The curse of wandering pt.1

Xiao Huoyan felt like he was walking for hours while the cat got a free ride. He was in a forest unless someone had a house around here he wasn't going to find anyone soon, the sound of laughter soon followed just then Xiao Huoyan started grinning to himself without even noticing he was thinking that the gods had finally taken pity on him now.

He then positioned himself behind a tree, he stepped closer seeing that there was a small family a mother,daughter, and a son eating dinner, the children were quite young at least six or seven and the mother had a tired expression but she kept a smile on her face for her children. The man from before was probably her husband it's a shame that the children were going to lose the only parent they had left.

Xiao Huoyan suddenly felt the weight on his shoulders disappear then a meow cut the sound of the family's laughter the cat made another meow as the little girl basically jumped from her seat squealing as she ran over to the cat. Her brother soon followed behind her carrying a piece of fish in his hands as his eyes glowed with excitement when the cat took the fish the brother then sprinted into the little home. The little girl petted the cat all over giggling as she then spinned the cat around in her arms.

"Can we keep her mama can we!" The little girls face showed that look that a parent couldn't refuse the mother then let out a sigh as she placed her chopsticks over her bowl.

"A-Ling you know we can't keep an animal with us right now, and who would take care of her?" The little girls excitement on her face dropped a bit at her mother's words but she still wanted to convince her mother otherwise.

"I will me and A-Ying can take care of her I promise pretty pretty please ,can we keep her just a day at least mama I don't think she has anywhere else to go, what if she gets hurt!" The little girl had thrown in various scenarios of the cat in need of help her mother only shook her head. Her daughter gave her the most pitiful look a child could ever give the girl pestered her mother for a long time as her mother finally caved.

"Fine, fine but you need to ask your father first as soon as he gets back only then…. we might be able to keep her ok" the girl eyes widened and she started to jump with joy as her little brother had just returned with a makeshift cat wand in his hands there where multiple feather hanging from a thread with a small bell also in the cluster of feathers.

The children had ran off into the nearby forest with the cat, the sound of their drifting voices and the ringing of the bell soon disappeared. The mothers smile Dropped as soon as her children had left, the atmosphere had become more depressing she began cleaning the mess left behind she was in her own world everything was silent when the slight crunch of the autumn leaves startled her, she had only looked over her shoulder as a hand now gripped the nape of her neck tightly his hands grasped all the way around to the mothers throat. 

Xiao Huoyan held the mother in his hands, as she gasped and clawed at Xiao Huoyan while kicking though her efforts were futile as she gasped for air choking out plea's of mercy her as the minutes that felt like hours passed her movements grew slower. When the crisp sound of a windpipe being crushed echoed through the air the snap of her neck had filled the now silent woodland home Now her arms where slumped by her sides, her body was limp but the light in her eyes still shined brightly Xiao Huoyan simply poked and prodded at the limp body in his hand as tears welled up in the woman's eyes.

Xiao Huoyan dropped the mother with a hud as the mother laid on her back, her eyes darted around wildly she looked like she had something to say but her mouth didn't move only her eyes moved. Xiao Huoyan crouched down taking the flower hairpin she had in her braids He didn't look the mother when he spoke to her his eyes fixated on that hairpin.

"Sorry didn't mean to paralyze you i only wanted to break your neck" Xiao Huoyan said it so calmly as he fiddle with the hairpin he spoke to her as if his apology was going to do something the mother was still going to die and she wouldn't even get to say goodbye to her children. 

Xiao Huoyan turned his head to the little cottage, their door was open and on there counter a cleaver was wedged into a wooden block Xiao Huoyan decided to put his hair in a bun using the hairpin to keep it all together. As he walked into their home he could see a bunch of children's toys sprawled around what he assumed was there beds after looking around for a bit he went straight to the counter where the cleaver was wedged into the piece of wood he pulled it out with a light tug. He stared into the cleavers surface looking at his reflection once more turning his eyes away in an undecipherable expression before testing the sharpness of the cleaver by pressing his thumb to the blade.

Pressing his thumb to the blade a line of red formed then quickly disappeared in an instant he turned his attention back to the mother her eyes fixated on his next movements. As he walked back over to her towering over the mothers soon to be headless body he crouched down again cleaver in hand raising it over her neck.

"It's nothing personal." The mothers eyes had become red and puffy as a shadow casted over Xiao Huoyan's features showing only his eyes. The cleaver fell onto her neck with a gut retching dull cracking the sound made Xiao Huoyan think of bones being chopped her head was not severed though. Leaving Xiao Huoyan to bring the cleaver down over and over the sound of the cracking growing louder in Xiao Huoyan's head with each chop until he could chop no more her eyes had dulled now there was no more frantic darting eyes they were just still.