Dance of the blades

Chapter 39 To Find Strength In Fear

Lan Sizhui silently stared at the wooden fences separating him from the rabbits' abodes, the robe meant to tie it snapped in halves and hanging loosely on the wooden poles. Upon closer inspection, the side of the fence that held the broken rope bare various degrees of teeth marks as if mauled by some sort of animal. 

Walking further to the other side of the fences, the rabbit guiding Lan Sizhui began acting up as they approach the handmade hutches. Its bounces became more and more aggressive each step they took, as though trying to convey its distress to the boy.

As they get closer it did not take long for Lan Sizhui to figure out why. With only a small distance away from the hutches, the horrifying sight of freshly stained blood greeted the boy's eyes. The red stains forming a small trail leading towards where they were heading. 

The alarming scene caused the usually boisterous and loud boy to quiet down on his movements, treading around the compound cautiously while straining his ears for any sounds. Even the black rabbit had followed his example, warily placing its feet against the snow in slow motion, attempting to lessen the noise it would make.

Their caution however were thrown to the wind when loud growls were heard steadily approaching. A small squeak escaped from Lan Sizhui's throat when he saw the menacing figure of the canine towering over the injured rabbits. Its eyes filled with malice as it bit into the scruff of the pitiful creature in between its mouth.

Lan Sizhui froze in fear as he stared at the bloody wild dog before him. It was rare sight to see wild dogs wandering around the mountain, especially on the region their house was build on. The distance that separates their house from the village below made travel quite bothersome for a malnourished dog to stumble upon.

His musings were cut short when the pitiful cries of the injured rabbit resounded across them still stubbornly clinging to its life. Its deafening cries drawing the attention of the ferocious canine before it, leading its gaze to the helpless creature's hiding spot under the hutch.

A sense of dread engulfed Lan Sizhui as the dog charged at the rabbit's location, violently tossing the one in its mouth to aim its jaws at the other instead. Instinctively without a conscious thought, Lan Sizhui felt his body moved on its own, running head first to the rabbit's direction to reach it first. 

He grabbed the trembling rabbit in a tight embrace and fled, bearing his back to the canine. The wild dog infuriated by the person blocking it from its goal, angrily bore its teeth to Lan Sizhui instead, changing its course. Its frail body struggling to catch up with the boy.

 In a moment of panic however, the boy's feet stumbled upon the uneven terrain, tears flowing from his eyes as he muffled his pain. The wild dog took this opportunity in strive, in a flash it had already lunged itself at the boy before he could react, baring its teeth to his back.

"A-yuan!" a distant voice screamed, rushing to Lan Sizhui in incredible speed. The sharp teeth of the canine bit down on immaculate flesh, staining the snow with scarlet red blood. 

Lan Sizhui's pupils widen in horror as he hears hard crunch, a thundering scream followed right after. A gnawing sense of dread filled his being, looking up from his position to find the whiten of his dad, staring back at him with a grimace pestered on his face. 

Wei Wuxian's warm hands trembled around him, holding him in a tight embrace and shielding him from the dog's attacks.

"Baba..." Lan Sizhui sniffled, his voice coming out barely above a whisper. The rabbit in his arms started shifting as the dog growled against the skin of Wei Wuxian's shoulder, biting down harder into the wound.

"Baba!" Lan Sizhui practically screamed in horror, the blood trailing down Wei Wuxian's shoulders was excessive. He tried to push out of his dad's hold, wanting to physically pull the canine away from his dad.

"Bad dog! Bad dog! Let Baba go!" the boy repeatedly cried in vain, the wild dog showed no sign of understanding the boy's desperate pleas. And neither did Wei Wuxian whom was too stricken with fear to answer.

"D-Dog, d-dog, dog! G-Get way!" Wei Wuxian hissed in pain, covering his on his son's head.

"Lan Zhan save me!" Wei Wuxian instinctively called out in fear, tears trailed from his eyes and mixing with blood from his wound. The wild dog appeared even fiercer, clearly affected by Wei Wuxian's cries.

Clang!

A loud metallic sound emerged, catching the attention of the wild dog. It froze when it turned to the source of the sound's direction, a wave of fear washing over it.

Towering over the fearsome canine was a man in blue robes reflecting the skies, his face impeccable was shaped as if craved by jade. In his hands cradled the injured snowy white rabbit that the wild dog dropped, its small figure glaring at the wild canine with the same intensity as its owner.

"Back off" Lan Wangji sternly demanded, he gripped on the metallic and threateningly swung it around. 

Heeding the threat, the wild dog knelt and retreated its teeth from Wei Wuxian's shoulder. It whimpered quietly and finally ran away from the scene in fear.

"A-Die!" Lan Sizhui called out, relieved by the presence of his father. Lan Wangji approached both he and Wei Wuxian to hastily examine their wounds.

"L-Lan Zhan...the...dog" his dad softly whispered, loosening the hold he had on Lan Sizhui as Lan Wangji gently coaxed him. The wound on his shoulder stinging from the pain.

"Went away already. Wei Ying can relax now" hearing this the tension on Wei Wuxian's shoulders seemed to have fallen, he let out a sigh in relief and slumped down to his husband's hold.

"Thank god you were back home in time. If were a minute later A-yuan would have..." Lan Sizhui could barely hear the rest as Wei Wuxian mumbled into Lan Wangji's robes. The young boy looked up to see his father's lips fall ever so slightly, eyes staring at the both of them with a gentle glow.

"He would not have." Lan Wangji said cutting Wei Wuxian off, trying to reassure his husband.

"How do you know he wouldn't?" Wei Wuxian asked back.

"Because you are here" his replied back, mustering the fondest look on his face. His husband seemed to have fallen into silence by his words, content with his face buried into Lan Wangji's robes.

A serene silence had befallen the family of three, they slowly stood up and walked back to their home, hoping to not let the event that had just transpire ruin their evening. As Lan Sizhui walked beside his father though, he turned his face upwards to meet his father's.

"A-Die A-yaun has a question" Lan Sizhui whispered to his father.

"Hm?" Lan Wangji replied back.

"Baba is scared of dogs right?" the young boy asked, the scene of Wei Wuxian's whimpering form while shielding him from the dog returning to his head. He had never seen his dad react to anything like that before.

His father paused for a moment to look at his dad walking beside them, seeing that he wasn't bothered by their conversation he replied back with a nod.

"Then why did Baba jump in front of it. Why didn't he run away to call for you instead?" the young boy asked, confused by his dad's actions. 

"A-yuan," his father called his name as they stopped in front of their home. He fully turns to his son with fondness in his eyes.

"It is because he fears something more than that. Do you know what?" A-yuan shook his head, not knowing what his dad could fear more than dogs.

"He fears your well being. He loves you more than what he is afraid of. It should not strange for a parent to fear what may harm their child. A-yuan it should not be strange for your Baba to fear for your safely" His father answered back, his voice giving out the slightest vulnerability the young boy had ever heard from his father. With their hand in hand, the family of three entered their home.