The walk back down the mountain was different from ascending the steps deep into the night, especially because now Siu's mind was filled with the ramblings of his new companion. She was telling him about the fact that she was not only a 'fox' but that she was the smartest of her litter, so much so that they bullied her out of sheer jealousy. Then she was going on about how she was tossed out by the adults when she first managed to reveal her human-like intellect, quickly earning her isolation from the rest... not to mention that she was the only one with mismatched eyes among everyone else. And she was the only one with black fur, while everyone was orange... And the fact that sometimes she managed to become invisible, when the night was really dark...

  While Siu partially understood, knowing how it felt to be bullied... he wasn't expecting to be told everything from the start, as if she was afraid there wouldn't be a next time to explain herself, and it was getting a little bit too much to take in at once.

  While speaking, her tail draped down the back of his neck, the gold-tipped end brushing against his collar, especially when she got a little bit more into her story, tickling him over and over again. Even while in the middle of her tale, every so often, Arya's ears flicked, reacting to distant sounds or unfamiliar scents, but she did not attempt to flinch or move, feeling herself to be really safe on Siu's head, and kept telling her tale with great enthusiasm.

  Knowing full well the tiny fox was in the middle of an explanation, as apparent from Siu's shifting body and reactions, with his neck muscles sometimes moving, almost making his mouth open and speak the words he was thinking, behind the duo, Elder Thane said nothing and just descended at an unhurried pace, watching the two. His hands were clasped behind his back, waiting for ten minutes or so before finally stepping in and saving Siu, noticing that he was nearing his patience's limit.

  "Siu."

  "Yes?" He stopped at once, looking back at Thane.

  "About your mission, and the advanced forms you were wanting to learn," He began, but Siu quickly raised a hand, shaking his head.

  "I don't think I'm ready."

  That made Thane raise an eyebrow, while his sharp eyes began assessing him from boots to shoulders to the fox sitting on his head. He... didn't expect that answer.

  "Huh," he said simply, beginning to smile, "That's new."

  "Is it?" Siu drew in a breath, smiling to himself, "I think it's pretty evident. I wanted to learn the rest of the forms," he said honestly, "That is true, and I still want to. My intention did not change at all, but I now have a better understanding of why I can't approach them yet."

  "Hmmm... And why is that?" Elder Thane asked, wanting to hear his reasoning behind it, to evaluate how much he really understood.

  "I didn't win because I was stronger than the bird; I won because I understood the timing of the Crane, the strength of the Ox, and the footwork of the Wild Cat well enough to chain them together without thinking. But even then, it was barely enough... After reflecting on it, I now feel I can do more with them, not only switch between the forms but also start merging them. Use the Crane with the strength of the Ox or the quickness of the Cat. But I haven't reached that state yet..."

  "Very good!" Thane's gaze sharpened as he exhaled, crossing his arms before his chest, "Your mind is on the right track, Siu. That is indeed the pinnacle of this form; your feelings aren't betraying you. I am glad you recognized it yourself!"

  "I had a good teacher."

  "Hah, you won't get far with kissing my ass, boy!" Thane continued while laughing, patting his shoulders, "Still, thanks. You know, most disciples come back from their first real fight hungry for more. They want more techniques, more power, more shortcuts for stronger power, especially if they lose... They mistake survival for readiness for more. Look at Nue Toah; she is the prime example of this. Now, after her defeat against you, she has the chance to recover, but if not, she will never become an Inner Disciple, because the Sect won't pass her. She will be forever an Outer Disciple, until she dies, because she failed to surpass herself more than anybody else. Not you, not others, not me, herself. That part is more important than anything else..."

  "What if she leaves?" Siu asked, making Elder Thane shake his head.

  "She can't." He said without thinking about it, "She had been in the Sect for way too long for that to happen; she is now forever part of the Hollow Song, until her melody is gone."

  "Mhm, I understand." He nodded after thinking about it, "I do hope she changes for the better... Honestly, I expected her to come after me, but she hasn't even appeared before me once... Yet."

  "She secluded herself for training," Elder Thane said simply, not really explaining more, "Who knows when she will deem herself ready to come back and challenge you a second time."

  "I see..." Siu muttered, scratching his chin.

  "Is she some... enemy?" Arya asked, curious and a bit nervous.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  "Kind of," Siu answered out loud, "I wouldn't call her an enemy though... just an idiot."

  "Heh!" Thane snorted, making Siu blush, realizing he was saying things out loud, making him clear his throat and change the topic.

  "I don't intend to stop training," he quickly added, "And when I feel ready once again, I will look for you, Elder Thane."

  "I will await that day." He nodded, glancing at the fox, making a decision that Siu did not expect, "There is one more thing, though, especially after considering your current state."

  "Elder?" Siu looked up, already guessing what would come next.

  "The Fox Form," he said, exactly what Siu was thinking of, but then again...

  "Elder Thane… I just said—"

  "I heard you," He interrupted him with a raised hand, "And I agree with you, but this is something that would be perfect for you to dabble in, especially with your newly formed bond... And because it will help the little one, too, which is precisely why I'm allowing it."

  Arya straightened slightly after hearing that, her ears lifting, curious what he meant by that.

  "The Fox Form is not about strength," Thane continued, as if answering her, "It is a tricky one, akin to the Wild Cat, based on rhythm, but it's all about feints, deception, and the ability to lie with your body without lying to yourself. It's all made for and about confusing your future enemies and masking what move you will make next."

  "Master, did he call me... a liar?" Arya asked, unsure whether she should be offended or not.

  "No, he didn't." Siu answered in his mind, not wanting to get into a weird back-and-forth, "Elder, am I really... ready for introducing it into my training?"

  "With that little one on your head? Yeah," he nodded with a smile, "If not for her, I wouldn't have suggested it."

  With that type of praise, Arya flicked her tail, clearly pleased, no longer angry about being called a 'liar' and more accepting of Elder Thane all of a sudden. She may even let him pet her... but he didn't try.

  "Well, he is right! I fight beautifully, so it will be a great boon to you, too, Master!"

  "Fight? Really? No, but... You panic beautifully," Siu corrected her at once, "I saw you run, it was indeed pretty impressive, but I wouldn't call that fighting."

  "It was fighting!" She gasped in an honest-sounding outrage, "I was shaking my butt to confuse him, but he wasn't into foxes! Birdbrain..."

  "Stop talking while others are present," Thane snorted once, making the two flinch, "I may not understand her like Delia, but I can tell when you two are having a private conversation! Damn rude, both of you! I am your Elder, did you forget?!"

  "My apologies!" Siu cupped his hands at once, making Elder Thane chortle, holding back his grin.

  "Anyway," he continued in the end, wiping the smile off his face with his hand, hiding it from Siu, "You will borrow the Fox Form," he handed out a seal of his approval, "You will study its principles, and decide how to go from there. You can postpone its training or implementation, as you see fit, but I do believe it will be a beneficial exercise for both of you."

  "…Thank you," Siu muttered, taking the slip from him, bowing deeply towards Thane.

  "Do not thank me yet," The Elder said, shaking his head, "The Fox Form will frustrate you, and it will contradict your instincts when you start out with it. It took me some time to get used to it and learn how to prepare an attack, but to show another. For some, it may be the hardest form to master, for others, it may come naturally," he muttered, glancing at Arya, "we will see which one is you."

  "I am not afraid of challenges," Siu answered, letting himself also smile a little, feeling pretty ecstatic deep down.

  "One more thing," Thane said as they arrived back at the bottom of the stone stairs.

  "Yes, Elder?"

  "You will not teach the Fox Form to others," Thane ordered him, making Siu raise an eyebrow.

  "I never even thought about it," he nodded at once, a bit taken aback by the force behind his words.

  "You haven't thought about it yet," Thane added, his tone sharpening just a fraction, "But you now owe a debt to another..." he warned him, "And sometimes, people ask for things they didn't earn themselves."

  "I see..." Siu muttered, straightening his back, and his blue eyes suddenly grew a tinge colder, "I didn't think about that possibility..."

  "Sometimes, I can't decide if you are experienced or not!" Elder Thane shrugged, shaking his head, making Siu blush and sigh at the same time.

  "Even I don't know... I was taught things, I experienced... things, yet I wasn't really part of anything... It was strange, growing up like that."

  "Well, we all have our pasts," Thane said, beginning to leave, "But don't let it wholly control your future, just let it show a possible pathway."

  "I'll keep that in mind," Siu answered, bowing towards him one more time, watching him leave as the night's silence finally settled down on him, causing him to look towards the massive moon in the sky, surrounded by countless, twinkling stars.

  "Is he your dad?" Arya leaned forward, peering at his face, hanging upside down from the top of his head.

  "Huh?" Siu blinked his eyes, taken a bit aback, "Dad? No, he is Elder Thane; it's in his title, he is an Elder, and I owe him a lot already. We are not related."

  "Oh, okay! I asked because I don't know how dads work; mine wasn't around. I don't even know which male made me in the group... I think my Mom had multiple males."

  "Khm!" Siu grunted, clearing his throat, beginning to walk, "Well, most dads that I know of are like Elder Thane, true... Mine is similar, one day, I will introduce you to him and my Mom."

  "Oh? Are they... friendly...? I mean..."

  "Yes, they are, no need to be afraid." He chuckled, reaching up and scratching her head, focusing on the area behind her ears that she loved the most.

  "Ehehehe! Where are they?"

  "Far away from here, in a faraway village," He shrugged, suddenly feeling a little bit homesick, "I hope they are doing okay, but... Someone I would call my grandfather, even though he isn't connected to me, said he would take care of them. I trust him with my life, so... They should be fine."

  "Should... be? Um, Master? Were you... chased away, too? Were you bullied?"

  "You could say that," Siu nodded with a chuckle, flipping the slip in his hand once before putting it away, deciding that for today, it was better to go back home and rest for now.

  "I hate those people..." Arya muttered, honest anger seeping into her tone and her feelings, and flooding Siu's mind as well, "One day, I will be strong enough to defeat any bullies..."

  "Sure, but that needs training. So, starting from tomorrow, you will have to do it with me, understood?"

  "Yes, Master! I will make sure to swing my hips and make them fall for it!"

  "What?"

  "Nothing!"

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