head.

"Wait! Don't get up yet!" A familiar voice called out.

I froze and turned my head slightly to see a mortal man and a dog, sitting beside a roaring fire. The dog was gnawing on a large bone, slobbering on it noisily. My heart filled with rage as I pieced where it came from together. I had the overwhelming desire to burn the two alive. Fire gathered in my fingertips, and with one flick of my hand I could send them to their deaths. We fox spirits had powers the mortals called fox fire, for it took on the appearance of flames, and though it was used for a variety of reasons... I just wanted to watch their flesh burn to a crisp.

But a question arose within my mind. How was the mortal here? Why was he here? I hadn't seen him in my journey after we parted ways, so how could he have found Mount Kunlan? The fire in my hand died as I regarded him suspiciously. I began to think that perhaps this mortal was not what he appeared to be.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him in a cold voice.

The mortal only stoked the fire, the flames dancing with glee as he added a piece of wood. "Don't move too much or the cloth on your forehead will fall off," he ordered. "You're still weak from the dream you had."

I lifted my hand to feel my forehead. There was indeed a cloth soaked with water on it. As for what he said about my dream... it only proved my thoughts. This mortal was not ordinary. I remained silent, pondering what he could be.

Sometimes the gods gifted mortals with unique abilities... perhaps he was one of those? His presence was that of an ordinary human though. He could be disguised, but I couldn't imagine what would be able to trick a fox spirit. We were masters of illusion compared to all the other clans, so I didn't doubt my ability to see through one.

A fear dawned on me. A god could easily fool a spirit with their power. But... wouldn't a god just kill a spirit on first sight?

I snuck a glance at the man to further observe him, but my eyes locked with his instead. He chuckled and got up from the ground, approaching me with the dog at his heel.

My body began to shake as the man moved closer and closer to where I lay. I was defenseless. My body was weak, I couldn't do much to counteract if he attacked. Just a single blow if he was truly a god could debilitating. How could I die before I found the answers to the questions I had?

The man seemed to notice my panic and laughed as he reached down. I saw long fingers approaching my face in the corner of my eye and cringed, awaiting my miserable end. To my surprise, that hand only adjusted the ragged cloth on my forehead and retracted without a word.

The slight scent of roasted meat drifted past my nostrils as he settled down next to me, and brought out a cooked piece of deer to feed to the animal at his side.

"Good boy Xiao Tian," he praised, as the dog snatched up the food and retreated to the far side of the room. The bone Xiao Tian was decimating before was forgotten, as it ripped through the new meal. Its sharp fangs glinted in the light from the fire, unsettling me further. After watching the dog for a moment, the man turned back to me with a frivolous smile. "So, I suppose you expect some answers don't you?"

I sighed in relief. Whatever he was, he didn't seem to want my end, so I began my interrogation without a second thought.

"First of all, who are you?" I asked, examining his ordinary face. As I looked at the man, I felt foolish for not realizing how odd he was before. His features were too generic! It was as if he had taken every average male human and mixed them together. I was ashamed to call myself a fox spirit if I was tricked by something so obvious.