Episode 11
"Blue Dragon Village"
Notice : edited 05.01.19
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Saya sat beside the hot, crackling fire as Yoon was preparing dinner for that night. Kija had woken up but Hak was still unconscious and leaning peacefully on the trunk of a tree.
"Here." Yoon said as he offered her a bamboo cup filled with hot soup. The brown liquid had lots of mountain vegetables floating inside.
Raising it to her mouth, Saya sipped from the cup and simpered into the soup. "Warm..." she mumbled, taking another sip.
"Hm? Did you say something?" the strawberry-blonde asked, looking up from his cooking pot.
"Oh, it's nothing," she babbled. "You're just so good at everything, I'm shocked!"
Yoon blushed in embarrassment and covered his face with his hand. "O-of course I am! If I didn't cook this group wouldn't last a day."
"Haha, that's true. I remember one time, long long ago, I almost died from food poisoning."
"What?! What the hell even happened?" the boy barked.
"I didn't realize water from lakes weren't safe to drink unless boiled. My friend and I were agonized by stomach aches for days. One of the most unpleasant things I've experienced in this world by far," Saya mused.
(refer back to the prologue, hehe)
The eating and talking wasn't a good idea, however, as she began coughing on a chunk of mountain veggies. "K-chk-ak! C-choking," the immortal cried, strangling out the strained words. "Help me, Yoon!"
"No," the teen chided stubbornly, going back to eating his food. "This is what you get for being an idiot."
"That's harsh, Yoon..." Saya weeped, swallowing the soup in her throat and pouting.
Suddenly, Hak lifted his head and groggily began to sit up, forcing his eyes to open.
"Hak," she said, startled. "Good, you're awake now! Here, eat some of Yoon's soup. It's yummy."
The Fox Goddess dipped her spoon into her soup filled cup and raised it to the ex-general's lips. Slowly, Hak inched his face closer , the slightest hint of blush on his cheeks, and only touched the spoon with his lips when suddenly it was yanked out of his reach.
"Don't worry Sae-rin-sama, this insolent man isn't worth your care and concern. Here, let me feed him." Kija interrupted, butting into the scene and jabbing the spoon down Hak's throat.
"A-ack! What the hell?! You totally ruined the moment." The 19-year-old complained, pounding Kija on the head and glaring.
The way they fought, forehead to forehead, looked awfully like a White Dragon and tiger bickering with each other. Saya chuckled.
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After dinner, the group of five went to bed, snuggling into their blankets. All except for Kija, who was still awake and shivering, unable to sleep on the unsanitary floor.
He sat with his knees to his chest and his arms wrapped around his legs. His back rested on the trunk of an oak tree while he mumbled to himself about how displeased he was. During his rambling, the hakoryuu was able to stir Saya from her slumber, causing her to crack one scarlet eye open at him.
"Kija," she groaned, sitting up from her makeshift futon and rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"Did I wake you up? I'm so sorry, please forgive me," the 20-year-old cried, bowing his head in apology.
"No, no. It's alright," the immortal said, getting up and making her way over to him. "Are you unable to sleep?"
Kija nodded reluctantly, somewhat embarrassed. Sighing, he looked up to the dark blue sky with bright stars embroidered on it's surface. "Hey, Fox Goddess, am I like the original White Dragon?"
"Not at all!" she teased. "The original hakuryuu was very bold and courageous. He was a man that demanded respect."
Saya's incessant teasing was causing Kija's eyes to well up with tears. The thought that he didn't amount to the first dragon warrior was like a blow to the gut.
"A-ah, Kija calm down. I'm just joking," Saya assured. "Of course, you both have your differences, but that doesn't make you any less special. There are qualities I love about you that the original hakuryuu didn't have but I love the two of you the same."
She fixated her crimson gaze to the starry sky as she felt tears accumulate in her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she placed her head on Kija's shoulder, their similar silver hair intertwining with each other.
"I miss them so much," she confided weakly. "It's been so long yet it hurts just the same. Funny, isn't it? I've always been told that time heals all wounds yet I'm still in pain."
Kija stayed silent, allowing the goddess to rant as she laid on his shoulder. He couldn't imagine what it must have been like to have everyone close to you leave you behind.
"They may be gone," Saya lamented offering the white dragon a smile. "But now I have you. And soon, we'll find all the dragon warriors and bring them together. Maybe then my wounds will heal."
Kija stared at her for a moment before beaming down at her. "Of course! I'll make sure of it."
The Fox Goddess chuckled at him. "Yes, please do."
She then closed her eyes, peacefully drifting into a sound sleep with her head still on his shoulder.
"Good night," Kija said, voice soft with affection. Rummaging through his bag, be pulled out a blanket, draping over the two of them before finding sleep himself.
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With Kija's poor directions, Yoon narrowed down six places where the Blue Dragon could be located.
After traveling low-traffic trails and dodging soldiers in tiny villages, the party of five sighed in defeat. They had visited each place but to no avail.
"Hold up," the strawberry-blonde commanded, freezing on the spot and placing a pale hand under his chin. "I didn't consider it before since I thought it would be impossible to live there, but the Blue Dragon Village is in that mountain!"
Yoon pointed towards a mountain with large rocks and boulders littered around it. It seemed uninhabitable but there was a possibility that the mountain had been dug out from inside.
Kija nodded in agreement, suddenly brightening up at the prospect of meeting a fellow dragon warrior. Saya, too, was excited. Knowing the blue dragon, she was looking forward to seeing his dazzling eyes once more.
"Onwards!" She shouted, the others enthusiastically joining or lazily cheering.
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"This kinda looks too intricate to be a hidden village don'tcha think?" Saya commented, comically sweating as she stared at the massive, rock-carved dragon designs.
"I think it looks lovely!" Kija contradicted, hastily stepping into the village's entrance.
The others followed suit at a much more hesitant pace, slinking through the shadowy hallways until they entered a torch-lit room, the stone walls blazing golden.
"Hello, is this the village of the blue dragon?" Yona stammered adorably, her red hair a blazing fire in the lighting.
People began to pour out of the large, carved arched doors, murmuring amongst themselves. Strange masks were worn by the more youthful of the villagers while the elders had their faces exposed.
"We have no such person that goes by that name," an especially old man said, stepping in front of the rest of the village with two others at his side. He seemed to be the chief.
Kija, quite agitated by the fact that he was denying them, said, "His name is not blue dragon, he is the blue dragon. If you tell him that she is here," he gestured to Yona. "I'm sure he will come."
The elders turned to each other, whispering suspiciously.
"We do not have anyone like that in this village. Please leave," he stated once more, fixing his hard stare on them in warning.
"Alright..." Yona said, startling the group. "However! May we please rest here for a bit? We've been traveling for a very long time and we have injured."
The red-haired princess lifted Hak's blue robes to reveal his bandaged chest before turning to Saya and raising her cloak to expose her also bandaged forearms.
With a bitter frown the elder approved of their stay and escorted them to a run-down room with spiderwebs and random knick-knacks scattered around.
The group sat down on the dusty bench-like rocks and discussed their plans until Saya could feel a thump in her heart.
Tensely, she got up and excused herself from the group saying she had to use the bathroom.
Instead of the bathroom, Saya made her way towards the hallway, entering the dim labyrinth. Following her gut feeling, she rounded corners, twisting and turning through endless amounts of doors before coming to a dead end.
"I swore I could feel it here..." she muttered, feeling around on the walls. Yelping, she retracted her hand as a hidden door switch was activated, pushing her into another dark hallway.
Curious, Saya ventured down the shadowy walls, relying on her eyes to see through the dark, and shrieked when a person gripped her arms.
Turning, she saw a young man surrounded by fluffy white furs. He was wearing a horned masked that was cracked in areas with a bell attached the the side. An adorable, chubby squirrel sat on his shoulders and let out a high-pitched "Ptchuu!" sound.
Her heart thumped loudly. She could feel his eyes looking at her, the eyes she yearned to see again.
The Fox Goddess's voice echoed off the walls as she happily greeted him. "I've been looking for you."