Dorian’s face held no expression as he walked down the sleepy residential street alone. The sun had long set by now, and he knew most shops would be closed at this hour. Still, he felt it was worth returning to the medicinal store he had visited earlier in the off-chance the owner may be working late. If not, he would have to delay his delivery another day.

“I should have gone straight there after buying the oil,” he muttered to himself. “I doubt they’re going to hire me again after this. That means I’ll have lost another–”

His sentence was cut short and his visible eye narrowed.

Another set of footsteps was echoing off the rows of houses beside him. They were quick and deliberate; and, although they were still a good distance away, they were rapidly approaching.

He debated turning from the road in the hope the person behind him would pass him by, but he opted to gradually increase his pace to see if the footsteps would follow. 

Unfortunately, they did.

His heart pounding in his chest, Dorian dug his heel in the ground and abruptly spun around.

Mioko skidded to a halt a few feet away, his arms spreading wide beneath his blue cloak to check his balance.

Dorian, at once, exhaled. “...You?”

“Hi,” Mioko replied. “I just wanted to make sure you get what you need.”

His lips pressed tightly together for a moment. “I’ve already told you: I don’t need help.” 

“I know,” Mioko glanced at the ground, “but the medicine store will be closed by now. You know that.”

“And so, you’ve come to bring me to your ‘source’ for the lavender oil?”

“If you’d like me to,” he wrung his hands between the cloak and his back.

Dorian sighed sharply, rolled his eye, and turned around. “All right; fine.” He gestured ahead of them. “Lead the way.”

A light smile lit up Mioko’s freckled face, and he fell into step on Dorian’s left–where his visible eye could have him in his peripheral vision.

As the moonlight peeked out from the clouds overhead, the two young men continued toward the center of town with only the scuffing of their shoes and sandals along the cobblestones filling the space between them. Dorian had no desire for small talk–especially not with someone so keen on inserting himself into his business. Mioko knew by Dorian’s tone and posture he was not in the mood to talk, and he tried to keep his wandering thoughts to himself.

This did not last for long.

“Are you Kalgaran?” Mioko looked at Dorian’s blue hair curiously.

Surprised by the question, Dorian shot him a quick glance before directing his attention back to the road ahead. “Yes,” he answered simply.

At once, the Weivan’s tan eyes lit up. “I knew it! I’ve never met a Kalgaran before.”

“We don’t usually leave Kalgara.”

“So, why are you here?”

Without thinking, Dorian again glanced at Mioko. With an exasperated puff of air through his nose, he again turned away. “I’d like to not answer that question.”

Mioko, at last, also looked back to the road. “Okay.” He said just as lightheartedly as the rest of the conversation had been.

Dorian gave him a mildly curious glance from the corner of his eye, and, thankfully for him, the rest of their trek continued in silence. They passed through one section of Royal Road before crossing a narrow foot-bridge over a canal of flowing water and leaving the bustle far behind. They continued until they reached a second bridge that led to a row of stone-bricked houses covered with vines, and they approached a small gate leading to the second home in the lot. The flickering of the oil lantern on the street cast its glow upon them both as they came to a stop beneath it.

“Mioko, this is someone’s house,” the shorter man glanced at him.

“It is,” he smiled.

With that, he stepped through the gate, up three stone steps, and rapped his knuckles upon the wooden door.

An inaudible voice followed, and soon, with a warm glow behind her, a woman emerged with gray hair pulled back in a bun, long ears on the sides of her head, and a floral dress wrapped around her broad frame.

“Mioko!” She immediately wrapped her arms around him. “You certainly choose the oddest hours to come visit!”

“Sorry, Aunt Sue; I’m helping a friend right now,” his voice was muffled against her shoulder as he weakly gestured behind him.

The woman leaned to one side to see around the tall Weivan.

Dorian, still beside the gate, sheepishly held up a hand. “Ah–hello, ma’am.”

Sue’s smile could have rivalled Mioko’s. “Oh!” She hurried down the steps and met Dorian with grasping hands and cooing words. “I am so glad to see Mioko making friends! I’m Susanna Hildersley–Mioko’s aunt.”

“Dorian Swift,” he replied as if unsure.

“Well met! Now, please–come in! I’ve just put a kettle on!”

Unsure of how else to respond to her hospitality, Dorian simply allowed himself to be whisked inside her home. He was met with the warmth of a deep fireplace and a ceramic kettle hanging from a hook above the coals. A modest kitchen was nestled beside the fireplace, and what little he could see of the sitting room beyond appeared even cozier. Long wooden beams spanned the ceiling across both rooms, and well-worn wooden planks covered the floor.

Sue went straight into the kitchen to start pulling out a container of herbs and tea leaves. “A chamomile blend should be lovely at this time of night,” she said mostly to herself.

Mioko glanced at Dorian, who was still somewhat taken aback by the whole situation. “We can’t stay too long,” he took a small step forward. “Mostly, Dorian is needing some lavender oil.”

“I will gladly purchase it from you,” Dorian interjected before the Weivan woman could answer.

Sue, however, beamed another smile and waved him off. “Not to worry, young man, I have plenty!”

“But…” 

“A friend of Mioko will always receive what he needs.”

Dorian chewed on his lip and watched Sue set down the tea, cross the kitchen, and disappear behind a beaded curtain at the far end. He jumped when Mioko’s face leaned into his line of sight.

“Come see!” He said excitedly.

Dorian, again, had no choice but to follow. Slipping through the beaded curtain, he passed through a small wash room before exiting the back of the home with Mioko and Sue. He was instantly met with the yellow, diffused glow of a modest greenhouse at the far end of the small backyard.

Once he stepped inside, he found himself unable to take another step. His wide eye simply scanned the rows of shelves that lined the room–absolutely filled with plants, herbs, bottles, and jars of every kind. Tall vines stretched from generous pots on the floor and spread over the ceiling; jars of oils and salves glistened in the lamplight; bundles of drying flowers hung from the rafters, and healthy sprigs of lavender grew from a collection of pots below. The air was heavy and smelled as much like a greenhouse as it did a beautiful spring garden, and the foggy glass that surrounded them would have let in a dazzling amount of daylight if it wasn’t past sundown.

“You… you’re a potioneer?” Dorian could hardly speak from amazement.

“I prefer to call myself an ‘herbalist,’” Sue smiled as she reappeared from behind a small shelf near the back of the room. In her hands was a flask of amber-colored liquid. “How much do you need?”

“Oh–just,” his fingers formed the top and bottom dimensions of the flask he once had, “a small flask is plenty. I may have some spare bottles–if they aren’t all broken.”

Sue again waved her hand before Dorian could sling his backpack to his front to look inside. “No worries, dear; I have plenty of flasks too.” With that, she uncorked two small flasks and filled them each with the amber oil. 

The smell of the lavender saturated the room in the process, and the young man closed his eye as he breathed it in. “That’s the purest lavender oil I’ve ever smelled,” he muttered.

“Aunt Sue grows the best lavender in town,” Mioko offered proudly as he rocked on his feet.

The woman, however, only smiled and shook her head as she carried over the two flasks. “I am simply passionate about what I grow. I may have never had human children, but I have raised many hearty herbs in my time.”

The hint of a smile tugged at Dorian’s lips as he accepted the flasks. “I need to repay you somehow.”

“You’re a friend of Mioko’s,” she smiled. “That’s all the payment I need.”

His smile faded somewhat shamefully, eying the contented young man beside him. “I could stand to be better.”

With that, the three returned to the house to the sound of the kettle whistling loudly. Sue quickly scuffled across the room to the fireplace and used a nearby rag to remove the kettle from the coals. “Are you sure I can’t interest you boys in some tea before you leave?” She glanced at them as she carried the kettle to a ceramic plate on the counter.

“No, thank you; I need to finish my delivery.” Dorian lifted one of the two small flasks.

“Dorian is a potioneer,” Mioko commented.

“Ah! Then, perhaps I’ll see you again.”

A grin tugged at Dorian’s lips. “Perhaps–but I will insist on paying you next time.”

“We’ll see,” the Weivan woman smiled wide and followed the two young men to the door. As Dorian started down the stone steps, she turned to her nephew and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Will you be staying here tonight, Mioko?”

“No; I’ll be heading on a journey with our other friends in the morning.”

“Oh!” She once again seemed surprised. “Where to?”

“Montrose–then into the mountains to find a dracleon!”

Sue’s chuckle was as much nervous as it was dismissive. “Well, come back in one piece, all right?” She fingered the yellow crystal around his neck before laying it gently upon his chest with a light pat of her hand. She then leaned around him to again find Dorian lingering near her gate. “Keep an eye on him, will you? He can get a little… distracted.”

Mioko cocked an eyebrow and frowned, but he made no attempt to correct her.

Dorian simply smirked as he nodded his head. “Thank you, Ms. Hildersley.”

“You are always welcome, Mr. Swift!”

The gate was closed with a small creak, and the two young men heard Sue’s door close lightly behind them.

The smirk narrowed on Dorian’s face. “You didn’t tell me your source was your aunt.”

“You didn’t ask,” Mioko replied matter-of-factly.

He huffed a short laugh. “Fair enough. Well, I do appreciate the help,” he paused, “even if I didn’t think I needed it.”

The Weivan shrugged with a light smile.

“I’ll see you around, then,” the Kalgaran took one step toward the street.

“Are you coming with us to Montrose in the morning?” Mioko took a step closer, eyeing the staff strapped to Dorian’s back as the young man pulled his backpack to his front to store the vials of oil inside.

“I wasn’t planning on it,” he glanced at him.

“Oh.” Despite the shortness of the word, the disappointment within Mioko’s voice was more than apparent.

Dorian frowned and slung his bag to his back. “Look; you’ve been very kind, and I appreciate that you already consider me a friend–considering–but, I really don’t want to get involved in this whole curse-breaking thing. I have enough to do to keep myself afloat these days.”

Mioko again closed the gap Dorian attempted to make by taking another step. “You wouldn’t want to see Prince Ignarathos? You wouldn’t want to see the sword of legend?”

Dorian half-smiled. “No.”

The Weivan’s brows furrowed. “But… the adventure–and the discovery–and helping someone in need–”

“No,” he repeated more firmly, “but I do wish you and the others well on your journey.” Dorian gave a short bow and turned around completely this time. As he started away, he was prepared to hear Mioko’s sandaled feet following after him. When he didn’t, he bit his lip and continued walking away in silence.

Mioko remained at his aunt’s gate, watching Dorian disappear over the stone foot bridge at the end of the road. Once he had allowed for ample distance between them, he sighed lightly, crossed the bridge, and started back to Ben’s house at a leisurely pace.

The moon’s light ebbed between the rolling clouds, leaving only the flickering lanterns overhead to light much of the way. He wandered slowly through the empty streets for quite some time, and he only came to a stop when he caught sight of a black cat darting into a shadowy alley. He curiously tried to look after where it had run, but he lost its trail in the darkness.

“Hm,” he hummed aloud, lingering at the edge of the alley. The moonlight peeked out long enough to light up an overgrown patch of weeds springing up between the broken cobblestone. As the light faded back into shadow, he shrugged and turned back to the road.

A strike to the side of his neck dropped him to his knees as his vision blacked out.

A furred, humanoid creature seemed to rise from the shadows themselves, and it took a wide stance over the currently incapacitated sorcerer. Delicate fingers emerged from the deep black fur, flipping away the corners of his cloak as they searched his fallen frame for valuables. Then, they paused and hovered over the faintly glowing yellow crystal around his neck.

The fur faded from the creature’s face, revealing the features of a pale-skinned young woman from among the dark black hair. Her rosy lips tugged into a smile, revealing a pointed canine tooth.

She gave a heavy tug on the crystal in an attempt to break the chain, but this only caused the man to groan as his eyes flickered back into consciousness.

Within a dizzying blur of sound and shapes, Mioko could just barely make out a feminine face hovering over him.

“Stop!!”

The woman’s silver eyes darted up, glinting in the lamp light, as a blue-haired young man rushed at her with a staff in hand.

She released the gemstone and immediately leapt into the shadows, returning to her catlike form just as Dorian swung the staff in a wide circle. He clipped the cat’s back leg, producing a sharp yowl before a flurry of feathers shot up from the alley and disappeared beyond the rooftops.

“An Amorfian!” Dorian growled through his teeth, his posture still lowered in defense.

Mioko huffed a groan and limply tossed his hand against his chest. When his fingers did not immediately find his crystal, he gasped and scrambled to a seated position–where he felt the crystal slip behind his back into his shirt collar. He reached around his neck to grasp it within his fingers, and, at once, released a long sigh that closed his eyes and slumped his entire form.

“She nearly took that,” Dorian’s voice came, reminding the Weivan he was not alone.

“Dorian,” his tan eyes blinked open as he dropped the crystal back upon his chest. “Oh–thank you–I–I don’t know what–”

“Don’t worry about it,” he crouched and reached out his hand.

He bit his lip and took it, and he accepted the stocky young man’s strength to pull him back to his feet. A short wave of dizziness sent him staggering into a nearby wall, and he meekly glanced at Dorian.

Chewing his lip, Dorian again extended his hand.

“Come on; we’ll go to Ben’s together.”

-----

I am *actually* working on the Tale of Ace Gallagher Book 1 (!!) and a lot has been changing along the way. It's kind of fun because it's similar enough that I know where it's going, but it's different enough that I'm writing a lot of new content to get there. This is one of those scenes.

In the original story, Dorian and Mioko go to a library to research the Sword of Ignarathos, but now that Ace is well versed in the lore (the new opening chapter) and they get the rest of the story from Ben about Tier, they don't need to do that. But in an effort to make their meeting and teaming up more realistic, Dorian actually has no desire to team up at first. He's there because Ace breaks an expensive potion ingredient when he runs into him (lol) and once Ace pays up, he leaves. Mioko, however, has other plans for him 😁

Speaking of Mioko, I was surprised to find him so much more... carefree at this point in the story, lol. He's always been pretty chill and content overall, but knowing how much things in later stories affect him, I guess I forgot he starts off pretty happy-go-lucky.

Dorian is a bit more crass and dismissive than I remember him starting off as, but obviously he ends up fitting right in among the rest of them (and now, maybe thanks more to Mioko). After all, they literally just met hours before this 😅

Also Raeya making her striking entrance... 😆 Still not sure if I want to go the more realistic route of her not having clothes if she's been shifting forms or just have "otherwise unexplainable don't pay attention to this aspect" clothing when she's in human form... still on realistic right now so we'll see, heh.

“We may need to consider trying a different site tomorrow,” Lina mused as they sat around at dinner that night. She was treating them at a cozy restaurant near the palace, not wanting Mrs. Wu to go through the trouble of creating another feast for them.

“It better be an easy trail,” Brigitte grumbled. “Don’t go switching locations and have me play escort on the hard trails.”

Morgan caught Nellie’s eye as the adults half-argued over where to next look. She shook her head, hissing at him to be quiet. He ignored her, clearing his throat loudly.

“Are we ever going to discuss the fox,” Morgan asked once he had their attention.

“There is nothing to discuss,” Lina said dismissively.

“Is there not,” Morgan asked coolly. “It followed Nellie all over the mountain today. I suspect it was what was looking at her last night.”

“There is nothing to discuss, Master Morgan, because it is a relatively harmless creature if ignored,” Lina stressed. She turned to make it clear she was now talking only to Brigitte and Beast. “The Fanjing Mountains may be a good area. True, full of tourists again, but the former Commander may be attracted to the temples.”

The locations Lina, Beast, and Brigitte kept talking about were all tourist spots. Nellie could understand how they needed to use these places as a starting point, but there was something about how quickly the adults were willing to leave that struck her as odd. All they had done was walk up the mountain a bit, but perhaps Lina was reaching out in some discreet way.

Nellie watched Lina sternly speak to Mrs. Wu later that night. The gestures towards the door made her guess it was on the importance of keeping the door locked. She ducked back into the bedroom as Lina turned to go into the kitchen.

“You find them suspicious too,” Morgan said from his mat.

“I think that’s too strong of a word,” Nellie said.

“That fox isn’t native,” Morgan mused, looking at his phone. “It looked like a corsac fox. Those are much further north.”

“It also turned into a girl, so I don’t think it follows the standard habitat.”

“A huli jing,” Morgan said. He pointed to one of the many fox figurines in the bedroom. “My belief is that Mrs. Wu is a remnant of the fox worshippers. The communists say they killed them all during the revolution, but that in itself would just be propaganda.”

“Lina is very protective and wary over Mrs. Wu inviting that fox in,” Nellie commented.

“Well, they’re not exactly safe creatures,” Morgan said. “Most of the stories say they’re dangerous.”

“Ash is supposed to be dangerous too.” She shushed Morgan as he started to talk, leaning her ear closer to the crack in the door as the adults moved back into the living room.

“--Fanjing and then Tianmen. That should satisfy those kids enough,” Beast said.

“Yeah, just enough of a bone toss to make them feel like they tried,” Brigitte said.

“And the Regere is aware of their location,” Lina asked, an anxious tone in her voice.

“Talked to Evora this morning,” Brigitte said. “Worried sick, poor thing.”

“She should’ve given her brat more discipline,” Beast said. “We’ll see you bright and early tomorrow. And don’t worry; I’ll move my bed out here. That fox won’t get in tonight.”

“Then I only must worry after you leave,” Lina sighed.

Nellie dived onto the mat next to Morgan, shushing him again as he opened his mouth to ask what was happening. She rolled away from the doorway, pulling the cover up to her ears, and shutting her eyes tight.

“What’s going on,” Morgan demanded of Brigitte.

“Can’t adults just have a chat without kids,” Brigitte snapped. She dragged out Beast’s mat, and then her own. “It’s way too stuffy in here with all of us. And I bet you lot want time without chaperones.” She kicked her mat out the door. “Don’t stay up too late. You’ll be sorry.”

Nellie sat up and lowered the blanket. “Well, now I'm definitely not suspicious. They’re not trying to find Rhys at all. They're just… dragging us sight-seeing until your mom picks us up.”

Morgan’s expression clouded. He flopped back with a huff.

“They never took me seriously after all…” He rolled over to stare at her. “What should we do? We came all this way. It would be an utter waste to just go along with them.”

“I don’t know,” Nellie murmured. “Can we just go look on our own? Is that even possible here?”

They lapsed into silence but the thickness in the room indicated neither had fallen asleep. The lights outside the room went out, and all fell quiet out there. Morgan’s breathing eventually evened and deepened, leaving Nellie to mull over what to do alone. Nothing came to her.

She wrestled the photo of Rhys at his graduation from a tight pocket in her bag. She stared at it as if waiting for it to tell her what to do.

Next she knew, she was jerked awake.

The eyes were staring at her again, inches from her face. This time, Nellie eased herself up and took in the rest of the small fox. She reached behind herself and shook Morgan vigorously until he grunted and snorted.

“Wha-what’s wrong,” he grumbled, sitting up. He inhaled sharply. “Huli jing… Nellie, we should–.”

“Ssh!” Nellie sat up straighter, smiling. “It’s not safe for you here right now. We’re leaving when the sun comes up. You can visit Mrs. Wu after then.”

The huli jing cocked her head. Her eyes flashed as they caught the picture next to Nellie’s pillow. She gave it a sniff, causing Nellie to quickly grab it. She was too familiar with Ash’s record with paper to risk it.

The fox grew and morphed into the girl. Morgan gave another sharp breath, but didn’t voice whatever was going on in his head.

The girl pointed to the photo. “Him?”

“Rhys,” Nellie said. “My father.”

“We’re looking for him,” Morgan chimed in, inching closer. He snatched the photo, and held it out for the girl to better see. “He’d look older, but I doubt there are a plethora of blond, middle-aged European men traveling alone through here.”

The girl tilted her head.

“He wants to know if you’ve seen Rhys come through here,” Nellie explained.

The girl pointed. “Rhys?” She shrank back into a fox, flicked her tail, and darted from the room.

Nellie and Morgan exchanged a quick glance, coming to the same conclusion. They quickly changed and tiptoed out to the dark living room.

The fox swished her tail in the open doorway, then darted into the dark hall outside.

They missed the sunrise completely as they followed the fox along the twisting river in the shadows of the peaks. They were wet and sticky with sweat by the time they started climbing out of the river banks. The echos of tourists on the river were just starting to reach their ears as they disappeared into the trees.

“Th-they'll be fully aware we've g-gone by now,” Morgan huffed.

“They would’ve known hours ago,” Nellie said, clutching a stitch in her side. They were surrounded by trees. “I don’t think they’d be able to follow us.”

“I’m not certain that’s a positive,” Morgan said. He straightened, brushing his sweaty bangs off his forehead. “Where’s that huli jing?”

The small fox appeared on a nearby boulder with a little yip. She seemed offended at the accusation Morgan hadn’t had time to voice.

“Are we almost there,” Nellie asked. Her stomach gave a rumble. “Or are we need food at least?”

The fox dashed into the woods.

“Don’t give her more tasks,” Morgan said irritably. “We aren’t sure she even grasped the first one.”

“She’s not stupid,” Nellie said.

“Huli jing are tricksters. We should remember that.”

Nellie was too tired to point out that Morgan had no reservations when they were creeping out of Mrs. Wu’s apartment, nor when they were tripping along the banks of the river. 

She jumped down off a boulder and into a wave of hot, nauseating, stink. She clamped her hands to her nose and mouth as acid surged in her throat. Her blood going cold when she saw she had landed in a pile of dead animals.

“Ugh! What is that dreadful stench!”

Morgan paled as he joined Nellie. He hastily covered his nose and mouth, but bent lower to look at the nearest carcass. A noise of revulsion gurgled from his throat.

“They’re bloodless…”

“As in… they've been drained?” Nellie gulped. “Like by a vampire?”

She wasn't positive vampires were real but Morgan’s lack of a snide remark led her to believe they were. She never heard of—or rather watched a movie—of vampires living in the forests.

The two of them jumped with little eeps as the huli jing appeared, this time as her girl form. She scowled at the dead animals.

“Dangerous. Stay close.”

“This wasn't you, then,” Morgan asked, his voice higher.

The girl narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips. She gave a huff, and stomped off into the trees.

“You should apologize,” Nellie said, leading the way after the girl. 

“To a fox?”

“Yes, Morgan, to a fox,” Nellie said. “It doesn't really matter what she is. She understands you, and you hurt her feelings.”

Morgan was grumbling, whacking branches from his face just behind her when a crash sounded from above. He screamed, a mixture of pain and panic.

Nellie whipped around and saw a winged, tawny creature half his size upon him.

“Morgan!” She grabbed the nearest stick thick enough to hurt.

“Careful!” The girl broke back through the trees, and surveyed the scene. “Late.”

She popped back into a fox and launched at the creature gnawing at Morgan. Nellie beat at it, breaking the stick quickly, and resorting to a thin, whipping branch. She smacked the creature with a loud crack. It released Morgan and threw itself at Nellie.

Her muscle memory from the weeks of sword play with the boys kicked in enough that Nellie was able to whip the feline-esque animal across the face, and again across the chest. Her third counter was deflected by one of its leathery wings, and she was knocked over. She screamed as its fangs pieced her upper arm, having thrown it up just in time to keep it from chomping on her neck.

Morgan’s foot came out of nowhere, kicking viciously at the animal’s head. The teeth tore through Nellie’s arm, but the creature was off.

“You all right,” Nellie asked, staggering up.

Morgan was holding his shoulder near his neck which was seeping dark, red blood. He was very pale and shaking, but gave a small nod.

Nellie barely glanced at her own injury when movement caught her peripheral vision. She whipped her stick as the animal lunged at them again; she kept herself firmly in front of Morgan as he started swaying dangerously. She was vaguely aware that the huli jing was gone just as another of the winged feline-esque animals dropped from the canopy.

There wasn't a way out that she could see. She was injured, essentially lost, and Morgan was now on his knees. Frightened tears fell from her eyes as she readied her stick. Nathalie was never going to know what happened to her.

The little fox broke through the trees behind the two winged beast, giving a snarl. She somehow wore a smug expression.

A crash sounded a split second later, and Nellie saw something large and two-legged brandishing fire at the creatures. One was set ablaze; it raced by her yowling in pain. The other was speared through the neck with a sharpened stick as it swung around to attack this new presence.

Nellie spun and dropped by Morgan now that the immediate threat had passed. He was still seeping blood, but it looked as if it had slowed. He was extremely pale and trembling. She tried to get him up and found him surprisingly heavy. Panic struck her again as she realized what had been inkling in the backs of her mind; there was no way she was going to be able to carry Morgan to safety.

“Stand aside.”

She barely registered that it was a human voice, adult and masculine with a definite familiar English accent, before she was swept aside. She staggered up to her feet, twisting her hands anxiously, as she stared at the broad back of the strange man crouching over Morgan. His fair-hair was shaggy and flecked with white.

She swallowed roughly and looked at the dead animal nearby. “What were those?”

“Feihu,” the huli jing, now in her girl form, answered. “Dangerous.”

“They’re pack animals. Those would’ve been scouts.” The man stood with Morgan draped in his arms. “We need to move.”

She trailed after this man with the huli jing–once again as fox–on her heels. Her heart was thumping rapidly but the adrenaline from the attack had already waned too much for that to be the reason. She was taking in this man's shaggy, wavy hair; his shirt simmered faintly with metallic threads. She was beginning to shake and it had nothing to do with her bleeding arm.

He led them to a tiny hut made out of the trees and underbrush in the area. Nellie wouldn't have noticed it on a first look, but definitely would've poked her head in with little hesitation once she spotted it. It was curious and inviting all at once.

Morgan was laid out on a bed of dried grasses and huge leaves. Nellie slithered in, sinking to his side. She swallowed a lump in her throat as she took in his pallid complexion and shallow breathing.

“He'll be all right in a moment.” 

Nellie couldn’t look at his face, and focused her attention on his calloused fingers sprinkling a fine, pink powder into Morgan’s wound. Nellie chewed her lip, and weakly asked, “Is that alicorn?”

She shrunk and hastily looked away as the man rounded on her, but not fast enough for her to fail to notice that the surprised eyes were the same blue as hers.

“You know alicorn?”

The huli jing–now a girl–popped into the hut. She sat next to Nellie and cozied up like an affectionate cat. She pointed at her freckles and then at Nellie’s, just missing her eye with her pointed fingernail.

“Freckles. Cute.”

“Ah, so that’s where you got them.” Nellie turned her head to avoid his eyes. “Hold out your arm, miss. A pinch will do you right.”

The silence was heavy enough to crush the hut. She stared at her mending arm to avoid looking at Morgan, who was breathing normally and returning to color, and at this man she was too sure of the identity of. He had a bit of scruff on his face, as if he had not shaved in several days. It was very different from the photo tucked in her pocket.

Morgan gave a small groan. Nellie clamoured over their rescuer to get closer, grabbing his arm to help him sit up.

“Morgan!” Nellie threw her arms around him, fighting against a blubber but not able to fully stop the tears.

“Morgan…?”

“I’m all right,” Morgan muttered. “Somehow.”

Nellie pulled away to give Morgan space to breathe and process where he was. She pulled at some split ends in a lock of her wavy, auburn hair, avoiding looking at all the humans. She gave the girl a weak, sheepish smile.

“What good luck on our part,” Morgan said, eyes locked on the blond man. He scoffed. “I doubt you remember me. I would’ve never looked twice at you.”

“I beg your pardon?”

She laughed shakily, unable to help it. The tone was so much like Uncle Winston and Nathalie. She found herself shaking once again.

“Rhys.” The girl pointed boldly right at the man’s stunned face. “Rhys. Father. Rhys. Found.”

“You mad, little fox. What on earth are you on about?” He froze. “How… did you learn my name?”

Rhys looked to Morgan, his eyes widened as he no doubt began to see the similarities to the Regere. He spun on his seat towards Nellie, but she once more was unable to look at him. Her insides kept squirming. Her eyes burned, ready for fresh tears, and she had a sudden desire to not cry in front of him.

“P-Perenelle?”

--------------------------

Finally! Still managed Wednesday, but it was close. We're rounding out towards the end of Nellie's book. There are a couple of reasons why the huli-jing isn't named yet, the first being she was named way, way, way, way back whn this was 'girl goes monster tracking with friends' which is where Ava ended up coming from. Nellie had two more friends in her crew, a huli-jing that I cannot for the life of me remember the name of and can't find it anywhere (had an x and I think q because those are sh and ch and that still blows my mind), and a drow (troll) called Mehitable. The other reason the fox as no name right now is because no one named her. Mrs. Wu wouldn't dare since she sees her as a god-adjact creature.

Oh, but Nellie found Rhys. Or he found them.

Not even the grogginess from the extreme jetlag diminished the awesome sight of the bald, grey-brown rock topped with brilliantly green trees that towered over the small city. Nellie found herself staring with her mouth open, not even the random tourist bumping her distracted her. This looked like a dragon’s paradise to her. It was amazing no one looked in China sooner.

“Brigitte! Beast!”

A middle-aged woman–possibly older–with grays streaking her bluntly cut, jaw-length hair approached through the crowd. Her eyes were sharp but weary, as if she had seen too much or pulled a few long shifts in a row.

“Ah, there you are,” Beast greeted with enthusiasm. Brigitte smiled stiffly and waved. “I was starting to worry one of your co-workers would find us first.” He jabbed  his thumb back towards Nellie and Morgan. “The Regere’s kid and the former Commander’s girl.”

“Morgan Agarwal,” Morgan said, glaring sideways at Beast as he held out his hand. He quickly dropped it and gave a small bow.

She inclined her head in response with a small smile. “Wang Lina. Though with you being Western, I suppose that’s Lina Wang.”

“Lina will pose as our escort,” Beast explained.

“Um… doesn’t the government keep track of things like that,” Nellie asked. “Surely not just any random person can impersonate one of those government escorts.”

“She’s not,” Brigitte said. “She’s a spy.”

“Yes, say that louder, Brigitte,” Lina said dryly. She gestured to the crowded street. “Shall we? I’ll take you to your lodgings to drop off your bags, and then perhaps something to eat?”

“What about a nap between that,” Nellie asked hopefully.

“Best not,” Lina said. “Part of my role is to keep you up until an appropriate time for bed. The jetlag goes by much quicker that way. Come along; this way.”

Nellie had been afraid of that; Nathalie did the same the few times they went to England. Luckily, there was so much to see that she was distracted from dwelling on how exhausted she was.

They drove south in Lina’s compact car, following the river down. She pointed things out that were either historic or could be of some interest to the two pre-teens, but Nellie knew she had no hope of remembering the harshly tonal names. She did understand that they just passed the palace when they started to slow, and committed that to memory if she needed a landmark on the chance she was separated from the others.

They turned into a neighborhood of combined houses and apartment buildings that all had the same tan facade and black roofs. Lina led them up the stairs of a unit tucked in the corner off the busy highway to the apartment on the second floor. She knocked once before trying the door. It was unlocked.

Lina scowled and muttered something in Chinese before smiling at them and motioning for them to enter.

The whole place smelled pleasantly of food. It was similar to Chinese places she’d eaten in with Nathalie back in Florida, but not exact. It smelled much, much better, and a little strange as if there were seasonings she had never smelled before.

A tiny, hunched old woman shuffled out from the kitchen. She spoke rapid-fire to Lina, turning a few times to address Beast and Brigitte–them nodding politely with large, vacant smiles–and gesturing wildly at Morgan and Nellie. Lina spoke to her in even tones, motioned to the front door, and began escorting her to an easychair.

“This is Wu Mansha,” Lina introduced, looking at Morgan and Nellie. “Mrs. Wu is suitable.”

“She frequently hosts us,” Brigitte added. “Can’t speak a lick of English. And Beast and me don’t speak any Chinese, but we all get on all right.” She cupped her hand to her mouth. “Good to see you well!”

“Going deaf,” Beast muttered to the kids. He glared at the door. “And… forgetful?”

“Such happens with age,” Lina said dismissively. “She did remember I told her you were visiting. She’s been cooking. We have no need to go anywhere tonight.” She stepped up to Morgan and gave a small bow of her head. “Is all this to your liking?”

Morgan reeled back slightly, but looked pleased. “Yes. Very. Thank you.”

Nellie’s stomach dropped. She was hoping Morgan would complain about staying up at the least so they could all go to bed. Her head was starting to swim from the exhaustion.

She was shown to a cramped room at the back of the apartment with sleeping pads laid on the floor and neatly made up with blankets. She stared wistfully back at the as she dropped off her bag and was escorted away. Lina and Mrs. Wu kept breaking into rapid conversation, only a few words of which were translated to Beast and Brigitte.

The food was excellent; what Nellie could comprehend at least. She was now too tired to have more than ‘yummy’ or ‘too spicy’ flit through her brain. Morgan seemed to cope better with the jetlag and tried to speak with the adults, but even he was slowing.

“Right,” Lina murmured, looking at a watch on her wrist. “I say give it another hour if you can mange. Seven o’clock is still rather early, but I any longer will be cruel to the children.”

“This was their idea,” Brigitte grumbled, her own eyes drooping with fatigue. She gave a yawn, climbing to her feet. “I’m going to bed. Reckon you’ll just have to put up with my sour temper tomorrow.”

Nellie glanced around the kitchen to keep her brain engaged. There were many small figures on shelves only for the purpose of housing them; common enough in elderly homes that it reminded her of Nana and Granddad’s house. Most of them appeared to be foxes.

Lina climbed to her feet once her plate was cleared. “I’ll head out. Beast, a word first.”

They stepped out of the kitchen but went no further with the apartment being small. Nellie caught Lina was asking something from her tone, but only caught the word ‘watch’. Beast gave a firm nod, and locked the front door after Lina before returning to the table.

It wasn’t long after that Nellie and Morgan were allowed to head off to bed. Nellie spotted Mrs. Wu unlocking the door as she went from the bathroom to the bedroom. She meant to say something to Beast, but fell asleep as soon as she laid on her bed mat.

She woke with a start some hours later. She blinked into the murky brown above her–the street lamps filtering in through a gap in the curtain. She guessed the sudden wakening was connected to the severe time change, and rolled over to find a more comfortable position.

There was a pair of eyes shining faintly from the weak light just inches from her nose.

Nellie screamed and scrambled backwards, flopping over Morgan who sat up with a confused yelp. There was further confusion with Beast and Brigitte shouting at each other, or the kids, and trying to get up without tossing anybody into anything. At this point, Mrs. Wu appeared shrieking angrily.

“What is wrong with you,” Morgan snapped, finally throwing Nellie off and disentangling himself from the blankets and limbs.

“Eyes! There were eyes!” Nellie pointed to the now empty space just as the light in the room was flicked on. “But….”

Beast rushed from the room, soon returning with a disgruntled look on his face.

“Call Lina,” Brigitte asked. He gave her a nod. “Right. Mrs. Wu, dear, come with me.” She gently ushered the elderly woman away. “There we are. This way.”

“Try to get back to sleep,” Beast said. “It’s gone now.”

“It,” Morgan accused. “She didn’t hallucinate it?”

Beast said nothing else. He packed up his sleeping mat and blankets, and left the room.

Nellie was sure she wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep as she settled back onto her mat. She heard Morgan grumbling under his breath on her side, heard Lina arrive some time after, and then was asleep again.

---

The eyes were not brought up as they sat around eating breakfast. Lina spoke in low tones to Beast and Mrs. Wu, Brigitte having left some minutes before Nellie woke up. Where she went and why was not discussed, and Nellie couldn’t help wonder if it had something to do with what happened.

“We’ll go up to Tianyou Peak today,” Lina said. “Tourist find it popular, but it may lead to some signs of the former Commander.”

“Nellie’s mostly here just to be a tourist,” Morgan said bitterly.

“When will you drop that,” Nellie hissed. “I’m here. Leave me alone.”

Beast drained his tiny cup of tea. “Kids are so irritating.” He climbed to his feet, slightly stooped to keep his head from brushing the ceiling. “I’ll wait at the mountain.”

Lina didn’t allow them to leave until Brigitte returned. She apparently wanted either her or Beast to stay at the apartment, knowing that having the both of them would attract far too much attention. It was a difficult toss up on which one would draw the most attention with both being dark-skinned, Beast being over seven feet tall, and Brigitte’s hair bright shades of purple. As Lina articulated as they went to meet Beast, it would’ve been easier for her to travel with just the kids but also the most suspicious.

“People will look at our group two or three times, maybe just stare, and having either one or the other will make them think a family trip,” Lina explained as they climbed the steps to the start point of the hike.

“But… we don’t look anything like either of them,” Nellie said. “Especially me.”

“They’ll think you a fluke,” Lina said nonchalantly. “Ah, there he is. See him a mile away.”

Lina and Beast briefly discussed the plan for the hike, where to stop and what points could be of interest.

Nellie started to fall behind almost at once. She was in good shape after all the running around at Silas’s compound, but there was too much to see now that she wasn’t so sleep deprived. The views grew more and more breathtaking during the step climb up the stone steps. There was a low hanging cloud over the twist of river below. The surrounding mountains rose straight up into the sky.

She stopped at an overlook, pressed against the rail by the mass of onlookers all clamouring for the perfect selfie.

“Photo?”

It took Nellie a moment to realize the voice was directed at her, and another to find the speaker in the throng of people. A girl about her own age stood a few paces away, staring at her with eyes Nellie could only describe as clever—as strange a descriptor she found it. There was an odd, yellowish glint to them when the sunlight caught them as she moved nearer.

“Photo,” she repeated, her accent not nearly as thick as the first time.

“Oh, no, I'm okay,” Nellie said hastily. “I was just looking. I better go before I…” She looked around, popping up on her toes, but saw no hint of Beast in the crowd. “I better go. Sorry. Excuse me.”

She scrambled away from the lookout. She knew they were supposed to go up to the peak, so continued climbing without much worry. If she was quick enough, they wouldn’t realize she was gone.

Nellie balked as the girl stood on the path before her. She looked back over her shoulder at the overlook, unable to see it due to a curve in the pathway, and then at the girl. She got both feet on the same step to stabilize herself while her insides gave an uncomfortable squirm. There was no way that girl could’ve sneaked by her on such a narrow path.

“What are you,” Nellie asked carefully.

She nearly lost her balance as the girl jumped towards her, landing on the step just in front of her. She leaned back as the girl leaned closer to her face. A wide smile took over her face. Her canines were oddly pointed.

“This?” The girl poked Nellie’s nose.

“My nose? What about…?”

The girl’s face started to change. Tiny freckles appeared on either side of her petite nose, not crossing onto the bridge or extending beyond the tops of her cheeks.

“Cute?”

“Y-yeah,” Nellie said weakly. The girl spun around happily. “Um… I need to go catch up to everyone.” She inched by the girl. “Bye.”

She could feel the girl staring at her back as she climbed the steps. An odd rustling drew her attention back behind her.

The girl was gone.

“Hello?” 

Nellie craned her head towards the side of the mountain, thankfully seeing nothing that indicated she fell over the side. She crossed her arms tight, trying to convince herself it was because of the chilly air at that altitude and not because all the hair on her neck was raised. She took a step up, turning back to her climb, and yelped in surprise.

The girl was before her, inches from her face.

“Hello,” the girl said, her accent now completely American. She pointed to her freckles on her cheeks. “These?”

“Freckles? Yeah… I saw you get them. Or make them. Or whatever it was.” Nellie bit her lip. “So, I really do need to catch up with my cousin and them.”

“Me?” She skipped a few steps up. “Me too?”

“If you want to… You’re not, y’know, going to push us off the side or anything, right?”

The girl cocked her head like a dog. Her deep, brown eyes glinted with yellow as she smirked and scampered upwards. Nellie followed at a slower pace, trying to keep some distance and sticking firmly to the mountain side.

“What are you,” Nellie asked, not as warily as before. The girl looked back, cocking her head again. “Maybe it doesn’t translate… Actually, how much can you understand me? How do I test that?”

The girl smirked again and hurried off. She left the path to scramble over boulders and tug at exposed tree roots. It reminded Nellie a lot of Ash rushing around the woods.

“These mountains are incredible,” Nellie said after a long lapse of silence. “I wish I was here just to hike.” She frowned. “I wish Ash was here. He’s my smoke wolf. Or, I guess mine isn’t right, but he’s my friend who happens to be a smoke wolf. He was my only friend for a long time after I moved to Tennessee.”

“Tennessee?”

“It’s one of the states in the United States,” Nellie explained. “Do you know the United States? America? You’ve probably had a few people from there visit here. They have accents like mine. …Unless they’re from the Deep South or New England or the Midwest or…. Well, there’s a lot of American accents, but mine is generic.”

She stopped to catch her breath and to take in the view. The river was now so far below it was a shimmer of silver with the cloud having evaporated. The enormity of the scenery choked her. Somewhere out there was her father, but trying to find him looked impossible. And this was only one of the many mountain ranges.

Nellie swallowed the lump in her throat and batted at her eyes. She jerked when the girl stuck her face right in hers, studying her quizzically.

“It’s so pretty,” Nellie said lamely, gesturing to the view. “It makes one emotional.” She flinched as the girl touched a stray tear, and cringed as she tasted it. “Ew.”

“Nellie! Nellie!” Morgan’s voice echoed down the mountain. “Nellie! Answer me!”

“That’s my cousin,” Nellie explained to the girl. “Morgan! I’m almost to you!” She started climbing. “Come on; he sounds worried.”

They met on the path. Morgan’s face went from relief to fury in the blink of an eye. He stood his ground, arms folded, and waited for Nellie to close the gap.

“I should have guessed you were dragging your feet,” Morgan said airily. “Enjoying your sight seeing?” His hazel eyes darted to the girl. “Who is that?”

“More like what,” Nellie muttered.

“Are you ready to give finding your father a more serious attempt, or are you still just here to make friends and take selfies?”

Nellie bristled. “I am looking! I came all the way here when I didn’t want to!”

The girl gave an odd, startled yelp as Nellie raised her voice. She shrank with a faint pop, and there was now a small, reddish and silver fox where she had stood. It darted off the path into the rocks, leaving Morgan and Nellie staring with their mouths slightly open.

-----------------------------

When I took Mandarin forever ago, the name I was assigned at the end of the semester was Wang Mansha. Wang is really common, and so is Wu so I gave the old lady the Mansha and Lina the Wang. Lina is also written as Li Na and is supposedly a really common and traditional combination for women.

I used Google Earth to map the neighborhood and some of the mountain path that they're at, since I'm not going to China any time soon (looking at all the mountains makes me want to go right now, lol, I think it's been long enough between my degree and now to go soonish). I do recommend just doing an image search of Tianyou Peak and/or Wuyishan Mountians. It's so freaking pretty. I think the hike all the way to the peak takes a couple of days, so I figured Lina and Beast planned on just going as far as they could, maybe grabbing lunch at a tea house, and heading back down.

But I guess the more interesting development is that Nellie continues to attract cryptids on the other side of the globe.