The walk back to the village was, in a word, loud.
"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, FEMALE!"
Cāng Jì’s voice echoed through the forest for what had to be the eighteenth ti in the last ten minutes. He was stomping through the undergrowth like a toddler who had been told he couldn’t have dessert, his tattered silks flapping dramatically with each furious step.
"I COULD BE IN MY PALACE RIGHT NOW! BATHING IN MINERAL SPRINGS! HAVING MY SCALES POLISHED BY SERVANTS! BUT NO! INSTEAD, I AM HERE! IN THIS MUD-PIT! BEING ASSAULTED BY TREE-RODENTS! ALL BECAUSE YOU—"
"Okay, okay! I get it!" Bai Yue snapped, throwing her hands up. "I’m sorry! I’ve said I’m sorry! What more do you want from ? A blood oath???"
"I WANT MY DIGNITY BACK!"
Zhāo Yàn, walking beside Bai Yue, let out a long-suffering sigh. "You know, Lizard, the screaming isn’t helping. In fact, it’s making my ears bleed, which makes want to hit you, which would make your trials significantly harder tomorrow when you have a broken jaw."
Cāng Jì whirled on him, eyes blazing. "Don’t you dare threaten , fox! I am—"
"A Prince of the First Generation who was just humiliated by monkeys, we know," Zhāo Yàn interrupted smoothly, examining his claws with exaggerated boredom. "You’ve ntioned it. Several tis."
"I was strategically retreating!"
"You scread like a kit," Mo Xiao added helpfully from behind them.
"I DID NOT—" Cāng Jì’s voice cracked mid-shout. He stopped walking, took a deep, shuddering breath, and pressed his palms against his eyes. "I hate this realm. I hate monkeys. I hate dirt. I hate everything about this situation."
"There, there," Bai Yue said, patting his shoulder awkwardly. "Tomorrow you’ll do the trials, get your stone back, and then you can go ho and pretend this never happened."
"Pretend?" The Dragon’s laugh was slightly unhinged. "The monkeys will tell everyone. By the end of the month, every tribe from here to the Northern Wastes will know that Cāng Jì, Golden Prince of the Dragon Peaks, was defeated by primates. My reputation is ruined."
"Well, at least you’ll be a humble laughingstock?" Bai Yue offered.
Cāng Jì groaned loudly.
By the ti they reached the village clearing, the Dragon had descended into furious muttering under his breath, sothing about "disrespectful mammals" and "when I ruled the skies, this never would have happened."
They were sharing the morning al, and it was in full swing. Beastn clustered around fire pits, the sll of roasted at and sweet tubers filling the air. Cubs ran between the adults, their high-pitched laughter mixing with the deeper rumble of conversation.
Bai Yue’s heart lifted imdiately. She spotted the panther triplets wrestling near one of the fires, Yòu Lín trying to join in but getting knocked over every three seconds by A-Li’s enthusiastic pouncing.
"I should go see the cubs," she said, already moving toward them.
"OF COURSE YOU WANT TO PLAY!" Cāng Jì exploded behind her. "WHILE I SUFFER! WHILE MY ENTIRE EXISTENCE CRUMBLES! THE FEMALE WANTS TO—"
A gnarled walking stick suddenly appeared, pressing against the Dragon’s chest and stopping him mid-rant.
Elder Zhào Fēng stood there, his silver wolf ears flat against his head as usual. The wolf elder looked exhausted and tired of the spoilt Dragon. "Your Radiance," the old wolf said carefully, "perhaps you would benefit from so refreshnt? We have honey-cakes. And fernted berry juice. And.....uh... so very nice river stones you could look at?"
Cāng Jì’s tirade died in his throat. He blinked. "Honey-cakes?"
"Yes! Very sweet! Made with wild honey from the Eastern Hills!" The Elder was clearly grasping at straws, but desperation made him creative. "And we have candied fruits! And......and sweet cream that we churn from—"
"Sweets?" The Dragon’s tone shifted from murderous to rely irritated. His golden eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What kind of sweets?"
"All kinds! Many kinds! So many kinds you’ll forget all about those terrible monkeys—I an, about your unfortunate encounter!" Elder Zhào Fēng gestured frantically toward one of the larger huts. "Please, Your Radiance, allow to show you our humble offerings!"
Cāng Jì looked at the Elder, then at Bai Yue, who was trying very hard not to laugh, then back at the Elder.
"...Fine," he muttered. "But they better be exceptional sweets. I have very refined tastes."
"Of course, of course!" The Elder dragged the Dragon toward the food stores, shooting Bai Yue a look that clearly said you are in my debt for this.
The mont they were gone, Bai Yue let out a breath. "Thank goodness. I thought he was going to explode."
"He still might," Zhāo Yàn said, though there was a hint of amusent in his voice. "I have never seen a dragon throw a tantrum before. It’s almost......adorable."
"Adorable?" Mo Xiao snorted. "The word you’re looking for is ’pathetic.’"
"That too."
Bai Yue turned to the Panther Alpha, her expression softening with gratitude. "Thank you, Mo Xiao. For.....you know. Not letting him incinerate ."
Mo Xiao’s amber eyes ward, and to her surprise, he reached out and patted her head. "You are a strange female, Bai Yue. But you’re growing on . Like a persistent fungus."
"Wow. ’Persistent fungus.’ That’s the nicest thing anyone’s said to all week," she deadpanned.
He chuckled, before his expression turned more serious. "The cubs have been asking for you. Yòu Lín especially."
Bai Yue’s heart squeezed. "Really?"
"Really." Mo Xiao jerked his head toward the fire where the cubs were playing. "Go. Before he tackles soone thinking they’re you."
"Thank you!" She started to move toward the cubs, but a large hand caught her wrist.
Zhāo Yàn was looking at her with an expression she couldn’t quite read. "I’m coming with you."
"Uh......okay?"
"Soone needs to make sure you don’t get mobbed," he said, but his grip on her wrist was gentle, almost......possessive. "And that includes keeping the other males at a respectful distance."
Bai Yue blinked up at him. "Are you.....jealous of Mo Xiao patting my head?"
"Don’t be ridiculous," Zhāo Yàn said imdiately, his ears twitching in that telltale way that ant he was absolutely lying. "I rely think—"
"Mama!"
The shriek ca from Yòu Lín, who had spotted her from across the clearing. The little fox kit abandoned his wrestling match imdiately and sprinted toward her, his orange tail streaming behind him like a banner.
"Mama! Mama, you’re back!" He launched himself at her, and Bai Yue caught him easily, spinning him around as he giggled. "I missed you! Where did you go? Did you fight more birds? A-Li said you fought birds!"
"Sothing like that," Bai Yue laughed, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Were you good while I was gone?"
"So good! I only bit Xiao Hei twice, and he bit first, so it doesn’t count!"
"That’s......well, I am not sure about the logic there, but okay." She set him down, and imdiately the other cubs sward.
"Bai Yue!" Miao Miao chirped, grabbing her hand. "Can you tell us the story again? The one with the glass shoe?"
"Yeah! And this ti make the an sisters get eaten by sothing!" A-Li added bloodthirstily.
"That’s not how the story goes—"
"Make it how it goes!" Xiao Hei insisted.
Bai Yue laughed, letting herself be dragged toward the cubs’ usual spot near the fire. She was so focused on them that she almost missed the figure standing at the edge of the clearing.
Almost.
Han Shān was there, partially hidden in shadow, his arms crossed over his broad chest. His white hair glead in the firelight, and his blue eyes were fixed on her with an intensity that made her breath catch.
He wasn’t smiling. He wasn’t frowning, either. He was just.....watching.
When their eyes t, Bai Yue felt her face heat up for reasons she couldn’t quite explain. She turned back to the cubs quickly, her heart doing strange acrobatics in her chest.
"So," she said, trying to distract herself, "where’s Ruì Xuě? I thought he would be with you guys."
"Oh! He’s with Auntie Li Shuǐ!" Miao Miao explained. "She’s taking care of baby A-Wù, and Ruì Xuě likes to help!"
"Li Shuǐ?" Bai Yue rembered the nervous woman with the wolf pup from the communal dinner. "Where—"
"Why do you want to see my son?"
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