Bunny Tail

Lan Xichen walked through the forest, a perpetual smile on his lips. He'd come down from the moon, tired of merely watching the earth and wanting to experience it. Chang'e had given him his name to use when she'd told him to 'get lost already'. His smile brightened momentarily at the memory.

He'd lost count of how many years he'd been wandering the earth. There was always more to see. He tended to settle in a village as a healer, but would always move out before his skills became too famous and word could spread. If his name became known, he would no longer be free to wander and he sure didn't want to return to the moon just yet.

Which was how he found himself on the road. He'd left his last home about two months ago when a local Lord had caught wind of him. It was a sad thing really. He'd enjoyed that little village and hadn't really been planning on a life on the road again just yet.

He halted his steps when the smell of fresh blood caught his sensitive nose. It came from his right and from within the forest. Curious, he diverted from the path and made his way through the underbrush.

After what must be about 50 meters, he walked into destruction. Broken branches, ripped ground and even a few, smaller, fallen trees. The area reeked of blood and something that was a lot fouler. The latter was probably due to the giant, dead, demon snake not far from him.

As he walked further onto the scene, a flash of purple at the corner of his eye caught his attention. It was a decidedly misplaced colour. There, covered in so much blood and dirt he mostly blended into the underbrush, lay an unconscious man.

Lan Xichen rushed forward, feeling his pulse and sighing with relief to find it still beating, albeit rather weekly. He looked the man over. Most of the wounds were too grave for him to treat in the middle of a forest. The only one he could bandage was a deep cut on his upper arm.

Despite the prodding and poking, the man didn't respond. He didn't even groan. Lan Xichen pulled bandages from his sleeve and fixed the cut, then let out a huff.

"It seems I'll be settling down again," he said out loud.

He picked up the sword that was lying next to the man and searched the scene until he found the scabbard. He hung them both on his back before picking the man up in his arms and making his way back to the road. He'd walked past a village half an hour ago and decided to head back there instead of going onward and not knowing how long it would take to reach then next sign of civilisation.

Upon arrival, the villagers threw him suspicious, wary looks. He ignored it, long used to it, and approached one of them.

"Is there any shelter nearby for me and my...companion. As you can see, he's gravely wounded and in need of urgent care."

The man frowned at him, another walking up to them from a field nearby.

"What's up?" the second asked.

"He wants shelter," the first said.

Lan Xichen remained silent, watching them with a calm smile.

"There's granny's hut."

"You'd give him granny's hut?"

The second shrugged.

"You know she'd have taken them in. Too kind, granny was. Guess he could take her hut now that she's gone."

The first one gave Lan Xichen a hard stare before pointing along the road. "Go left after the third house, keep walking 'till you hit the foot of the rock wall. You'll see her hut there," he said. "She liked her solitude, that one."