Lan Sizhui had a to, put it nicely, complicated status in the Gusu Lan sect.

He was what they whispered poorly behind his back one of the sects many Rabbit children. It's all so byzantine and he doesn't understand all of it, but he's told that very rarely the rabbits born in the Warren if cared right develop the faintest form of a core allowing them a chance at being human. The rest are returned to the wild since a rabbit without power is essentially worthless and he assumes that where Father gets the ever-expanding collection of pet rabbits that run around in the back.

The ribbon Lan Sizhui wears is different than the children who were born human instead looking like the ones worn by the disciples who are disciplined with the Rabbit spell because people need to know he's technically not human. More an animal that learned how to act like one and it's the bane of his existence. His cultivation skills are on par if not better than most his age, his manners impeccable, his talents in arts great, he can read and write with strokes of perfection; all that and they still say 'well at the end of the day it's just a Rabbit.'

It's not that he doesn't get the logic because he was a strange child that acted like an animal for years. It took ages for people to get him to wear shoes of bother with all the layers and he's certain that if the ribbon weren't essentially welded to his head he'd have lost it a million times over. There was a struggle to realize he needed to walk on two legs and he only did so because he found human legs weren't good for crawling. Clothes he also understands because humans lack fur and need to stay warm and have modesty and shame.

He's still working on that shame element, but he thinks he can fake understanding it well enough. Modesty is something he's gotten down over the years.

Love he at least knows. He may not have shame figured out but he can love as well as anyone. He can laugh despite rumors when he thinks a person is actually being funny for once and not just trying to annoy him like with Lan Jingyi.

The curse of being a Rabbit in human skin he supposes. Since he was a kid he's been bullied and called Hanguang-Jun's pet which isn't untrue by all accounts. He is a pet and that's why he has this ribbon but it's not like he's alone in being a Rabbit there are always a few other children like him.

But unlike humans, their end isn't ultimately in a bottle

That sort of fate while not etched in stone is the most likely outcome of his life.

"It's a shame he's so talented and kind."

"Yes. They don't tend to live past adolescence."

"I think it's because rabbit's lives are so short."

"It happens to the disciples getting punished too sometimes when they're that young. Whatever keeps them human hasn't stuck."

"Happens far more than it used to these days."

"We've never had this many Rabbit come from the Warren before it's too be expected."

"Maybe he's lucky and will get to grow old."

It had been surreal watching another boy only a year younger than him slowly revert back over the winter into a Rabbit and disappear. It had started with him complaining that his ears hurt and his nose was burning one day. Complaining of a splitting headache form the pain and as the days passed his joints ached deeply for no real reason. Blood started gushing from his nose and he complained over temporary blindness. They were in the infirmary for days before seeming to recover and go back to being normal.

Then they started growing fur over their skin in patches and staring off into space. Eyes a void and ears sloshing out in dangly flesh before he was carted away to somewhere no one would have to see him slowly die and leave his human life.

One day that will likely be Lan Sizhui. Not even touching the state of his Father who for as long as he can remember has been turning bit by bit into an animal. He doesn't remember the Hanguang-Jun from before the tiger stripes settled along his face and neck.

At least Father doesn't have to deal with being bound to the Gusu Lan sect. If his master commands it he has to follow and people have tried to use that against him forever. That they'll tell the sect leader he's misbehaved and should do as they say or he'll be given orders. Uncle has only ever given one to Lan Sizhui in his life and he'd deserved it.

Children are dumb and have this way of getting in trouble no matter what especially at six. He'd been chasing one of the rabbits that Father cared for into the woods and ended up near the edge of a cliffside. Staring out at it all with the caw of birds overhead he set the rabbit he'd caught down and stepped forward.

Oh, that's right. He forgot about that. One step forward- this is right- and he was falling.

"A-Yuan fly back to me. Now!" There had been pain and twisting but it had also felt welcoming as skin shattered away into feathers and he spread wide. He doesn't remember the rest it's faded to a dream but he was back in Zewu-Jun's arms being scolded as a child. "Never fly away like that again. Stay by us. We were scared when you vanished."

He understood the reason and the worry, but one thought haunted his dreams from that day on.

Why- why was I convinced I was a bird?

Why does he dream of flying instead of thing he did before of romping fields basking in sun?

Who's Ge-ge?

Complicated is the state of Lan Sizhui's life in Cloud Recesses. Complicated and draining which is why for his first night hunt in Mo village he'd been so excited. He's finally getting out of there and away from it all with one of the few people who could care less about his background. No words can describe how grateful he is for Lan Jingyi's existence.

Flying through the air thinking through every step and lesson to take care of the problem while the breeze flows along him. Flying will never be anything but his favorite part of cultivation his feet gliding elegantly to the ground as he jumps for his landing.

"Show off," Lan Jingyi snorts dismounting from a shorter distance. He gives a cheeky grin as they walk along to where they need to be. Here nobody can tell the difference between him and anyone else in the cultivation world and that's fine by him. He's just a disciple and that weight can disappear as he works but he also understands why he's constantly told to remember to just smile and nod often.

Madame Mo is rather insufferable with how much she's trying to impress them and worm her son into the cultivation world. He's just a disciple and that's not his department. The side glances between him and Lan Jingyi as they keep their mouths shut and smile conveying a conversation of their own that is something along lines of:

"Can you believe this?"

"What does she think we can do for her?"

"She does know we're not senior disciples or anything close right?"

"I think this is why we have so many rules on being polite to clients."

There will never be an admittance of how much he enjoyed Mo Xuanyu bursting in and causing a ruckus so they could gracefully leave to work. Of how the mad man had been amusing even if it all seemed so sad how he was treated. It was hard not to notice all the bruises over his skin or what people had said in town.

For a madman though his eyes seemed rather sharp. A failed cultivator from what they said and while he's not sure where from it seems to have left him in a bad state. It's all set and it should be an easy hunt from what he understands. Something they can handle and then come home proud only one of the flags goes missing disrupting their formation and the client's son ends up dead with Mo Xuanyu leaning over.

"Murder! You murdered my baby! You wretch," He stopped the strike but Mo Xuanyu seemed rather unphased.

"Rather big for a baby. Oh, is he one of the man-children I hear about," Mo Xuanyu twirled his hair and gave a blissful look to the distance, "I've always wanted one! Ah, to give birth to a beautiful son and spoil them." The way he dramatically touched his stomach making everyone gathered blanch.

Well, he is a madman… So, his sharpness was that of an old knife.

"How dare you!"

"How dare, your son! Why, he's always stealing things and disobeying it's no wonder this happened," He clucked and turned on his heel, "When I was having a date with the rooster earlier I told him he'd probably do something stupid like this. Ah, Mr. Rooster is such a generous lover." The tripping over the body and skipping away even as he's admonished as a murder and a disgusting cut-sleeve.

Lan Sizhui thinks he might be starting to understand what everyone means by shame and a true lack of it.

Eyes spot the black wind flag on the corpse and it becomes clear the fault. From here things should become easier but then it devolves into a fight for their lives to subdue a single arm with the ferocity of a whole corpse. Whatever this was it's powerful. Powerful enough they send up signal flares trying to subdue it as it beats and batters the corpses of the Mo family and servant.

Fear. He actually fears what will happen if they can't hold it off or worse are unable to win. His feet fly around the battlefield as he strikes with his blade dancing with Lan Jingyi. Their strikes while not able to break through were enough to stall as the relief hit them of the body being subdued by the strumming of Wangji by Hanguang-Jun.

Eyes aglow and hair flowing in the moon. Steps primal and inhuman. Skin coated in fur and stripes with ears that resembled the king of beasts.

Could anyone blame Mo Xuanyu from running from a man and screaming monster as cruel as it was? Even he could be scared of his Father's appearance.

"Who was that man?" That glow tonight seems brighter than usual and his Father's eyes are not on the prize. Instead staring at where there'd been a glimpse of Mo Xuanyu.

It's the look of a hunter. It's the look of a tiger that spotted its next meal. "Hanguang-Jun?"

A deep breath as he looks away. A hunt for another time it seems, one where he's less busy, "Are you both unharmed?"

"Yes."

"You did well tonight. Be proud."