The Emperor and the Dragon

The Dragon and the Serpant

    Shen Yuan doesn't know if it was whether because he spent a considerable amount of time sitting on the tree or if it's just his old age, but when he woke up from his sleep, his whole body groaned and ached in discomfort. The bright sun slips within the darkened cave, the vines that he had pulled to the side had moved back into their original position from the wind, from last night. The vines act as curtains, so the sun wasn't able to fully shine directly into his eyes. Thank goodness for that. But perhaps it was a bad idea to bask beneath the sun for hours, he knew it was a little too late to be regretting that decision now. He attempts to sit up but feels his back and shoulder protest in agony; maybe he should skip any excitement for today.

    Gathering a bit more of his nonexistent energy, he pulls himself up and stretches his limbs. He walks over to the bronze mirror and begins tidying himself back into the image of an upright lord. He notices his face was a tad bit too red for some reason...was he sunburnt?! Horror dawns on his face as he peers closer into the mirror, the scales beneath his cheeks are prominent and his elliptical eyes stare back at him. F*ck his face was sunburnt. Well mostly his forehead, his cheeks are protected by his scales, so he didn't have to worry too much about them. His forehead was a different story. Why. Just why.

    There was only one way to solve this embarrassing situation...something that could cover his face, and he knew exactly what he needed and where to find it. A small part of his mind tells him, 'why bother it's not like your ever going to meet anyone anyway.' And to that small part of his mind, he tells it to shove it. What's wrong with wanting to look your best. So what if he won't meet anyone at the moment, he wants to take care of his image alright. What if a human stumbles into the forest. 'Yeah. I could see that happening.' He comforts himself; there are tons of possibilities that could occur. So he must appear his best.

    A glance over at his possessions, he tries to back-track on whether or not he had ever owned one. It's best to start looking. With a happy attitude, he initiates his search. This happy attitude does not last long.

    "There has to be something in this pile," he couldn't help but speak aloud. Frustration was clear in his voice as he sorts through his hoard. Fifteen minutes have already passed by! He knows it's somewhere in there; he truly needs to be more organized with his stuff. After a bit more painstakingly minutes go by, he finally finds what he was looking for, a pale white mask with intricate designs. It was a full face mask that would definitely do its purpose justly. Slipping it on, he feels a touch giggliness, he could totally pretend to be a human and no one would know.

Wait

Wait...

WAIT

    Why didn't he think of that? With a renewed enthusiasm, Shen Yuan makes his way out of his cave with a new purpose.

    A small hiss stops him in his stride. He looks down and sees a small serpent on the ground, slithering closer to him. He smiles a gentle smile and hisses back in greeting.

    "It's been awhile Zhúzhī-láng, how have you been?" He crouches down to the serpents level and momentarily forgets his plans to infiltrate into the human village.

    "I've been well, Master Shen. I wanted to come back and say thank you for saving me." The serpent hisses softly and moves its body up to face Shen Yuan.

    "It's really no problem. I'm glad I was able to help." When Shen Yuan first met this serpent, he was shocked at how...interesting it looked. He had never seen such a beast as this one. It was almost as if like two different species tried for an offspring, and Zhúzhī-láng was the outcome. He pities Zhúzhī-láng in his heart. He raises his hand and gently pets the demonic snake's head. It hisses when he does this, but the hiss resembled more like a purr.

    This was the one-of-many time meeting again with the snake. When he initially encountered the beast in the forest, it was heavily injured and trapped in a sealing array set by humans. The humans lately have been attempting to capture many creatures and beasts from this forest, many of them have gone missing or been found dead. It used to be a subtle problem but now things were different. Zhúzhī-láng was one of the few lucky ones; he's happy that he wasn't too late to help it. He had to carefully maneuver the array with his magic, in a way that wouldn't immediately inform the humans of his presence and also to not further injure the serpent. Ever since then, the serpent would come to visit him when it had the chance.

    It slithers onto his arm and rests on top of his nape like a neck pillow. Its cool scales tickle his neck; he couldn't help but feel a little tingly feeling run down his spine.

    Both of them made their way around the forest; Shen Yuan walks, while Zhúzhī-láng naps. The forest was home to many rare plants and creatures. The trees, he finds out are called Parashorea Chinensis, standing tall with a straight, cylindrical bole that was large with a stout buttress, they provide a haven for colorful birds and insects. The brownish-yellow wood is fine-grained and hard. At sunset, these dense evergreen trees create a spectacle of beauty that looks as if it came from a dream. The silhouette of the trees casts an immense shadow in the forest, yet he wouldn't describe it as eerie, it looks so otherworldly with the sun brilliant with red and orange peeking through the trees making the inside of the forest glow with such tranquility. The birds would sing their sweet tunes one last time, and the crows would caw as the wind blows tenderly into the air.

    Having walked for a while admiring all the greenery of the woods, Shen Yuan feels his face sweat from the mask that covers his face. The sun was unforgiving as ever in this autumn season. He itches to take it off but remembers his sunburnt face. Should he take it off? 'It'll only be for a little while', he convinces himself. His face feels a whiff of cool air graciously as he takes off his mask. He swipes at his cheeks and chin to get rid of the now cold liquid on his skin. He takes the mask and puts it in his robes for later usage.

    He was about to go about his way again when he suddenly hears a cry for help and a rustling noise at the deeper edge of the forest, where civilization meets the forest. He hurriedly sprints in that general direction, and for the first time in a long time, forgets his fear of humans. The rugged path hinders his movements a bit because of disuse. He's never traveled so close to these parts, so it's slightly unfamiliar to him. The noise was getting louder now. Pushing past the bushes blocking his view, he comes face-to-face with what looks to be a human child in a net of some sort suspended on a tree. The child was turned away from him and didn't know he was there yet.

'How odd. Don't humans usually hunt the beasts? Why is a human stuck in the net?'