Haolin snorts awake with a strange sensation rolling over his mind. It was as if he were...Waking up. Truly, waking up. Kang Haolin shook his head and woozily stood up, a growl rumbling from his throat. He glares at the moonless sky, baring his teeth like an agitated beast. *Clink! His glower moving from the heavens to the chains binding him to the earth, he snarled and climbed from the hole. Kang Haolin, with a weight on his mind for once, dragged his heavy body toward the river.
His chest was equally heavy as if he was carrying tons of metal within it making his steps falter every other meter traveled. 'Haolin, my poor Haolin.' He growls at the ghost that called him, snapping at nothing at his feet, calling his name. 'This is the only way, Haolin.' '-Haolin, I'm sorry.'
"Kang Haolin." Rolling his heavy head in the direction of the voice. Kang Haolin dragged his heavy body into the river making a loud splash and creating a large wave of water to rise and briefly blur his image to an outside viewer. Like a cloud uncovering the moon, the wave crashes into the banks of the river leaving behind a simple silhouette of a man. Kang Haolin, brown phoenix-shaped eyes as faint and tranquil as his surroundings. Silently stood in place of the silver dragon, staring at the empty riverside where his uncle had disappeared. Taking with him his sister and the ghosts that haunted his fragile memory.
He brought his gaze down to his human hands and the heavy chains that still bound him to this village snuggly wrapped around his wrists and his original body he had long forgotten. The man silently peers at his own body that was still covered in the battle scars he accumulated over the years. His sword brows furrowed, and his black hair which he hadn't cut in a millennia was silently waving at him in the water. After all this time... why now? Kang Haolin didn't understand.
When he was desperate, when his sister was desperate, and when his uncle was desperate he couldn't remember it. That crushing weight, the heavy feeling in his heart that continued to press down on his mind that he couldn't be rid of unless he lost himself. Why did he recall it perfectly now? His mother, his father, his uncle, and his sister. "Hiss-!" The pain in his chest and throbbing in his head increased the more he recalled the events of the past. Why? Why? Why?!
Groaning as the pain in his head persisted, Haolin felt his vision blur with tears. "Argh-!!" Clutching his head as the pain became too much to bear Haolin gave a deeply rutted roar of agony keeling over himself. Shao Dai Lu jerked from her sleep her talisman at the ready and looking around herself fully alert. Her brain trying to keep pace with the cry she heard, she could feel her heart racing about ready to burst from her chest. Looking back in the direction of her brother and Hao Feng. She gave a sigh of relief to see that they were still safe and the cry of agony did not come from them. In fact, they were both deeply asleep, the talisman between them still burning brightly.
But if it wasn't them, who else could have shouted? She subconsciously brought her attention to the hole where the silver king rested out of habit. "Deity?" To her shock and apprehension, the silver deity's chains were stretched far outside of his trench. Although knowing that the dragon could handle himself Dai Lu couldn't help recalling that cry of pain. It sounded human but, how could she be sure?
She had been half asleep after all. "Sir deity?" Dai Lu held on tight to her talisman and followed the chains of the silver king warily. The chains shuffled once after she called out relieving her a little that the deity was most likely alright. Maybe it had been the death cry of another beast? Still holding onto her talisman but less stressed Dai Lu picked up her pace following the chains to the dragon that had unusually awakened from his slumber of his own volition.
From the lack of movement, she could assume he was either done killing whatever it was that intruded into the grove or was on his way back. Remembering the vicious scene of the dragon tearing apart the bear she still held hints of fear. But overcoming that fear with the constant reassurance she received that the dragon had never even touched a hair on her head over the past few days. She took a deep breath and continued on.
However, the further she followed the chains trying to spot the hard-to-miss silver scales of the enormous dragon. Dai Lu's stiff face pulled into a troubled expression instead. As she calculates the end of the grove, she half expected to see the dragon again only to squint and spot a different silhouette in the river. Covered by many low-hanging branches, she couldn't see it clearly. Besides the white tufts of fur on the dragon's mane....Did she see...black fur? No, black hair.
Dai Lu tensed and didn't continue forward, stiffly looking down at the chains just to make sure the deity was still in this direction. Who? Where is Sir Deity? When she looked back up Dai Lu was dumbfounded by the large body covered in silver scales that was soaking in the lake in place of the black-haired individual. "...Sir deity?" Calling out hesitantly Dai Lu was struck dumb when the dragon lightly splashed the water soaking his tail in reply. She breathed a sigh of relief while also being filled with confusion by how she could have possibly seen a dark-haired man instead of the obvious large deity soaking in the lake.
No longer hesitating or fearful with the dragon nearby who seemed relaxed enough to soak during the cold restless night. Dai Lu's fierce expression eases and she curiously strolls forward till the large dragon is in full view. She couldn't help holding her breath at the magnificent full view she had of the mighty creature. He was beautiful.
The bottom half of his body wading in the water, and his head lazily resting at the bottom of the bank as well and stretched out full. Dai Lu's admiration of the dragon grew. Haolin decidedly ignored her ogling, merely peering at her quietly with his glowing bronze eye as she did the same to him. Maybe she was too relaxed with him guarding the grove these days, as the woman even dared to take another step toward him. "Sir Deity, can I touch your scales?"
Her bold question made his lip twitch. In response, Haolin promptly rose from the water and sent a wave of water large enough to swallow the woman whole above her. She yelped and slipped into the river as Haolin inconsiderately stepped out without catching her. He shook out his majestic body and meticulously began to untangle his chains back toward the shrine. "Hey!" He ignored the anguished and wronged exclaimation behind him.
Maybe she knew how to finally feel shame, but for the next few days, the woman didn't come back to his trench to bother him. He could finally fall back asleep in peace. He also heard the woman's brother had woken up and could sit up by himself, albeit not for long. But he no longer needed twenty-four-hour supervision. The woman also revealed a relieved expression the day he woke. Expressing honest glee that her brother had recovered faster than she anticipated. Haolin assumed that in less than a week, the trio would be able to leave his grove and go back to where they came from. And he would finally, have some peace and quiet.
He listened in as they planned their departure seriously. Hao Feng who was now more comfortable with the twins after being stranded with them for so long. Had a confident light in his eyes as he spoke. "-I think we can leave by the end of the week. The sooner we leave the better. If we pay attention to the changing weather haven't you all noticed it's colder in this valley than outside? If we don't leave quickly, we may encounter snow and be buried by ice before we can make it through the pass. If not buried, we may even be trapped in the valley if theres an avalanche in the pass blocking our way through." The Shao siblings seriously listened to his speculation with grim expressions.
Dai Ling thought for awhile before agreeing with him, "It is better to be safe than sorry." He sent Hao Feng and his sister an apologetic look. "It's my fault we had to delay our departure, I overestimated myself." Dai Lu cooly cut off his apology, admonishing her soft brother sternly. "Dai Ling stop it. We both made the decision to stick with you here for your own good. Are you disdaining mine and Hao Feng's hard work nursing you back to health all this time?" Dai Ling sent his stubborn sister a helpless but gentle smile. "Of course not."
Hao Feng hit his knee also smiling at the twins holding no hard feelings for the delay. "Then that settles it, we'll leave in three days. We should be just in time for the time limit instructor Ping gave us too. Although we're pretty far from the capital, if we manage to catch a ride with another group or passing airship headed to the capital in the port town we can even spare a few extra days to have fun." He jokes lightly earning a small smile and glance from Dai Lu as well as a soft chuckle from Dai Ling. But they didn't shoot down his invitation.
Dai Ling asks abruptly with an inquisitive glance at the large hole Hao Feng warned him not to walk towards even though he noticed his sister frequently visited it. "Speaking of which, what's in that hole over there? LuLu, you sometimes bring over roasted meat and talk to someone don't you? Is it an injured beast?" Hao Feng's smile froze, while Dai Lu nonchalantly answered. "It's a friendly beast that's protecting this grove. You don't see it come out because he's nocturnal and doesn't like people much." She seemed to lie with ease. And seeing as the two were as leisurely as they claimed Dai Ling bought her lie smiling gently. "Did you want to bring him along with us? You seem quite attached to him."
Hao Feng almost choked but luckily Dao Lu had a great poker face and an even greater fibbing tongue. "No, he's too big to bring along. Plus he is shy, he can't even poke his head out unless everyone is asleep or it's dark out. I don't want to remove him from his natural habitat and scare him." Hao Feng, who held his breath each time he had to watch the woman visit and bother the slumbering dangerous beast every day. "...." Should he be thankful that Dai Ling trusts his sister too much, or that Dai Lu seems much too used to lying through her teeth to her brother?
Haolin blinked his sleepy bronze eyes and snorted softly before closing them again. Seemingly uncaring for how the woman described him as she would be leaving soon anyway. On the day of their departure, Dai Lu paced around the trench for awhile just out of his sight. But with the patience of stone, Haolin never complained or took her pacing into consideration. He listened as she shuffled back and forth enough to warm the ground she was trekking on.
They had already all woken up and refreshed themselves before morning broke. So now, they were only waiting for Hao Feng to see if the path was clear. Now that they knew larger beasts roamed the corners of the grove during nightfall, they were more cautious when leaving the safe place. Not knowing what was stalking them from the sidelines, waiting for them to step just out of the silver king's reach. Less than an hour later after leaving Hao Feng returned to the village reporting what he saw and heard.
"We should be alright for awhile, prey we left on the other side of the grove yesterday was gone. So if anythings out there, they would most likely be at the south side of the grave rather than towards the riverside." Shao Dai Ling nodded and stood up slowly with the help of Hao Feng. He looked toward his sister who wore a stiff and somewhat hesitant expression. "LuLu, let's go." Dai Lu robotically stepped in their direction with his prompting, hesitantly sending the silent trench one last look.
"LuLu?" "...I'm coming."