"Cradle robber, cradle robber!" Qiaolian chants as she shifts into her fox form and darts into the woods.
"Sorry, Daiyu, I am going to make you a widow," Mimi growls at the completely unconcerned jorogumo who is cutting sandwiches for Dumplin and Chen.
"That sounds like fun, be careful," Daiyu waves her off and sets the plates on the table.
Shifting into her fox form, Mimi sprints after the eldest fox spirit, her paws viciously striking the ground. After running for nearly fifteen minutes, Mimi could see the Golden Phoenix famed glow ahead of her. Building up speed, Mimi strikes at her in the side before bouncing off into a tree. Qiaolian shifts into her human form, not paying any attention to her at all as she gazes up into the tree thoughtfully.
Angry Mimi shifts into her human form only for Qiaolian to say, "Ohh, you're here, I need your opinion on something."
"What?"
Stepping over to her, Qiaolian tilts her sister's chin up to stare into the tree. Anger quickly dissipating, Mimi tries to process what she is looking at.
"Hey, cub. It's okay," Mimi crawls up the tree to where the child is clutching the tree branch, absolutely terrified.
She realizes why as soon as she gets close enough, "I am not going to hurt you. I have two cubs of my own. I just want to see your arm, okay?"
The little nag, devoid of the bloodshot eyes as its brethren, gets closer, winding its body around the branch with his broad tail.
"That's it," Mimi says gently, "What happened?"
The kid swipes his arm under his nose, as he had obviously been crying, "I lost my mom and dads."
"What happened?" Mimi asks with concern.
"My mom and dads were fighting with the mad ones. My mom stuck me up here. The mad ones chased them away."
"We'll get you back to your parents," Mimi promises, wondering in shock if there were others out there that were unaffected, and also knowing she would probably level a small town if she lost Dumplin or Chen.
Seemingly trusting her, he holds his arm out so she can see. His arm has long slash marks on his forearm, like those from an older nag.
"Alright, I'm going to heal you, okay. It is going to be okay," holding out her claws, trying not to scare the child, she summons a tiny ball of foxfire and gently rolls it across his skin. Immediately healing him.
Wiggling his fingers, he beams at her, toothily, "Thank you, ma'am."
"You are very welcome. Now, come on, we're going to write a note for your parents and leave it on this tree."
Looking down, she realizes that Qiaolian is already carving a message into the tree, "Qiaolian, can you write that we can bring him back tomorrow night?"
Nodding, Qiaolian continues her writing.
"For now, I am going to take you home with me. I'll give you some food. Is that alright?"
He nods, obviously not wanting to be in the forest all by himself.
"Do you need help getting down?" Mimi asks, and he nods.
"I have two cubs, who are about your age," Mimi says helpfully, as he lets her gather him into her arms and bounce down from the tree.
Setting him down, she realizes he is watching Qiaolian with quite a bit of trepidation and respect.
"This is my sister Qiaolian and my name is Mimi. What is your name?"
"Gen," he says, trembling, hiding behind her leg.
"It's okay. Qiaolian's bark is much worse than her bite," Mimi says ruefully, not having forgiven Qiaolian for her teasing from a little while ago.
She takes his hand and walks him through the forest, with Qiaolian hanging back to watch for danger, "Gen, do your people trust the mad ones?"
"No," he mumbles, "they are scary. We are few in number. Most of us have already gotten sick and came out okay. But most die or kill each other."
Well, fuck, Mimi thinks as she picks up the kid and takes him through the barrier. A plan forming, "Umm, do you guys like living in the woods?"
"No, but we have nowhere else to go," Gen says, loosening and tightening his coils.
"Well, let's get you some food first," Mimi steps into the residence.
After the initial shock, Chen and Dumplin did what only little kids could do when faced with something they had never seen before. Ask a bunch of invasive personal questions.
"So, do you have only one tail?" Chen asks Gen, who is politely using his little claws to pop a strawberry into his mouth.
"Why do you have gold eyes?" Dumplin asks.
"Hey, cubs be nice," Mimi says, putting another plate of veggies on the table.
"But Mimi," Chen whines, looking the little guy over, "We just wanna play with him!"
Gen gazes at Chen with a mixture of awe and curiosity.
Daiyu pulls Mimi to the side, keeping several eyes on the children at the same time, "Our kind has fought the nag for centuries. Why are you allowing him into your home?"
"Look, I've only had Chen and Dumplin for a year, but if anything happened to either of them, I would go ballistic."
"Yeah, I am not sure if the world could handle that," Daiyu gripes, glancing over at the little nag, "it wouldn't be right to take out hundreds of years of war on a child."
"Can you hang upside down?" Chen asks, pointing at the kid's tail.
"Umm, yeah, but my mom said it is not polite in front of strangers," Gen said, eating a couple of carrots.
"Yeah," Dumplin points at Mimi, "our mom doesn't let Chen set fire to things without her express permission."
"You can set fire to things?" Gen asks nervously.
"Alright, cubs, bedtime," Mimi scoops up Gen and takes him to a guest room next to Chen.
"If you need anything during the night, just let me know. I am just down the hall, and Chen is next door," Mimi tucks the kid into the bed, "are you comfortable?"
"Yes, ma'am. Thank you," he says politely, snuggling into the comforter and coiling his tail around him.
"Night, cub."
Knocking on Chen's door, Mimi listens for her "come in" before opening the door, "You ready for bed, cub?"
"Yeah, but Mimi? Why do we have Gen here?" she asks, "I thought you and Uncle Xichen didn't like nag?"
"Sometimes, older people can be wrong when we aren't given enough information. Gen and his parents aren't like the ones that attack Cloud Recesses. The nag with red eyes, I think, got really sick and hurt people because of it. That is why Gen is on his own. His mom put him in a tree and protected him."
"Like you do with us?" Chen asks.
"Yeah, like I would," Mimi tucks her sister in, brushes the hair back from her face, and nuzzles their noses together, "goodnight, cub."
Mimi peeks into the next room and smiles. Dumplin is in the middle of sketching Gen with a pencil, "Hey cub. It's bedtime."
"I know, I just want to finish this one thing."
Mimi settles on the bed and watches Dumplin sketch, "Cub, we can't keep him."
"Why not? Can't you adopt him like you adopted Chen and me?" Mimi tucks Dumplin's hair behind her ear.
"Gen has parents who are probably really missing him right now, but I promise I will ask if we can visit so you and Chen can play with him. Deal?"
"Okay," Dumplin purses her lips, "Mimi, why is he different than us?"
"How so?" Mimi asks, admiring her sister's drawing.
"Why does he have parents, and we don't?"
Mimi feels as if her stomach had just been put into knots. Getting up onto the bed next to Dumplin and placing an arm around her, Mimi says, "Sometimes families just happen to be who you most feel at home with. Are you happy here?"
"Yeah," Dumplin wraps an arm around her sister, "very happy. But I don't understand why we don't have a mom and dad."
"Lan Sizhui has two dads," Mimi strokes her sister's red curls.
"Our mom and dad, I think they just had their own issues and should never have done what they did to you and Chen. They are bad parents," Mimi kisses her sister's head, "But I am glad that you two are in my life right now. Very glad. But look, if you are ever unsure of something, just let me know. I don't want you to be unhappy. As I said, you and Chen are my top priority. I want you both to be happy."
"You're like our mom," Dumplin says, looking up at her fondly.
"Kinda," Mimi kisses Dumplin on the top of her head before nuzzling her nose.
"Now you have to go to bed," Mimi very carefully takes the picture and puts it on a table.
Re- tucking Dumplin in, Mimi summons a ball of foxfire and lets it hover on the ceiling, this time displaying Dumplin's current interest in plants.
Mimi gently taps on her sister's foot, "Goodnight, cub."
"Night, Mumi. It's like a blending of your name!" Dumplin says, looking proud of herself.
"Alright, bedtime," Mimi gently closes the door so that there is a crack open.
Mimi peeks in on Gen one more time, and he is sleeping on his side peacefully.
"Daiyu, are you staying the night?" Mimi asks as she passes the jorogumo in the dining area.
"That mongrel is trying to scent out the child's parents. She thinks it might be easier to return him, that way," Daiyu says, knitting what looked to be another cultivator robe.
"As long as she doesn't scare them away," Mimi says, "but you are more than welcome to stay. I need to talk to the clan leader about our accidental child acquisition."
"I think I will then. I am curious what he will say to this," Daiyu raises an eyebrow that Mimi pointedly ignores.
"I won't be long," Mimi says as she shifts into her fox form and dashes outside.
Thinking he would be in his residence at this time of night, Mimi slides into a shadow and appears in the corner of his residence.
The clan leader is relaxed, playing the guqin in his nightwear. Barking, Mimi hops into the room and wags her multiple tails at him.
"Firefly, you are going to have to show me how you do that shadow trick," Lan Xichen smirks, amused that Lady Shen is now comfortable appearing in his residence.
Flitting behind his changing screen, Mimi shifts into a woman and steps out, "I actually wanted to talk to you about something rather serious."
She sits before his desk on a pillow, "Qiaolian found a nag child in the woods."
"And you have the child in your residence?" he asks, not entirely surprised at this turn of events.
"I do, and he is normal," Mimi waits for the amazement to fade, "he claims that his family had been infected with the sickness but survived. This sickness is what is causing the nag to become savage, but they usually die afterward."
"Are you going to return the child?" he asks, contemplating this.
"Of course, tomorrow night, I was hoping you and Qiaolian could accompany us. We can question what their situation is."
"You have a plan forming," Lan Xichen guesses.
"I have a plan forming," Mimi agrees and explains it to him.
Hiding their conjoined hands within their large sleeves, Mimi and Lan Xichen walk amongst the trees.
"We're almost there," Mimi looks down at Gen, who is holding her other hand.
As the trio approaches the grove, there is no sound but their footsteps.
"They are going to come, aren't they?" Gen asks, his lips trembling.
"Why wouldn't they?" Mimi comforts, letting go of the clan leader's hand to crouch down and reassure the child.
"We are a little early," the clan leader remarks looking around sharply, knowing that Qiaolian slunk around within the trees, patrolling with Daiyu above their heads.
Hisses fill the air. Serpentine bodies emerge from the bushes. Dozens of large snakeheads emerge from the undergrowth. The clan leader puts a hand on his sword, but Mimi puts a hand on his arm, stopping him.
"Mom! Dads!" Gen lunges forward and is immediately snatched up by a large nag with her tail.
The nag coils around the child, bringing him up to her face, where she wraps her terrifying arms around him affectionately.
"Mom! You wouldn't believe it! They were so nice! I got to eat so many veggies and play with foxes my age! She even healed my arm! Look," he points down at his arm to show his mom, "no scratches!"
The large nag, obviously the group's matriarch, meets Mimi's eyes over the top of her child's head. Her golden reptilian eyes devoid of the familiar bloodshot eyes Mimi and the clan leader had become familiar with.
Stepping forward, Mimi bows to the terrifying creature, "My cubs really enjoyed playing with your son. Perhaps we could discuss future negotiations between our clans?"
Passing her child to a slightly smaller nag that began nuzzling the child with his snout. The other nags take turns inspecting the child as he giggles. Mimi quickly realizes that all the smaller nags were, in fact, the males and either flanked the matriarch or fuss over Gen. The large nag rises to her full height, towering over both Mimi and the clan leader. Letting out a surly growl before bowing at the waist.
"Thank you for bringing our child back," the nag's voice is as raspy as peeling tree bark.
"Of course," Mimi links her arm with the clan leader, "between us, we have four cubs."
"Five if you count Master Wei," Lan Xichen mumbles, but he is smiling serenely, "Perhaps we may discuss terms for an alliance between us. It has become clear through recent events that we have a common issue."
The nags tilt their heads with mistrust until a small voice penetrates the silence, "Please, mom, please dads. My friends are over there."
This brings most of the nag's attention to the little child, who pouts at his mom from his dad's many coils. Mimi knew the look on the matriarch's face quite well. It was one she had worn on multiple occasions.
"Most of our children we're lost during this plague," the closest male to the matriarch says, his voice deep, "Gen does not have siblings or children of his age to play with."
"What do you propose?" the matriarch asks, her body undulating so that she may pat her child's head with her tail.
"My sister, the Golden Phoenix, and I are willing to work together to give you and your family a new home. Safe high in the mountains," Mimi bows to the nags who reacted with growls at the mention of her sister's title, "a peace offering and promise of friendship for years to come."
"It will not be easy," the clan leader adds, "but I am confident that our differences will only make both our clans stronger in the years to come."
"We must deliberate," the matriarch says after a period of conversing with the males, "But we are intrigued by what you offer."
"When can we meet again?" the clan leader asks.
The nag communicates in sharp hisses and clicks. All of them taking turns in stride as the matriarch presides over them all.
"Two days hence, the same time," the matriarch says finally, nodding at Mimi and then to the clan leader.
A hissing interjection came from Gen, who was being passed around the males from tail to coil before reaching his mother, who affectionately licks his face.
"Our son would like to play with the young foxes during negotiations if this is at all possible," the matriarch almost seems embarrassed as she addresses Mimi.
"I am sure we can arrange a play date," Mimi smiles at Gen, who waves at her from his terrifying mother's arms.
"For the safety of the children, may we meet somewhere in the open and preferably under wards?" the clan leader asks, nodding to Mimi, who touches his arm in agreement.
The nag deliberate once again, and a smaller male removes Gen from the matriarch's arms, reaching his claws beneath the child's arms. Mimi realizes he is tickling him. He whispers something to the matriarch.
She nods, permitting him to speak. His voice is of a higher tone, "There are a series of interconnected lakes high in the eastern mountains. Perhaps our clans may meet there. To my knowledge, the sickness has not spread to this area. But it is within your territory and that of the Feng clan."
The clan leader tugs her close, "I am aware of this area. It is a worthy choice. It is a wide-open area that would permit our clans to mingle safely."
"Safety is my primary concern," Mimi remarks, "We will still need to deliberate with your brother and uncle."
"I am not entering that conversation without you by my side," he murmurs before responding to the nag, "We agree to your terms."
The smaller male is enveloped back into the group of nag, with Gen in his arms.