“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.
A Tier half-transformed as a dracleon back in 2005.
Coronation, 2009
I have made at least 2 attempts at drawing the Alan Parsons Project song "Snake Eyes"... this is one from 2011...
...And this one from 2013. I like aspects of both; maybe the layout of this one but mixed with the realism of the other? I need to study my cobra anatomy if I'm going to try again, hah.
Twila Sketch, unknown
And here's just an Ace with epic scarf. I just really like scarves. This was dated 2014!
Train in the Distance, 2014?
Ava Harley, 2016
