"Arghhhh, he hates eee!" Bai Yue wailed the second the fur curtain fell shut behind Han Shān’s retreating form.
She clutched Ruì Xuě tighter, burying her face in his soft white hair. The cub patted her cheek consolingly, clearly confused about why the Cursed Female was making dying-whale noises.
"There, there, cursed female," he said in his tiny voice, which only made her want to cry more because he was so precious and his father thought she was a demon.
Li Shuǐ and Láng Fēi sat frozen by the fire, their eyes darting between each other in a silent conversation that scread what do we do? Do we comfort her? Do we run? Is she going to rember we’re here and eat us?
Baby A-Wù, sensing the tension, let out a worried little whimper.
That seed to break the spell. Li Shuǐ stood up abruptly, clutching her pup to her chest. "I—we—that is—" She looked at her mate desperately. "Láng Fēi, didn’t you say you needed to check the...the thing? The very important thing?"
Láng Fēi, bless his quick thinking, nodded so hard his ears flopped. "Yes! The thing! Very urgent! Must go now!" He scrambled to his feet, nearly tripping over a carved rabbit in his haste.
"We’ll just—yes—we should—" Li Shuǐ was already backing toward the door, her eyes still wide with a nervous energy.
"Thank you for watching Ruì Xuě!" Bai Yue called after them, trying to sound normal and not at all like soone who had just been threatened with dismbernt by a very large, very angry snow leopard.
"Of course! Anyti! Oh sorry. Well—maybe not anyti—but—BYE!" Li Shuǐ practically threw herself through the doorway, her mate hot on her heels.
The mont they were gone, Bai Yue let out a long, suffering sigh and slumped against the wall, still holding Ruì Xuě.
"I do not bla them for being afraid of ," she muttered, more to herself than anyone. "I was a monster. A big monster."
Damn you, original Bai Yue! Stressing this out this much.
"You’re not a monster, Bai Yue," Zhāo Yàn said from where he leaned against the doorfra, his arms crossed. His red eyes were softer than usual, and almost sympathetic. "Well. Not anymore. You are not..... hmm. You were indeed very terrible."
"Wow. Thank you, Zhāo Yàn. That is so comforting to hear," she deadpanned. She knew she was wrongly transferring her aggression, because he was right.
The original Bai Yue had been a monster.
And not just to her sons. To everyone. To even innocent people. How could one woman be so insufferable and cruel?
Zhāo Yàn’s lips twitched. "You cannot fault Han Shān for his caution. His son is everything to him. You...hurt Ruì Xuě deeply. Trust must be earned, not demanded, like you earned with my kit and..... slowly...."
Bai Yue’s ears perked up. "I have earned your trust?"
"Shush shush. Not completely..but....hmm" The Fox Lord discarded her words with a wave of his hands, and she giggled. That was nice to know.
Bai Yue looked down at the cub in her arms, at his innocent purple eyes and the way he was currently trying to braid a tiny section of her hair with his clumsy little fingers. Her heart squeezed painfully.
"I know," she whispered. "I do not fault him. I really don’t. I just...I wish I could make him understand that I’m different now."
Ruì Xuě suddenly perked up, his little ears twitching. "Hmmm. Cursed Female? Where are the panther cubs? Miao Miao, Xiao Hei, A-Li?"
Bai Yue blinked, grateful for the subject change. "The panther cubs? You an Miao Miao, Xiao Hei, and A-Li?"
"Yes!" Ruì Xuě bounced in her arms, his tail swishing excitedly. "I want to play with them! Can we go see them? Pleaseee?"
Oh. Oh, that was adorable. Bai Yue felt her entire face soften into what was probably a ridiculous smile. "Of course we can! Do you want to play warriors with them? Or so other ga?"
"Yesssss!" Ruì Xuě pumped his little fist in the air. "I will play warriors with them. I want to be the Snow Leopard King! And I will defend the kingdom from...from.....from the evil carrots and other vegetables!"
"Evil carrots?" Zhāo Yàn raised an eyebrow. "That is...very creative, little snowflake."
"A-Li said carrots are scary because they’re orange and pointy," Ruì Xuě explained with the deadly seriousness only a five-year-old could muster. "I must protect the tribe from them!"
Bai Yue bit her lip to keep from laughing. "Well then, if that is the case, we had better hurry before the evil carrots launch their attack. Let’s go!"
She set Ruì Xuě down and reached for his hand, but before she could take a step toward the door, Zhāo Yàn moved.
"Wait."
His voice was quiet, almost hesitant, which was so unlike the normally confident Fox Lord that Bai Yue stopped imdiately.
"Zhāo Yàn? Is sothing wrong?" She looked up at him, and her breath caught.
The way he was staring at her made goosebumps spread across her skin. His red eyes seed to glow in the dim light of the hut, and his jaw was tight, like he was struggling with sothing internal.
He opened his mouth. Closed it. And then swallowed hard. What was he thinking about?
"I wanted to—that is, I need to tell you—"
SCREEEEEEEEE!
"WHERE IS MY SILK COMB?! WHICH ONE OF YOU TREE-DWELLING VERMIN STOLE MY SILK COMB?!"
Cāng Jì’s voice, shrill with outrage, echoed across the entire village like a trumpet of doom.
Zhāo Yàn’s eye twitched violently. His whole body went rigid, and a vein started pulsing in his temple. "That cursed irritating infuriating excuse of a first generation lizard," he growled. "I am going to strangle him with his own intestines. Nobody should do it. I’ll do it with my own hands."
Bai Yue couldn’t help it. She giggled at him. The sound bubbled up before she could stop it, and she clapped a hand over her mouth to try and contain it.
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