Moth and Moon

Moonflower

It was the night of the full moon, although the sky was completely covered with a thick layer of clouds. The night was black, endless. If one were to wander too far from the safety of their crackling hearth, the enshrouding shadows and snow might silently swallow them whole and they’d never be heard from again.

Xie Lian had a premonition weighing on his chest that something was about to happen, but he had no way to know exactly what it was yet. He sat and stared out the window, with San Lang’s dagger resting in its sheath across his lap. He was wearing San Lang’s red cloak, as well as extra layers; he was prepared to brave the blizzard outside in an instant.

Time slowly crawled by, each moment filled with trepidation and uncertainty as Xie Lian stayed focused on what was happening outside. Xie Lian stared out into the swirling, mesmerizing snow, the snowflakes tracing the wind’s patterns. The lantern he’d hung outside seemed feeble compared to the roiling snowstorm surrounding it, its flickering light barely penetrating the night.

Out in the blackness, there was suddenly a hint of movement. Xie Lian wasn’t sure if he had imagined it at first, because it looked like the landscape itself was moving, but then the shape shifted again. Xie Lian immediately leapt to his feet and saw the hulking form draw slightly closer, just enough that he could make out the outline of a huge, wolf-like creature. Glowing shapes drifted around the creature, illuminating it softly. Xie Lian recognized them right away- moon moths, just like before.

Xie Lian’s pulse was throbbing in his veins as he strapped on his snowshoes and secured the dagger on his belt. The comforting weight of San Lang’s cloak around his shoulders made his heart ache. He patted Ruoye’s head and said goodbye to him (it was too dangerous for him out in the cold), and grabbed a lantern. He quickly lit it before hurrying outside, worried that the creature had already left. As he closed the door, he was already searching the woods with his eyes. They landed on the beast, who turned its massive head to look directly at him.

The two of them made eye contact across the clearing, and Xie Lian was frozen to the spot. The wolf’s single red eye reflected luminously and eerily in the darkness, like a glimmering ruby. Seeing him standing there, an odd feeling stirred inside him, like he had seen this creature before. Not only that time a month before, but… many, many years ago. Staring into that face, Xie Lian knew beyond any doubt that he was looking at San Lang. He couldn’t explain it, but he knew it instinctively.

When Xie Lian started to move closer, the creature dashed into the woods. His black tail disappeared into the shadows, and the sound of his footfalls in the snow grew more distant.

“San Lang!” Xie Lian cried after him. He couldn’t just let him deal with whatever was going on on his own, and so Xie Lian pressed forward into the howling wind. He was accustomed to bitter cold from past experiences, but even he could feel the chill begin to seep into his bones. When he entered the cover of the trees, the snowfall wasn’t as dense and so his field of vision was larger.

Xie Lian quickly found San Lang’s prints in the snow, and was a little surprised at how big they were up close. They were a lot larger than he imagined. He followed them as fast as he could, before they could be filled in with snow. As he ventured deeper into the forest, he began to wish that he had thought of making a trail so that he could find his way home. Unfortunately he didn’t have any string or rope that was long enough anyways, and if he dropped objects to make a path then they would be buried in snow before he could make his way back. If he still had his magic then he could use a spell, but… That wasn’t an option.

Although he knew that this journey could be suicidal, Xie Lian needed to uncover the truth. If San Lang was suffering or in danger, then he needed to be there at his side. He wouldn’t let him face this night alone. The farther out into the woods that he journeyed, the more silent and somber his surroundings became. He couldn’t see too far in front of himself because the snowflakes caught the lantern’s yellow light and obscured the way. He was a little golden spot in an endless void of darkness that stretched out in all directions.