The Nine-tailed Fox cries

TW: violence and blood

Wu Yun comes to with a start. He can still feel the phantom touch of a soft pair of lips. It's when he raises his fingers to his mouth, because he feels like it must have been changed somehow, that he notices that he's laying halfway on top of Lan Tian.

Lan Tian is still sleeping peacefully, chest raising softly with each breath. Wu Yun lays down next to him on the bed, and tries to remember the face of the man who called him Ling Yan. He woke up just as he was about to see his features clearly.

Why did that man do that? Touch his lips to Wu Yun's? In the dream Wu Yun is sure he knew him, he felt happy to have him close, but how could that be if Wu Yun is a fox? The first humans he ever met were Jiang Tanmei and Lu Meng.

"I can hear you thinking," Lan Tian grumbles, and hides his face in the pillow.

"I thought you were asleep," Wu Yun says, turning around to face him.

"You were thinking so loudly that you woke me up."

"What is it called when a human presses his lips to another human's?" Wu Yun can't stop himself, the question burns in his throat.

Lan Tian's brows furrow in thought, and he says, "Lu Meng and Jiang Tanmei did that in the river, remember?"

Wu Yun does, but at that time he barely noticed. Back then, humans were always doing things he couldn't understand, what was one more? Even now he isn't sure he understands them any better.

"What does it mean?" It must mean something, because just remembering the dream makes his heart race.

"I think it means the humans really like each other," Lan Tian says, looking confused. "That's what Lu Meng said. That Jiang Tanmei was the most important person in the world to him, and that he loved him."

"What does love feel like?" Wu Yun asks, and touches his fingertips to his lips again.

"I don't know. I asked Lu Meng that too, but he couldn't explain it very clearly. He said that it was liking someone very strongly, to the point you'd be happy if there were only the two of you left in the world." Lan Tian turns around to look at Wu Yun, his eyes glowing like twin honey moons in the dimness of the room.

Lan Tian's voice is soft when he adds, "I thought it sounded nice."

"Wouldn't it be boring? Just two people in the world? Even if I found another fox, I don't think I'd ever want it to be just the two of us," Wu Yun says.

"What if it was the two of us? You and me?" Lan Tian asks, almost whispering.

"You don't count, you're a dragon," Wu Yun grins and taps Lan Tian's nose. He always makes Wu Yun's chest feel like it's filled with bees made of cotton when he says silly things like that.

"Oh," Lan Tian says, and nods.

"Why are you looking like that for?" Wu Yun asks, puzzled at Lan Tian's melancholic demeanor.

"I think I'm learning how to be a human faster than you, that's all."

"You're not! I know so much already. I even dreamed I was a human tonight," Wu Yun says, insulted. In most regards he's already much better than most humans because he isn't stupid or annoying.

"You did? I never dream anymore. What happened in your dream?" Lan Tian asks.

For some reason, the thought of sharing his dream is very unpleasant. He wants to keep the memory of those strong arms around his shoulders and that sweet haitiang scent to himself. "I don't remember anymore. I just know I did."

Lan Tian snorts. "How do I know you're not lying, then?"

"Why would I lie to you?"

"You lie all the time!"

"But not to you," Wu Yun says, and means it.

This time, Lan Tian's soft "Oh," sounds very different. A thin smile stretches itself across his lips.

"Let's get up, there's no point in trying to get back to sleep any longer," Wu Yun says, throwing the silk comforter off of him, and moving towards their clothes' chests.

Once they're dressed they go to the main hall, where they came in the day before, but it's completely deserted at this early hour.

"Since we don't have anyone here to stop us, let's go explore!" Wu Yun says, walking towards the front doors of the Fragrant Lotus pavilion.

"You want to explore outside? Do you think that's a good idea?" Lan Tian asks, hurrying after him.

"We can sneak around here whenever we want, but how many chances will we get to see the outside? I want to know more about the Prince, and whatever he's doing."

Outside, the moon is still heavy and full in the sky, casting silver shadows on the weeping willows and the lake. There's a eerie glow to the mansion grounds under the full moon, it makes Lan Tian's hair stand on end, and Wu Yun's blood run with the thrilling rush of being caught.

He crosses the little stone bridge separating the Fragrant Lotus courtyard from the rest of the estate running, and looking behind to see Lan Tian following him with a resigned expression.

Once they reach the main pavilion, Wu Yun circles it, trying to find an open window they can slip in through. There's a window left slightly ajar, under an awning, but he isn't tall enough to reach it.

Lan Tian sighs, and lifts him under the knees, propping him up, until he can grab hold of the windowsill and hoist himself up. Once inside, he opens the window all the way, and bends over the windowsill to extend a hand to Lan Tian and help him up.

Lan Tian ignores his offered hand, and jumps up into the window with a solid push, climbing inside.

"Show off," Wu Yun says, taking stock of the room around them.

It's very small, and looks like some sort of larder, there are sacks upon sacks of grain, and several cooking instruments. Thankfully the door is not closed, or all of this would have been for nothing.

The tiny room leads into the kitchen, still blissfully devoid of servants and cooks. Wu Yun rushes through it, hoping to get to more interesting parts of the house before anyone catches them.

"Where do you think the screaming was coming from, yesterday?" He asks, looking at the bifurcation in the hallway in front of them, and trying to decide which way to go.

Lan Tian mulls this over. "The screams were very loud, but it seemed like they were coming from the earth itself, they shook the walls. So, I think they were coming from somewhere beneath ground."

"Which way should we go?"

"That way," Lan Tian says, pointing at the hall on the left. "There's an odd metallic scent coming from there, I think we should follow it."

Wu Yun scents the air, trying to make his human nose move like his fox nose did, but it's no use. "I can't feel anything."

"That's because dragons have superior noses, we can smell a drop of blood in the water a thousand li away" he says with a smirk.

Wu Yun rolls his eyes and follows after him.

They open a few doors that lead to small empty rooms, and once to a room filled with sleeping servants, that Lan Tian closes as silently as possible. Eventually they reach the end of the hallway and come upon a room filled with shelves stacked to the brim with books.

Wu Yun looks around the shelves and under them, trying to find anything that will allow them to proceed their exploration, but there's nothing. It really is just an old dusty room filled with books and bamboo strip scrolls.

Lan Tian can still smell that faint metallic tang, so he follows its trail, until it leads him to a wall behind a shelf. He moves the shelf away, and notices a difference in the wooden floor, the boards seem looser in a square where the shelf was.

Wu Yun kneels down on the floor next to him, and inspects the boards. He tries to pry them away with his short nails but they don't budge a single cun. He's starting to feel exasperated, when Lan Tian approaches the candle holder mounted on the wall. There's no wax drips on it, unlike all the other candle holders they walked past, that no matter how clean still held some residue. He touches it, moving it around and pressing it down until he hears a click.

The boards on the floor start lifting with the sound of metal gears turning, and reveal a dark stone stairway, leading below.

"I guess your nose didn't lead us astray," Wu Yun says, and starts going down the stairs.

The air is much colder in the narrow stairway, and gets colder still when they reach the landing and find themselves in an ample stone room, filled with bizarre metal instruments, tables, and a cauldron boiling over a roaring fire.

Wu Yun's eyes are fixed on the fire, but Lan Tian is looking up at the ceiling.

"Look at that," he says, drawing Wu Yun's attention.

Wu Yun follows his line of sight and comes a cross a huge iron cage, hanging suspended from the ceiling. Inside, a large red bird, with a long, multi-colored fanning tail, rests curled upon itself. Many of its glimmering red feathers are missing, and there are visible pools of silver blood glistening in open wounds.

"A phoenix!" Wu Yun says, looking up at the once majestic creature with a mixture of sorrow and anger.

"The Prince must have done this," Lan Tian says, looking around the room for a way to lower the cage.

A cruel hand wraps around Wu Yun's neck, pulling him away from under the cage. "You are right, I did this. Now imagine what I'm going to do to your young master for trespassing in my house."

The Prince's cold voice rings with malice, and his knife's edge smile widens at the worry in Lan Tian's clear eyes. "Rong Jizi, take them to the Fragrant Lotus pavilion, let this be a lesson to everyone else about the consequences of abusing my hospitality."

Behind the Prince, Rong Jizi smiles cruelly and bows. "As your Highness wishes."

Both Lan Tian are dragged out of the main hall by Rong Jizi and a few servants, the Prince follows closely behind them, observing them struggling like an indifferent funeral procession master.

They're kicked down on the floor of the main hall of the Fragrant Lotus pavilion, where the other captives are already gathered. All of them sitting on their knees with their heads bent low, eyes fixed on the wooden floor.

"As guests in my home, I expect you all to follow my rules," the Prince says in a deceivingly mild tone, walking around the room, and looking at the cowed faces of the other captives. "This is a reminded of what happens to those who disobey me."

He nods to Rong Jizi, who pries open Wu Yun's robes with vicious pulls, exposing his pale back to the cold air.

Qiao Xiaojian raises his head. "Your Highness, wait! He doesn't know the rules yet, we didn't have the time to explain them to him yesterday."

The Prince walks towards Qiao Xiaojian with long strides, and grips his chin between thumb and forefinger, raising his head to meet his cold bottomless eyes. "Then the whip marks on his back can rest on your conscience."

Lan Tian struggles against the servants keeping him in place, baring his teeth and snarling. "Let him go! Let him go!"

"My, what a loyal servant. Perhaps you'd like to receive the punishment in your master's stead," the Prince says sweetly, looking down at Lan Tian's furious amber eyes.

"Yes!" Lan Tian growls. "Punish me instead."

Rong Jizi kicks Wu Yun to the side who falls on the floor, still tangled on his undone robes.

"No, don't hurt him, it's my fault!" he screams, trying to reach for Lan Tian. Rong Jizi smirks and steps down on his outstretched hand until the bones crack.

Wu Yun bites down on his tongue to hold back his scream, filling his mouth with the metallic copper tang of human blood.

"You heard his Highness."

Lan Tian is dragged by the arms to the center of the room by two servants, and stripped to the waist like Wu Yun was. Rong Jizi unclasps a thick whip from his waist and cracks it in the air to test its strength.

"Fifteen lashes, and make them count," the Prince says, cool as spring breeze.

Wu Yun clutches his wounded arm to his chest, and tries to struggle free of the servants keeping him in place by the shoulders.

Rong Jizi, looses the whip against Lan Tian's back and it connects with the sickening sound of hard leather meeting soft flesh. Lan Tian's muscles tighten upon impact but he doesn't let out a sound.

Rong Jizi whips him again, and again. Making sure to strike the same place several times, until the skin opens up like a ripe peach and blood runs down the open gashes in a crimson stream.

"Please stop, you're hurting him," Wu Yun begs. He closes his eyes every time he hears the sound of the whip striking Lan Tian.

A large hand wipes away the tears streaming down his cheeks. "Doesn't it hurt even more, seeing someone you care for suffering in your place?" the Prince asks Wu Yun, touching his wet cheekbone almost gently. "I know all about that."