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open | teeth on my waist i come undone
WHO: Wei Wuxian & ( you )
WHEN: The week or two following the drinking of village curse-juice and forest capers.
WHERE: Ke-Waihu.
WHAT: Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng managed to knock over a shrine; the local shrine occupant took offense. Now they're temporarily foxes until they finish rebuilding the shrine over the next week (or two). Encounter him as a fox! Work with him while he's a fox. Stare at him wondering what the fox happened.
WARNINGS: Wei Wuxian is deeply, intractably afraid of dogs, and it is likely to come up in narrative, along with the particulars of what he does not like about dogs and/or envisions them doing.
He took no delight in his shifted circumstances, the luck of it all horrid and wrapped up in its own jest: the baying of hounds driving him to bolting, and he, crashing through a shrine built of stones instead of through the underbrush to a nebulous safety, treed.
Wei Wuxian didn't look down to study his paws. Movement was easier when he didn't think about it, when the motion carried him by intent, when he saw the world from lower down, the place from which he'd crawled in darker, more haunted forests, only to be here now, in a village that tasted foreign on his tongue, read nuanced in difference to his far from indifferent nose.
He heard too much with the ears perched upon his black brow, distracted heartbeat to heartbeat by their unnerving twitching movement, centring and recentring on exhalations and scuffs and drags of claw on hardpacked ground. A tail that twitched to similar nerves, and he stood as any fox, tall in his shadows and slinking in the bright light further from safety, to see to his daily deeds.
He carried stones plucked from erstwhile streambeds held delicate between white-yellow teeth, canines visible, tongue deep pink and heavy in his mouth behind them. Wet or dry, less important than the smoothed nature of the rock, beautifully flecked by saliva by the time his journey culminates on a forest knoll, by the shattered structure of a familiar formed shrine. Help, hinder, stare on in silent question: but you found him in these circumstances, so what have you done?
He slipped to your side, silent but for the pad of a paw on the dirt, meant to echo. There were tasks set to them all, but he must stay close, borrow on the certainty of human form to hold canine and suspicion at arms length. His head turned upward, narrow muzzle pointed toward the face of his current companion, before he canted it, giving them a quizzical expression. Where were they off to now? Though he will not accept the discussion of it, his nose now married a sense of purpose to discovery, but it waited on the arrival of his protector, whomever it might be, for them to set off in quest of answers to the questions posed by their hosts, and by themselves. (To all, to any, who wish for a fox-companion in their questing in those days following the induction of the group into the village by awful drunken brew.)
( ooc: honestly these are two setups for run-ins above, but you can tag me in with anywhere in village and even have wei wuxian treed because he'll learn fast that foxes can climb and DOGS CANNOT THANK YOU WORLD FOR THAT BEING CONSISTENT. so wildcard a location/starter at will, if you want! or hit me up on DM or PM to set up a starter for us. )
WHEN: The week or two following the drinking of village curse-juice and forest capers.
WHERE: Ke-Waihu.
WHAT: Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng managed to knock over a shrine; the local shrine occupant took offense. Now they're temporarily foxes until they finish rebuilding the shrine over the next week (or two). Encounter him as a fox! Work with him while he's a fox. Stare at him wondering what the fox happened.
WARNINGS: Wei Wuxian is deeply, intractably afraid of dogs, and it is likely to come up in narrative, along with the particulars of what he does not like about dogs and/or envisions them doing.
He took no delight in his shifted circumstances, the luck of it all horrid and wrapped up in its own jest: the baying of hounds driving him to bolting, and he, crashing through a shrine built of stones instead of through the underbrush to a nebulous safety, treed.
Wei Wuxian didn't look down to study his paws. Movement was easier when he didn't think about it, when the motion carried him by intent, when he saw the world from lower down, the place from which he'd crawled in darker, more haunted forests, only to be here now, in a village that tasted foreign on his tongue, read nuanced in difference to his far from indifferent nose.
He heard too much with the ears perched upon his black brow, distracted heartbeat to heartbeat by their unnerving twitching movement, centring and recentring on exhalations and scuffs and drags of claw on hardpacked ground. A tail that twitched to similar nerves, and he stood as any fox, tall in his shadows and slinking in the bright light further from safety, to see to his daily deeds.
He carried stones plucked from erstwhile streambeds held delicate between white-yellow teeth, canines visible, tongue deep pink and heavy in his mouth behind them. Wet or dry, less important than the smoothed nature of the rock, beautifully flecked by saliva by the time his journey culminates on a forest knoll, by the shattered structure of a familiar formed shrine. Help, hinder, stare on in silent question: but you found him in these circumstances, so what have you done?
He slipped to your side, silent but for the pad of a paw on the dirt, meant to echo. There were tasks set to them all, but he must stay close, borrow on the certainty of human form to hold canine and suspicion at arms length. His head turned upward, narrow muzzle pointed toward the face of his current companion, before he canted it, giving them a quizzical expression. Where were they off to now? Though he will not accept the discussion of it, his nose now married a sense of purpose to discovery, but it waited on the arrival of his protector, whomever it might be, for them to set off in quest of answers to the questions posed by their hosts, and by themselves. (To all, to any, who wish for a fox-companion in their questing in those days following the induction of the group into the village by awful drunken brew.)
( ooc: honestly these are two setups for run-ins above, but you can tag me in with anywhere in village and even have wei wuxian treed because he'll learn fast that foxes can climb and DOGS CANNOT THANK YOU WORLD FOR THAT BEING CONSISTENT. so wildcard a location/starter at will, if you want! or hit me up on DM or PM to set up a starter for us. )
no subject
He also needed to grow accustomed to this village's layout, as he did with every place they've settled. Learn the streets, remember the establishments, fill out that mental map in his head as quickly as possible so as not to cause others problems were he to become lost. Besides, walking around gave him a good idea of the general attitude of the residents. And he'd been trying to think up a way to break the curse he'd been gifted. It would be better to get an idea of what the people would be willing to put up with before springing anything new on them.
It was on one of these village strolls that Xingchen sensed something following him. Sensed, then heard, ever so slightly. He paused in his steps, head cocked to the side as he tried to gauge the shape of his current companion. It didn't feel human, but also not exactly like an animal, either, though it felt smaller, in a way. Probably an animal. He'd heard the barking of dogs around here before.
A smile reached his lips and he spoke softly. "Are you looking for food? I'm afraid I don't have any on me."
no subject
Worrying amounts of it, to be sure, but useful amounts too, and so he makes himself come closer, slow, ears flicking forward and back as he watches Xiao Xingchen, prepared to leap away if needed. He refuses to make sounds, barely managing to studiously ignore the length of the muzzle his eyes can't fail to see, and so it's a silent animal that approaches, a polite tap of a nose against robes once Wei Wuxian is tentatively within reaching distance.
Unhelpfully, his stomach growls, his ears pressing flat against his skull in consternation. He'll find something later, he knows how to, but to find what the dogs aren't after first—he doesn't want to see how that will look. Perhaps he should simply take to the woods, see if he can learn to hunt in this form, like he does in his true form?
He sighs, the only sound he's made, and something too strangely human from an animal's throat.
no subject
So he slowly squatted down to be closer to the animal's level, holding out a hand to be sniffed. Instead he received a growling tummy, followed by a very discernible sigh. Poor thing. Xingchen smiled sadly. "I know. I disappoint myself, too."
But if this animal approached him despite any fears, it really must have been hungry. Xingchen thought for a moment, then leaned in toward where he thought the animal was. "I can't promise you anything, but I'll see if anyone is selling something you might like." Ah, but different animals ate different things. "Would you eat meat?"
Maybe a silly question. He wouldn't be able to get a clear answer.
no subject
Yes, he'd eat meat, he'd eat anything, but he doesn't know that he can tell his martial uncle any of that. Only edge closer, because safety of a human being standing tall is more safety than one fox, small in relativity, can manage.
no subject
The creature seems kind enough, or at least intelligent, so Xingchen allows his hand to move along the animal's head, taking in the longer snout and perky ears. This could very well be a dog, but perhaps a fox. Definitely something that eats meat.
If it is a fox he should be careful, especially after current events. But, then again, if he feeds one, that shouldn't be any real harm, right? It's not as if Xingchen can do a whole lot more damage to himself.
He pulls his hand away so as not to irritate the dog-fox with too much attention, but still speaks to it. "I used to see quite a few animals like you when I was growing up. I suppose I have a soft spot." The animal isn't here for small talk, though, so he pushes himself back to his feet. "I think you're a fox. You should be careful if you follow me while I look for food."
no subject
Yes, he needs caring for, please, or some disguise, and he can either hide under robes, or be carried like some kept thing, and one he thinks is slightly less scandalous to his uncle than the other. Not that he minds hiding in robes, he has more of a desire to survive and be fed than all that, but he's not sure how that's going to work, precisely.