Moth and Moon

Peach Blossom

The morning that they were set to depart, Xie Lian double-checked to make sure that they hadn't forgotten anything. San Lang assured him that everything would be fine, but with Xie Lian's track record of things going terribly wrong? It was better to be safe than sorry. Although he hoped that this would be over with quickly, he had a bad feeling stewing in his belly.

"San Lang, could I borrow some magic?" Xie Lian asked shyly, and San Lang eagerly held his hand and obliged. Xie Lian used it to test the protection spell around the cottage for weaknesses, but it was as strong and impenetrable as ever. The cottage would be safe, but would they be safe? Would San Lang be safe?

San Lang prepared food for the journey (Xie Lian didn't think his own cooking would contribute anything positive to the mission), and they filled their water gourds. Xie Lian wasn't sure when they would be getting back, so he left enough food and water for his hens to last them about a week. He watered the moss floor in the cottage, made sure the windows were closed, and cleaned up the house as best as he could. Xie Lian couldn't think of anything that they hadn't taken care of yet, but the anxiety remained.

As the two of them sat at the table waiting for Nan Feng and Fu Yao to arrive, Xie Lian's chest felt tight. He stared off into space, petting E-ming and Ruoye who were curled up in his lap. San Lang must have taken notice of Xie Lian's silence, because he said "Gege, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing," Xie Lian quickly said. His body jolted when San Lang placed his hand over his on the table.

"Gege," San Lang said knowingly.

"I'm just..." Xie Lian scratched his cheek. "I suppose I'm worried about facing Bai Wuxiang again."

San Lang laced their fingers together. "I'll be with you this time, by your side. I won't let him harm you," he said fiercely.

Xie Lian sighed. "Oh, San Lang..." How could he be so sure? So many things could go wrong. "But what about you, San Lang?"

San Lang was caught off guard. The memory of the night of the full moon and the arrow piercing San Lang's chest was still fresh in Xie Lian's mind. San Lang slipped into the nonchalant smile that seemed to come so easily to him. "Gege will protect me, won't you?"

"You have so much faith in me, San Lang." Probably too much. Xie Lian paused, thinking. "What will happen if we get separated?"

San Lang drummed his sharp nails on the table. "I may have an idea, if Gege permits."

"Yes?" Xie Lian asked curiously.

"Do you have any thread?"

Xie Lian's heart jumped at San Lang's words. Could San Lang be planning what he thought he was? "Wait a moment."
Xie Lian went over to his storage chest and rummaged through to find a spool of white cotton thread, then returned to the table. "Will this do?"

"Yes, it's perfect." San Lang's eye sparkled as Xie Lian passed the thread to him. Xie Lian watched in fascination as he began unwinding it. As San Lang pulled, he twisted it between his thumb and forefinger down its length, imbuing it with magic. When he deemed it sufficiently long, he broke off the now-glowing thread with a snap. There was a needle tucked into the spool, and he yanked it out.

Before Xie Lian had a chance to realize what was going on, San Lang had pricked his own finger with the needle. Fresh, red blood beaded up on the tip of his finger, and he wiped some of it onto the thread. "San Lang!" Although it was only a tiny poke, the sight of San Lang's blood made panic strike Xie Lian like lightning.

"It's alright, Gege." San Lang held out his finger to show Xie Lian that the wound was already closing up. It completely healed before his eyes, good as new. His wolf-shifter healing abilities were truly miraculous. Xie Lian's pulse slowed again, and now that he was calmer he realized that blood was indeed part of the spell ritual that he'd been thinking of. So that meant... His poor heart, which had just started to relax, set off beating in a frenzy again.