Winter Pass

______________Seventh and Last Day of the Storm________________

Haolin had grown quite adept at feeding and cleaning the face of the woman who although wasn't as rosy as she was before, was at least breathing evenly without a fever. Her sickness or whatever she had caught before had miraculously subsided with his attentiveness. But he theorized the possibly humans were now stronger than they were during his time active as well. He had fiddled with the thing that had been resting on her wrist as a thin unremarkable bracelet and copied the motions she made when using the object. It was odd. When he tried touching the familiar yet significantly changed letterings or magical images, his fingers just passed through it all. Rubbing his thumb and pointer together, there wasn't even a single trace of spiritual energy within his finger tips making it a curious device. 

Occasionally strange things and noises would emit from the device, however he never found out what or why it did such a thing even when it's owner was asleep. Haolin scoff disdainfully and threw the silver bracelet back at the sleeping Shao Dai Lu letting it bounce off the tightly bundled human. His disdain grew when his gaze fell on the peacefully slumbering human in his lair. She seemed to hold not a single trace of fear now, her nightmares giving her a rest tonight. This one is also troublesome. By now she should have awakened, her sibling had done so without much effort even gravely wounded. So why was she still sleeping so peacefully without any sings of wanting to wake up?

Was she too at peace? "...." A shadow of a hand made it's way slowly towards the soft unsuspecting woman's face only to be slapped away by a ghost he hadn't seen in awhile. Haolin who had been treated disrespectfully calmly meets the blaming and annoyed face of his beloved sister. She seemed thoroughly exasperated by his behavior 'Are you planning to kill it?! Why are you looking at her like that?!' She hurriedly cradled a mutt into her arms soothing the ignorant thing who dared intrude into his domain. Being caught red handed Haolin was surprisingly calm about it, however he did settle back down without any other intentions of harming the bothersome creature. 

Her eyes when she visited him was different these days. The way she looked at him had changed, not enough to bother him but enough to make him take note of her visible hesitations when speaking of the village these days. Haolin pretends to not see it, whether it was for his sake or her own. Haolin would never seek a deeper meaning in the looks she gave him. For it was enough that she still looked at him with those eyes without fear. He can tolerate a few strange looks, even if they came from her. 

'Older brother, are you...ok?' Haolin met her worried gaze for a very long time without answering. He continued staring until that strange emotion entered her eyes again before looking away to gaze over at the cloudy sky. Never uttering a response to the rarely silent girl who had been with him since before tragedy befell their family. The only one who could sit with him in silence and understand his blank mind and heart. The roaring flames had claimed his reason, and the dragon had long devoured his heart leaving him as a seemingly mindless destruction seeking beast. When he took a glance the ghost had already dispersed, which was a first. 

But he did not linger on her departure, it wasn't in his nature. An itch in his ear made Haolin look over to that beeping bracelet and by default lingering over the slumbering human. "..." The silver king shook his shoulders as silver scales clink and snap gathering all along his body claiming him once more. Haolin didn't look back as he climbed outside of the den to distance himself from the nagging device harassing his ears, seeking a place to watch the stars in peace. Since she was out of danger he needed not to stay by her side constantly anymore. 

The crackling of a flame and the familiar alerts from her device was the first thing she heard when she awoke. It was warm, but the ground was hard and somewhat cold in comparison. Her head felt heavy as if she had woken from a long hazy smog. "Mmn." Groaning lightly Shao Dai Lu rubs her eyes and noticed she was tightly bundled up in her emergency blanket, rather tightly too. "!!" Sitting upright on full alert Dai Lu's heart began racing as she scrambles for her talisman while trying to identify her surroundings. However, with her flaming talisman in her hands, as she quickly observes her surroundings with a still somewhat foggy mind she was relieved when she saw no one other than herself. 

She made careful observations of the semi dark space with nothing but a small fire in the center and hesitated before slowly standing up. How did she end up here? Where was this? Although she hoped it was her brother who had come back for her, judging by the tactless dumping of her person on the cold hard floor. The one who helped either didn't now she had a sleeping bag or didn't care to look through her things. Cautiously making her way to the fire as her eyes adjust to the somewhat dim room, she shivers as a gust of wind managed to enter the makeshift cave. Peering up at the only entrance and exit above her, Dai Lu was even more confused on how this person managed to find a place like this at all in such a dangerous area. 

*snap As she explores her surroundings she almost trips over a broken floor board and a sudden strange idea enters her head. It can't be...She was back at the village?? But if so then how did they manage to carry her in such dangerous weather all the way here safely? Now with a somewhat solid suspicion of where she was, she almost relaxes until she recalls the identity of the beast guarding the grove and her eyes widen with some fear. Wait-! The deity!! There was no way they would have let someone enter their grove unless-!! With a new sense of fear and severe grief in her heart Dai Lu's nose sours again and she wipes the falling tears in the damp basement sadly.

"-! Who goes there?!" Tightening the hand holding the blanket around her shoulders while simultaneously taking a defensive stance. Dai Lu held her breath when a shadow from above drops easily in front of her with an overwhelming aura. So much so, the moment he landed before her she instinctively took four steps back nervously with nerves highly strung. "Who are you? What did you do with the Deity who lived here?" Despite the fear coursing throughout her whole body, Dai Lu feints strength and straightens her spine and chin questioning the stranger. No matter if they saved her or not, she still doesn't know if they had hidden conditions or demands after she awoke. 

After all, who would bother to save stranger they didn't know for no reason? She wasn't that naïve! Nevertheless as she opens her mouth to question the stranger again who was quietly peering at something above them. She chokes on everything she was about to say when glimmering eyes the color of royal bronze even in the dim basement fall on her person. The man was tall, his long black hair loosely pulled into a seemingly low effort ponytail falling along the back of his padded slim hanfu. Eye catching hand woven twin dragons flew towards his shoulders giving him a noble, ancient bearing unlike that of this era. Whoever had sewed the clothes much have taken great care, for every corner and stitch was exquisite yet tranquil fitting the person wearing them perfectly. 

With amber skin unlike those of a paler shade, the serious yet startlingly impressive individual as if having stepped out of a historical playwright took in the speechless and seemingly dazed women before him with a somewhat bland look in his eyes. Holding neither interest nor caution towards despite the fire talisman in her hands still swirling dangerously. For a bit the two stared at one another in silence. Haolin peering at the awake human rather inquisitively for her disheveled appearance, a trace of disdain enters his nonchalant bronze eyes rippling with a strange familiarity in her heart. But this action also made her turn a strange shade of red, subconsciously she pulls the blanket over herself tighter while also stiffly lowering the now flickering talisman in her other hand.

She felt admittedly ashamed of her first thoughts. For the person before her was strong enough to not only save her but wander around this dangerous valley in a mere hanfu without feeling the cold. Not only that he was... Dai Lu removes her gaze on the man's face in a wood like manner her cheeks turning even a darker shade of red recalling that not really well hidden contempt in his eyes from before. Still, how did he manage to get the permission of the deity? It can't be that he's a descendant of the originates of the village here, right? Dai Lu prods the silent man carefully, this time with a bit more respect even if she was still extremely cautious. 

"You, were the one who helped me?" She receives a brief glance in return before the individual who hadn't spoken a word to her from start to finish tosses something near the fire startling her while easily jumping out of the exit above them. "Hey wait-!" Yet she could hardly catch his shadow before he was gone. Just like the way he came in. Baffled and more than a little bit frustrated with the situation, she grimaced and turns to inspect what he gave her. "...Does he think he's cool leaving without saying anything?" Muttering this bitterly to herself, Dai Lu still took the disposed of rabbit with a bit of conflicted gratitude. Assuming he meant for this to be her meal, even if her bones were creaky and sore from sleeping on a hard floor for what felt like days on end. 

She couldn't deny the hunger gnawing at her from inside out and hurried to clean up and skin the plump rabbit. As she just finished setting the rabbit stew to cook, she heard the beeping of her communication device and was reminded of the communication alerts she heard waking up. Habitually she made to touch her wrist only to find it missing. Dai Lu looks around in confusion only to see it tossed aside carelessly where she had originally got up from. Pursing her lips, Dai Lu didn't think to much of it after grumbling and hurried to turn it on. "Lulu-!! Lulu where are you?! Are you alright?! Why couldn't you pick up sooner?! How are you right now?! Are you hurt?! Did you find a shelter near the pass?! If so tell me where it is I will come to you immediately!" 

Faced with his familiar voice and frantic questioning, Dai Lu who had been separated from her brother for quite a long time now opened her trembling lips and gave a soft cry "Older brother~!! Waahhhh~"