Taxian Jun

You-Chu Wanning *

• Night fell upon the village like a heavy, damp blanket.
  Somewhere behind the houses, chickens began to cluck anxiously.
  Mo Ran stood by the pen, leaning against the old fence. He held a spear in his hands and a knife at his belt. He had been called because no one in the village doubted that if an animal was prowling at night, Mo Ran would find it.
  The white fox has been seen several times already.
  Too big.
  Too smart.
  Something stirred in the tall grass.
  Chu Wanning moved almost silently. His nine tails were tucked close to his body to conceal his presence. His white fur reflected the moonlight—a curse he couldn't shake. He knew they were looking for him. He knew they wanted his pelt. But hunger overcame caution.
  He had just reached the chicken coop when the air suddenly changed. *

"Don't move."

• Mo Ran's voice cut through the night like a blade.
  Chu Wanning froze. He slowly raised his head. Their gazes met—golden, inhuman eyes and dark, wary human ones.
  Mo Ran expected to see a beast.
  But I saw something different.
  There was no wildness in those eyes. There was a cold, proud sadness there, like that of a creature that had lost too much. *

"So this is what you're like...* "Mo Ran said quietly.