The Tale Never Ends

Dusk darkened to full night but here I was, utterly lost in the middle of nowhere. I do not usually wear watches, hence I could not tell the time. I was disconnected from society and the rest of the world. For one of the rarest moments in my life, I began to comprehend how we humans depended so greatly on our cell phones to remain part of civilization.

Chilly winds blew and their icy fingers licked at my skin, sending shivers creeping up my spine. It was extraordinarily cold here. Red pines are trees that stay evergreen all seasons but the melting patches of ice and snow on the ground told me that this place recently snowed. That, and the never-ending winds of the night continued testing the dignity of my thick fur velvets.

With my options numbered few, I looked for flat ground and found some branches as kindling to start a fire. But I have no flint to produce any spark and the feeble flame of my lighter could do little to set alight the kindling in such rigid weather. But the leaves of the red pines here could not be used as tinder hence I have to tear off the hood of my velvety overcoat and use it as fuel.

I was renewed with hope and warmth as the flames began to crackle cheerily in the hearth. But then came my next conundrum: food. I have had numerous experiences of hunting in the wild for food. But with Chongxi and Lin Feng, it was different; we have more manpower and a stronger fire. The little firepit now blazing could hardly attract anything nevermind patriarch or any wildfowls. But nothing would come from just waiting, I surmised, and I took out my Spirit Gourd and released my spirit wolves. Perhaps they could find me something to eat.

True enough, the wolves immediately sniffed the air and found something not far away. I got up and followed them. After more than hundreds of meters, I saw a little shadowy silhouette darting around quickly. With steely patience, the wolves slowly gave chase. They closed in on whatever it was together, growling menacingly. I marveled at the tactical ingenuity of my wolf pack as I followed them and finally, we stopped. They have pinned their quarry at a tight little corner.

I held out my Gourd like a gun and was about to speak the Words of Command of the spell to kill the animal but I stopped short. I saw what it was. It was a young little fox. I waved off my wolves and they, having understood my gesture, withdrew reluctantly but no longer paying any heed to the whimpering little fox.

Still, it was still rooted to the spot. The look of being surrounded by six snarling wolves must be a petrifying sight to behold. But the fox did not escape immediately. Its glistening eyes, black as onyx, stared at me as if it had recognized me. I scoffed. Even little foxes who have yet to learn any magic know who I am too? That’s a surprise.

I exhaled. “What are you waiting for? Do you really want to be my dinner?” I barked at the fox and I threw a dismissive wave of my arm. Hearing this, the fox immediately scampered off into the bushes. I motioned for my wolves to look for something else, only this time, they failed. It was just past winter and most, if not the rest, of the animals could well still be hibernating by now. There was nothing everywhere.

I returned to the hearth, half-expecting the fire to be mere glowing embers by now with no one to continue feeding fuel. But when I got back, I saw a person tossing more logs into the fire! The wolves, feeling my trepidation of an unknown stranger, began baring their teeth and growl, advancing slowly with their backs arched and their furs standing. I narrowed my eyes to see through the dark and the shifty glow of the fire and saw that it was a girl. A young girl, although I could not quite make out her age. She was wearing a thick hiking jacket and her knapsack was sitting right beside her and she looked like a lost traveler to me. The young woman tossed more branches into the fire and poked at them to make them burn more fiercely.

The hesitation in me subsided a little and I walked closer to the fire. My approaching footsteps warned her of a coming stranger and her head immediately turned towards me and she yelped a frightened cry, collapsing back to the ground by the fire. I lowered my gaze and saw my wolves glaring hungrily at her as if they had found a prey. I quickly held out an arm to prevent them from pouncing. I would never succumb to cannibalism no matter what. With my signal, the wolves softened. They sat down on their haunches demurely around the fire.

The young woman could barely move an inch. All strength has left her and her voice failed her. Gripped by fear, she could only watch as I stepped nearer to the fire until I finally sat down.

The palpitating spasm of discomfort from my stomach reminded me of my hunger as soon as I got down. “Do you have food?” I asked at once. The girl stared at me, startled that was the first words that came from me. Then she broke into action, rummaging in her knapsack for food and held up one for me. It was a can of chips. I looked down and saw other chips as well as chocolates and other junk food. For Heaven’s sake, I almost blurted out loud, You’re inviting Death by expecting these to satisfy your hunger in the wilderness! I shook my head and chuckled bleakly to myself. From within the pile, I dug out a bag of hardtacks and a sausage. As I crunched on the biscuits, I asked, “Where is this place?”

My question caught her off-guard and it took her more than seconds before she could finally summon the courage to answer. Hesitantly, she squeaked, “This is China and we’re in the spring of 2019…” I almost choked. Of course I know this is China and we’re in the year 2019!

Then it dawned upon me. This young woman must have thought I am a time traveler!

I scowled. “Stop imagining things. I’m only asking where are we. I’m not a time traveler or something!” An apparent hint of disappointment flashed in her deep eyes and she answered, “This is Changbai Mountain.”

“WHAT?!” I jumped to my feet immediately, “Did you just say Changbai Mountain?” How is this even possible?! “What’s the date today?” I asked again. But her answer came just as quickly, “It’s the fifteenth day of the lunar month today. The Spring Lantern Festival.” Huh?! The Spring Lantern Festival?! So my time traveling had taken me two days?!

I bit furiously at my biscuits, all the while seething within. What had Master Six done this time to send me here?!

The young woman never once peeled her eyes off me. She could sense my anxiety and restlessness, although the sight of my six wolves kept her from speaking. An awkward silence lulled over us for minutes and the air was filled with the crunching sounds of me chomping on my biscuits and the buoyant crackling of the fire. When my quick dinner was over, I stared blankly into the fire. I could do with a bit of smoke, but my cigarettes were out. With a hopeful glance at the young woman, I noticed that she was peering warily at me. “Urm… Do you have any cigarettes with you?” I asked expectantly. She quickly avoided my gaze and shook her head. I sighed heavily, discouraged as my head sank. I reached a hand to stroke the fur of the wolf sitting just beside me and I introduced myself, “My name is Shiyan. Murong Shiyan.”

Hearing this, the girl quickly responded, “I’m called Qin Le.” “Are you lost?” I asked, trying to smile nicely. She nodded and her mouth opened as if to speak. But her voice was lost when she noticed my six wolves again.

I chuckled and took out my Spirit Gourd to withdraw my wolves. This left Qin Le’s mouth hanging like a door. She had no idea how six large wolves could disappear in just a blink of an eye! “The six wolves…” She whimpered hesitantly. “They’re mine,” I explained at once, cutting her short, “But they’re not real, living wolves. Only their souls.” A twinkle blazed in her eyes. “You’re not human, aren’t you?!” She asked finally, exploding like a balloon and her question made me froze. “What the hell? Is this an actual question or are you trying to insult me?!” But I quickly realized that it was the former; barely a heartbeat I answered, “No. I’m a human, not some monster that you might be imagining. But I know some magic. That’s all.”

Her eyes flared with interest and enthusiasm and she began pelting me with a barrage of questions. “You must be looking for tombs to plunder, are you?!” I scowled at her again. “You’ve been watching too many movies.” But she pressed on, “Then you must be one of those urban mages or sorcerers!” But before I could answer, she went on again, “Otherwise, you could be a hermit in the mountains who study magic and sorcery while keeping away from us, the common people!”

I said nothing, shaking my head all the time. At last, I admitted, “I don’t even know how am I transported here.” But that did little to quell her fire. She tossed a few more questions my way, and I answered none of them. “You’ve been reading one too many novel. You sneaked away from your tour group, did you not? But instead of fulfilling your fantasy of enjoying the sights and sounds of the wilderness on your own, you find yourself lost in the middle of nowhere?”

“How did you know that?” She asked incredulously.