Page 2 of Two Thousand Promises

His new companion let out a few high-pitched barks as if he were warning Xiao Dan to stop doing shady things, but he stood his ground, refusing to run off. Xiao Dan sat up straight, his hands in his lap, and the fox stared at him, his fluffy tail flicking from side to side.

Minutes slowly ticked by and Xiao Dan sat perfectly still, content to watch the fox. The creature sniffed the air, but this time he picked up a new scent. His ears perked up, and he scrambled closer, following the scent straight to the bun.

“It’s okay. Jiejie?3 makes wonderful baozi.?4 I think you’re in luck. These have some rabbit in them.”

When the fox was less than a meter away, he hunkered down with his chest brushing the ground and his butt in the air, and he pounced on the innocent bun. He took a bite and jumped away. His ears flattened, and he made a soft smacking noise as if he couldn’t quite figure out what he’d tasted. His pink tongueflashed out again and again, licking his face and teeth. He must have decided that he liked what he tasted, because he lunged for the bun.

The pup grabbed it up as best he could in his mouth and carried it several meters away from Xiao Dan, so he didn’t have to worry about the big human stealing it. He remained far enough away from the trees so Xiao Dan could watch him crouch on the ground and devour the bun. That adorable fluffy tail never stopped moving the entire time. It changed from a flick to more of a slow wag.

The second the bun was gone, the furry scamp sniffed the ground, returning to the spot where he’d gained his treat, checking to see if he’d missed any crumbs.

To Xiao Dan’s shock, he sat where the bun had been and stared at him. A bark popped out of him as if he were demanding another.

“I’m sorry, Little One, but that’s all I have.”

Clearly, the fox didn’t believe him. He closed the last bit of distance between them, sniffing the ground and around his feet. Xiao Dan held out his empty hands while silently chuckling. Whiskers brushed his fingers and palms. Finally, the tiny black nose bumped his hand, and Xiao Dan jerked it away at the unexpected spark that bit his flesh.

“What…”

That had felt like magic.

Each vampire had his own magical gift, but vampires, in general, weren’t terribly magical creatures. As far as he knew, they couldn’t cast spells. They were limited to a few physical enhancements and their gift. However, he’d noticed they possessed a certain amount of sensitivity to magic. They could sense when they were near another magical creature. At least, it seemed as if they could now that they’d each crossed the thousand-year mark in their existence.

This wasn’t a normal fox.

Xiao Dan’s heart skipped a beat, and he froze while the fox continued to sniff near him, searching for more food, oblivious to the panic surging through the vampire.

“Are…are you a little huli jing?”?5 Xiao Dan whispered.

The fox’s head popped up, his ears alert, and he made a noise that Xiao Dan couldn’t quite describe, but at least it sounded happy. His companion sat in front of him, tail wagging, and his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth.

“A huli jing?”

The fox made its noise again.

This small creature was a fox spirit. But he’d never heard of one so young. Of course, it could all be a ruse to get him to drop his guard. Huli jing had all kinds of stories about them. Some were of benevolent, helpful spirits, while others were evil and mischievous creatures who killed humans and stole their essence. Of course, there were also countless love stories about a huli jing turning into a beautiful, seductive woman and falling in love with a human.

Oh, well, there were also women accused of being huli jing with evil intentions. One had supposedly destroyed the Shang Dynasty while another had brought about the downfall of the Western Zhou Dynasty.

Not that he was sure he believed the stories of those women being huli jing.

Xiao Dan frowned at the bit of orange fluff trying to shove his entire head into his sleeve in his search for another bun. He didn’t act like a sneaky fox who was attempting to steal his soul. His heart was a different matter. This ball of fur was too adorable for words.

Carefully, he placed a hand under the fox’s stomach and scooped him up so he could extricate the creature from his sleeve. He wiggled and grunted until Xiao Dan put him on theground again. Surprisingly, the fox didn’t run off. He twirled in a circle and flopped on his back, kicking all four of his black feet into the air. His mouth was wide open, revealing two rows of sharp teeth that seemed to be spread into a silent laugh.

“You’re a silly fox now that you’ve gotten some food in your belly, but I have nothing else for you. I wasn’t expecting to…”

The words died on his tongue as he lifted his head to stare at the distant horizon. He’d not come into the woods expecting to find a new friend. The sun had not risen yet, but the sky was markedly lighter now. More bright blues and rosy oranges. It wouldn’t be long now. In less than half an hour, the first rays of early-morning sunlight would break over the distant hills and gild the world. This was a slow and painful death, but in the end, there would be nothing of him left for his clan to deal with.

A sharp bark drew his attention, and he looked down to find the huli jing on his feet. He watched Xiao Dan with bright eyes and a smiling face, possibly demanding more food.

“I don’t have anything else to eat. You’ll need to hunt for something if your belly is still empty.”

The young fox spirit didn’t seem to care about what he was saying. Xiao Dan’s gentle manner was an invitation to climb on him. The huli jing scrambled onto Xiao Dan and attempted to wiggle into his lap all while sniffing at the sleeve that had held the bun.

With a sigh that was half-aggrieved and half-amused, Xiao Dan scooped up the fox and laid him on his back in one arm. The fox spirit didn’t squirm free but lay there with his feet kicked in the air. His eyes closed, and he tipped his chin higher as Xiao Dan scratched his chest and one cheek with a finger.

The fox turned his head and attempted to gnaw on Xiao Dan’s fingers, but the vampire quickly drew his hand away.

---