Moth and Moon

Jasmine

“Gege, are you hurt?” San Lang asked in a weak, hoarse voice. Xie Lian was caught between laughing and crying in relief. He kept himself composed, holding back his tears and smiling.

“I’m alright, don’t worry about me,” he replied. The first thing out of San Lang’s mouth was concern for him… He should be worried about his own injury! San Lang’s eye focused as he became fully conscious, and when he realized what was going on he quickly pulled up the cloak draped over his legs to cover his wound. He turned away, and Xie Lian got the impression that he didn’t want to be seen like this. Otherwise, why had he been using an illusion spell to disguise himself for all this time?

Xie Lian could see a faint silver glow around San Lang- his fairy glow, he realized. Before his eyes, San Lang’s body began to flicker in between his human appearance and his fairy form. San Lang shuddered from the effort of exerting his magic, sweat shining on his forehead.

“San Lang!” Xie Lian kneeled at his side. “Don’t push yourself.” The illusion wavered and collapsed, and his body sagged against the dirt floor.

“I’m sorry, Gege.” San Lang laid there, his wings trapped beneath him as if he was trying to hide them from view, and his head was still turned away like he couldn’t bear to make eye contact. Xie Lian sighed, unsure what to do.

“San Lang, how is your wound?” he tried.

It took a moment for San Lang to speak. “It’s healing. I should be fully recovered in a few days.” Xie Lian felt some of the tension ease from his shoulders. San Lang scoffed. “It’s not as if that trash archer could kill me anyways.”

‘Trash archer…?’ “Fe- Nan Feng?” Xie Lian guessed out loud.

San Lang’s lip curled in disgust. “That incompetent hunter shot me with a silver arrow, thinking that that would do me in.” Xie Lian listened with curiosity. This reaffirmed what he’d already known, about wolf-shifters being weak to silver. “All he managed to do was be a nuisance,” San Lang sneered.

“So, having silver in your wound prevents it from healing quickly?” Xie Lian asked.

San Lang glanced over. “That’s true, but no matter what is done to me in wolf form, only one thing can kill me.”

Xie Lian swallowed dryly. He had a feeling that he knew what San Lang was referring to, but he couldn’t bear to think about it. He didn’t press the matter further, and silence hung heavily over the two of them. Xie Lian coughed lightly and stood. “Ah, San Lang, now that you’re awake, can I leave you here for a bit while I fetch some supplies?”

San Lang didn’t reply at first, but Xie Lian felt something clinging to his robes, and he looked down to see San Lang’s deathly white hand gripping the hem of the garment.

"Gege,” he whispered, gaze lowered. Hidden in that word was a clear message: ‘Please don't leave me.’ Xie Lian’s heart ached, seeing his strong San Lang looking so helpless. He crouched down and gently stroked San Lang’s matted hair.

“I won’t leave you,” he said simply, and he saw San Lang’s hand curl more tightly. Xie Lian patted his head softly for a while without saying anything, but then San Lang broke the silence.

“I’ll go with you. Let’s leave this place.”

Xie Lian’s hand stopped. “If San Lang is sure he’ll be able to.”

San Lang grimaced as he slowly sat up, but he quickly covered up his pained expression. Xie Lian looked away as San Lang put on the red cloak, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw San Lang struggling with the clasps, and he leaned over to do them for him. San Lang stayed very still, like he was afraid that Xie Lian would run away if he made any sudden movements. Xie Lian kept his eyes down, not looking at San Lang’s face partially out of shyness, and partially out of respect for his apparent wish not to be seen like this.