Letting go of self-restraint 2 - All that is missing is a little one

Chapter 22

Wei Wuxian slowly woke up, his eyes opening with effort; he spent the last few days sleeping, only sometimes trying to drink some water to clench his thirst, completely exhausted and weakened. He was not sure he could go on like this for much longer. He had close to nothing to eat as his traps stayed empty; he was feeling too tired to go far out of the cave in search for fruits or berries.

He stood up with difficulty, slightly staggering in the process, his head spinning. He needed water, he was thirsty and blamed his headache on that. On weak and hurting feet he made his way to the hollow part of the wall where he stored water. He felt clumsy and heavy, his belly was in the way of his every movement. The storage was unfortunately empty, he sighed.

It hit him again just how lonely he felt, he wished there was someone who would be here with him and who he could talk to; he was still not sure whether his condition was normal and whether his baby was save. He knew it was alive, it moved inside of him nearly all the time now. He was relieved every time it happened, he would not be able to bear it if he endangered his unborn child.

For a second he let himself think of how great it would be if Lan Zhan was there with him and could also feel their baby moving around. But Wei Wuxian was not sure if his husband would be happy about that, it would only cause him pain for he would have to end its life with his own hands. The Yunmeng Jiang disciple would never put him in that position, he could not lose his determination, he would continue to stay hidden as long as it was needed.

Wei Wuxian did not let himself dwell in his self-pity, it would not help him to fill his stomach nor to go fetch fresh water. He dried the tears that fell from his eyes, took his sword and headed out. He had to protect himself if there was any dangerous creature around.

For a week now, he had observed new activity in the Burial Mounds. He had seen several Yunmeng Jiang sect and Gusu Lan sect disciples passing by; he hid every time he saw one but some managed to come close enough so he was able to recognize them; he knew their faces. He thought that perhaps there was a night hunt ongoing in the region.

He did not want to be discovered, he started acting more cautious and carrying his sword everywhere he went in case the Burial Mounds had indeed become dangerous and he had to protect himself. He did not want to actively participate, he was sure that the disciples would be able to take care of any creature that was threatening the lives of innocent, there were not many settlements in the vicinity anyway; and he could not risk being discovered. He hoped that his inactivity would not cause harm to anyone, he would never forgive himself if that was the case.

He was not sure if he would actually be able to defend himself should he encounter any danger in his condition, but carrying his sword at least made him feel safer. It was difficult for him now to even walk to the creek to gather water, not talking about running or fighting. He was also nearly unable to use his spiritual energy anymore, it was constantly depleted and could not be fully restored even with prolonged meditation.

He was slowly and carefully approaching the creek, looking out for any danger, be it the night hunting disciples or their prey. When he reached his destination, he saw someone laying down next to the water. He almost started panicking before he noticed that the disciple in Wen sect robes was not moving. He hid behind a tree trunk and observed him for a while.

There was still no movement even after several minutes, it seemed that the disciple was sleeping. Wei Wuxian was ready to leave and go a bit farther to fetch water when he heard a quiet moaning. He was fighting an internal battle: "Should I go check on him or should I rather flee to avoid being discovered? There are surely other disciples around, they would help their own. Except... What if the creature they were hunting came back? Perhaps he is wounded and needs help? If he is indeed injured, I have no other option but to help him, I cannot very well let him out here when I do not even know what dangers could be roaming about. If he is only sleeping though, I can return to my cave with clear conscience."

Wei Wuxian turned around and had another look at the laying body. Only now did he notice that there was blood on the boy's face. He heard a quiet moaning and when he strained his ears, he could also hear rasped breaths. His decision was made, he had to help the injured younger boy. He would think about how to convince him he never saw him later.

He approached the body and to his surprise, he recognized that the injured boy was in fact Wen Ning. His previous hesitation vanished instantaneously and he quickly gathered his unconscious brother-in-law in a secure hold and started his perilous and long way back to his cave; he first had to make sure they were safe, then he would check on the younger boy's injuries.

Only few steps away from the creek, he realized that he still had to refill his water reserves otherwise he would not be able to treat Wen Ning. He lay the Dafan Wen disciple gently on the ground again and went to fetch water. Only then did he return and continued to pull the younger boy to the safety of his hideout.

He felt relieved only once they have reached his cave and he checked for Wen Ning's injuries. His brother-in-law had luckily only a small one on his forehead which simply needed to be cleaned. After Wei Wuxian managed to put a bit of water into his mouth, his breathing evened out, the boy lay down peacefully, no longer in any apparent discomfort.

He used his blanket to keep the Dafan Wen disciple warm and he went to sit down with his back against the cave wall, he was tired after dragging the unconscious younger boy the whole way here. He would be easily able to carry him normally but in his state, it was really taxing. His whole body, and especially his stomach, protested violently against the experienced strain. He stretched his legs in front of him to ease his belly and to not put any more pressure on it.

The Yunmeng Jiang disciple was now thinking hard about his next steps: "Wen Ning seems to be alright, I am glad. I could perhaps drag him out again and avoid being seen... But what if he has any other injuries or some internal damage? He could still be in danger and I would never abandon him like that! I have to keep an eye on him just in case.

Wen Ning is a good soul, he will probably hear me out if I explain the situation to him and would not go rattle on me to anyone. He is also an Omega so I am sure he would be able to understand why I am hiding here; I only want to protect my baby. Perhaps he would even be kind enough to tell me how pregnancies work, I want to make sure the baby is alright. Everything will be fine as long as Wen Ning promises he will not tell about my whereabouts to anyone, especially not to Lan Zhan, he can definitely not know. I need to talk to him as soon as he wakes up and..."

Wei Wuxian's eyes closed almost without him noticing and he was plunged into a fitful slumber, his sword ready by his side.