That night was chilly, despite it being the middle of summer. The two young teenagers were in a forest for night hunting, yet there was something eerie about that night. It seemed like everything was standing still, and all that could be heard was the sound of their breathing. It was pitch black, which caused the hair on the back of their necks to raise.
"Something feels wrong," Yongliang whispered, tugging on Xueji's sleeve. He was shivering, the sound of his teeth chattering echoing in the night. "Shixiong. I think we should leave. There's something evil out there."
"I agree," Xueji said, taking his hand, ready to run off. He reached out and pulled up Yongliang's hood to ensure he stayed warm. "Stick close."
"Shixiong!" Yongliang shouted out in fear. Something was grabbing onto his leg and trying to pull him back. The pain from the claws on his leg almost immobilized him.
Xueji spun around, unsheathing his sword and striking the creature that was crawling in the darkness. The creature let out a loud shriek, enveloping itself around Yongliang. Yongliang let out a startled cry, struggling to get out of the creature's hold. His cry of pain and fear pierced Xueji's heart. "Shixiong! Help! I can't– Shixiong! It's biting me!"
"Shidi!" Xueji said in alarm, panicking as he tried to figure out what to do. He took out a few talismans, throwing them onto the creature. The thing immediately let go of Yongliang, letting out a pained cry and coiling up on the ground. Xueji took out his cellphone and turned on the flashlight. They were told not to use lights because it could alert their prey, but that didn't matter at that moment.
What they were looking at in the dim light was nothing they have seen before. It had stringy hair and what looked like scales all down its body. It reminded Xueji of a large serpent. Nonetheless, it caused Seiji to shiver in fright. He's never seen a demon up close before.
"Fangs," Yongliang stated, pointing at his own teeth. Xueji nodded his head in understanding. They were indeed dealing with a serpent demon.
"Stay back," Xueji said, causing Yongliang to nod his head as the older boy whipped out a few more talismans, fully immobilizing the demon. "Run!"
Yongliang nodded and stumbled after the older boy out of the forest. They met their mothers at the entrance of the forest, one looking at them with worry while the other had her arms crossed and a resting bitch face. Yongliang dropped to the ground in exhaustion, explaining to his mother what had happened.
"There was a demon," Yongliang whispered, tears running down his face. He was still shaking in freight. "It attacked me. My leg-- It bit me and it hurt me."
Xueji stood back, gauging his mother's response. The two women exchanged glances, before Yongliang's mother bent down in front of her son. She grabbed onto his hands, staring into his eyes. Yongliang could only sniffle as he stared at his mother.
"Baby, it will be okay," she said softly. "I'm going to go back and figure out what had happened. I want you and Xueji to go back to Xueji's home and wait for us. Xueji will help you clean up your wound. Shaoqing is there too, baby. He'll be there to help if he needs to."
"Mom," Yongliang said, shaking his head. Xueji reached down to help Yongliang up as the two mothers left without another word.
"Are you okay, Shidi?" Xueji asked, placing his hand on his shoulder. Yongliang slowly nodded his head.
"Thank you for saving me," he said with a soft whisper. "I wasn't expecting to have a face off with a demon."
"You're 14. You shouldn't have to face a demon," Xueji said softly. "Come on, let's go home."
He helped the younger boy up, leading him back to his house. They reached Xueji's home, where a small boy was anxiously waiting for them. He froze when he saw Xueji, staring at him nervously. Xueji nodded his head in greeting, causing the boy to let out a shy noise, before rushing over to Yongliang to help him inside.
"He was injured by a demon," Xueji told him as they brought Yongliang to the couch. "Will you go get me some water and the first aide kit? There's one above the kitchen sink."
The boy quickly nodded his head before rushing out of the room. Xueji watched him leave with a fond smile before looking back at Yongliang, brushing hair out of his eyes. He picked up the blanket that was draped over the back of the couch, covering most of Yongliang's body with it, except his injured leg.
"Is that your brother?" Xueji asked, causing Yongliang to nod his head weakly. "He's cute."
"He's a brat," Yongliang whispered. Xueji let out a soft laugh, looking around as the boy came running back in. He ended up splashing water all down his front once he saw Xueji again. He let out a yelp as he placed the water and first aide kit on the table next to Xueji, before running back to the kitchen, peeking his head out to watch.
Xueji let out a small chuckle before getting to work at cleaning the wound. He didn't know much about medication, but at least he knew enough to be able to dress a wound. He had to help his own little brother any time he got hurt, since his mother never did.
He sighed once he had finished, looking at Yongliang. He had closed his eyes, allowing himself to rest. Xueji decided he should let him rest until their mothers returned. He went into the kitchen, looking at the small boy. He gave him a warm smile in greeting, which only caused the young boy to go even more shy. Before Xueji could say anything to him, the two women came in.
Yongliang's mother picked up Yongliang, telling the younger boy to come. She didn't say anything to Xueji or his mother as she left the house in a rush. Xueji frowned in confusion before rushing after her, watching as they all left.
That was the last time he saw them.