Red Strings (Xiao x Reader)

Chapter 2 - Silence

"Silence is a true friend who never betrays." —Confucius

It was shocking, to say the least, that the Huxian...no, Huyao had managed to carve out a smaller cave within the larger one to use as some form of dungeon. Alatus didn't speak as he sat in one corner of the dimly lit cave, his golden eyes set on the shackles which bound him to the walls. He wondered if the Huyao had purposely made them too tight, so the chains cut into his skin, leaving red marks but not enough to draw blood. His cruelty knew no bounds, it seemed.
(Y/N) had returned to her fox form, curled up in the opposite corner of the dungeon, her paws tucked under her eight tails. Despite the candles keeping the room lit, there was little warmth, and Alatus only noticed this when a shiver ran down his spine. The silence was suffocating, but he dared not speak.
"I'm sorry." Her soft voice cut through the silence, startling him. "It was not my intention to-"
"Save it," Alatus snapped, closing his eyes. "I do not want to hear your pathetic excuses." He turned his head away. He hadn't intended to be so harsh, but his mind was a complete mess right now, and the last thing he needed was for her to mess with his brain with her cunning words. Even so, he felt her flinch slightly, and it made him feel even worse. He was relieved when she refrained from saying anything else.

He didn't know when he fell asleep, but he awoke to something furry in his lap. Startled, he instinctively swatted at it, causing a very alarmed fox to leap off of him.
"Woah. Relax. You would've frozen to death in here if I didn't keep you warm." He could tell she was offended by the way he had behaved, but simply turned away, avoiding eye contact.
"Still mad? I figured you would be." She returned to her own corner, and he noticed that she was not chained. "Think about it this way. If I had wanted to do this to you all along, why would I be here with you right now? In this dark, dreary excuse of a dungeon?"

More silence.

The seal at the entrance of the smaller cave suddenly disappeared as a familiar shadow whisked inside.
"Huyao..." Alatus' voice dripped with fury and disgust.
"Alatus," the Huyao replied simply, a cold smile forming on his lips. With a click of his fingers, the shackles on his wrists fell to the ground, and in an instant Alatus was up and lunging at the man before him. Large golden wings unfurled from his back, filling the small cave as an almost birdlike shriek escaped Alatus' throat.

For a moment he looked so majestic, so powerful, so dangerous, a deadly glimmer in his eyes as he reached for the Huyao's throat.

Then he was thrown back, crashing against the stone floor and skidding to a stop several feet away, the friction causing several feathers to tear. Wings ruffled and bruised, Alatus scrambled to stand again, only to be kicked back, hitting the wall with a thud.

Head spinning and vision blurred, Alatus raised his head to see the robed figure approach, (Y/N) following closely behind, head bowed and lips pressed together firmly, a stark contrast to how talkative she was earlier. He watched as the Huyao bent down, carefully picking up his fallen feathers and admiring them in the faint candlelight.
"These would make for wonderful accessories, don't you agree, (Y/N)?" He turned his head to glance at his disciple who remained motionless, her eyes glued to the ground. Without waiting for a response, he looked back at Alatus and sneered. "You wouldn't mind me plucking several more of those, would you, Alatus?" He stepped closer, reaching out one clawed hand. Alatus jerked his wing away, trying to hide them beneath his skin once again.

A sickening crunch was heard as the Huyao immediately grabbed the furling wing and snapped it with one hand.
"I don't think so, little bird." The Huyao effortlessly tore a handful of mangled golden feathers straight from the flesh, a dangerous gleam in his eyes. "Don't forget, you're my bloodhound now. That means I can do whatever I want with you."

He stood, gesturing for the smaller fox who was watching wordlessly to clean up the cave.
"You may leave the feathers outside my study. I want the hunt to be over and the prey to be presented to me by sunset." With that, the white haired man swept from the room without a backwards glance, no remorse in his heart.
"Don't you dare touch them." Alatus snapped almost immediately, despite knowing that he was powerless to stop (Y/N) from doing anything. She looked at him, then continued gathering the feathers in the same silence as before. He didn't continue arguing, she would most likely be punished if she didn't do this.

Once she was done, (Y/N) slowly drew closer to the trembling figure before her, kneeling beside him. She reached out, gently touching his wing. Alatus started to flinch back, but then felt a faint tingling at the fracture. She was healing him.
"Why didn't you speak up? Why do you never speak in his presence?" His voice shook with anguish.
"Because words betray thoughts."
"You...do not wish for him to know your thoughts?"
"It would be inconvenient. My thoughts are the only thing left of me he doesn't own, after all." Her gaze locked with his. "Did you really think you could save me?" Her usually sharp eyes were filled with a gentle pity as she looked at him. "You're his prisoner. He isn't going to let you out of this place. I'm going to be the one actually bringing in the mortals for you to kill. That alone defies the basic principles of a Huxian, to not harm humans. I was destined to become a demon either way, whether or not you let yourself be dragged into this." A small silence as she shook her head slightly. "Your feathers...will they regrow?"
"It will take time. But yes." His voice dropped to a whisper. "Unless he plans to rip them out continuously."
"I won't let him." She pulled away as the healing process ended, picking up the pile of golden feathers and standing up.
"Where are you going-?"
"To hunt." With that, she passed through the glowing barrier sealing the cave entrance, leaving him with his thoughts and his silence.

Her words replayed themselves over and over again in his head.
"I won't let him." What power did she have to stop her master? She was just as much of a prisoner as him. And yet, the things she said about silence...what were her words truly hinting at?