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Slowly his mind stirred, a consistent buzzing in his ear. Blindly reaching for the offending device, the screen lit up, taunting him with the time. Groaning, he wiped a hand over his face. Just over an hour. That’s all the sleep he has had so far. He had been out drinking with Yuri, reminiscing old times, that eventually turned into a solo pity party when he got home. He felt he was still entitled to the occasional bout regardless of how things turned out.
Glaring at the screen, he resented both the time and the number that was calling him. Annoyingly, his thumb hit the green button. Resting the phone against his ear, Rang griped, “What do you want? Shouldn’t you be all snuggled up to your woman right now?”
“Rang-ah, I need your help.” The strain in that voice had the younger fox sitting bolt upright in his bed.
Surprised that the former mountain god would reach out to him, he asked, “Why are you calling me? Isn’t Ji-ah your emergency contact?”
“I don’t want to disturb her, she has an important meeting tomorrow.”
“So I’m just sloppy seconds then? Why not call Shin-ju then? I’m sure he would happily rush to your aide. I’m going back to bed.”
“Rang-ah, wait.” When the line remained open, Yeon continued, “You know why I won’t call Shin-ju, same reason you wouldn’t either. And Ji-ah wouldn’t be able to help me with this. I need you.”
Sucking in a breath, Rang felt the sting in his eyes. For hundreds of years he had longer to hear those words from his brother. And yes, Yeon called upon his assistance during the whole Imugi mess, but that was different. That was an age old battle that needed to end. But now after both their returns from the afterlife, their relationship had changed.
They had spent time together of course. How could they not? But sometimes there was an awkwardness that lingered between them. Because even though they were happy that the other lived, that didn’t erase the past. And the trust between them was still being ironed out. Deep down, Rang still wanted his brother’s approval. After that fateful meeting, so long ago, everything had fallen apart. He had wanted to prove to his brother he was strong, strong enough to stand by his side. To be relied on.
A glimmer of hope ignited when Yeon asked him to help him fight Imugi. But the strength his brother sought was a conviction to kill, no matter the cost. And it had cost Rang more than anyone could know. So how could he not find a way to reverse the roles? Of course he hadn’t realized how much more stubborn his brother could be.
Upon his return to the living world, things were different between them. There was so much Rang wanted to say, show, share with his brother. He just didn’t know how. And sometimes he could see Yeon struggle with his words, hesitant observances, and moments of emotion in those eyes.
And without an evil threat hanging over them, it seemed Rang wasn’t really needed. Mind you, it’s not like the half breed wanted some evil lording over them. But he couldn’t help feeling useless most of the time. Yuri had Shin-ju, and Soo-oh had both of them. Yeon had Ji-ah. And what did he have? A family, yes. And he was most grateful for it. But a purpose? Apart from what the traitor and imugi had expected of him? On that he was still searching.
Now, in the middle of the night, his brother called him. When he needed help, he called him. And it made his chest tight with pride. Swallowing hard, Rang finally answered, “How can I help?”
Hearing the release of breath, full of relief, his brother instructed, “I’m sending you my location. Hurry.” The line went dead.
Despite the lack of sleep and sobering mind, Rang changed at lightning speed and was out the door in minutes.
---
Driving up to the abandoned building, Rang frowned. This wasn’t what he was expecting. Of course, he had no idea what to expect. All he knew was that the coordinates lead to this building, which means his brother was somewhere inside.
Glancing up, Rang’s frown deepened. Yup, inside the dilapidated four story high building. If he was fully human, he would have considered the task rather daunting. However, the fox in him found it merely trivial.
Once inside, he picked out his brother’s scent easily. He also caught hints of blood and something else. Following the trail, he hurried up the closest stairwell. His fox eye was able to see more than his human eye. And he didn’t like the spatters of blood that were becoming more pronounced and frequent.
Soon he stood in front of a small room near the other end of the corridor, its door halfway off the hinges. Climbing over the obstacle he tumbled into a room filled with several large filing cabinets. Maneuvering his way around them, he was able to see a little bit of light coming in through some grimy windows. Tucked into a corner was his brother.
The fact that the older man hadn’t acknowledged his presence yet was very worrisome. It didn’t help that the smell of blood had become very strong, the man’s blade sat loosely across his lap, and the man looked rough. Rushing over, he shook Yeon by the shoulder. “Ya, ya. Yeon. Wake up.”
The older fox gasped as he came back to awareness and then groaned leaning to one side. Rang tried to pull him back so he could see what the problem was. “Ya, what’s wrong?”
Glancing up, Yeon slowly recognized his brother, “Rang-ah? You’re here?”
“Aish! You called me. What the hell happened to you?”
Nodding, the gumiho remembered, “That’s right.” He let out a light huff that soon degraded into coughing. “I wasn’t sure if I dreamed that.”
Growing more frustrated, Rang demanded, “You still haven’t told me what happened?”
“My last assignment managed to catch me off guard. Rammed into me. Got me in the side with its horn.”
Managing to push back some of the torn cloth, the wound was still seeping. Clicking his tongue, Rang admonished, “I know bothering that vet in the middle of the night isn’t ideal, but you should have called him in. He’s better at this sort of thing and you need more help than I can give.” The younger fox went to reach for the phone in his pocket.
“No,” Yeon grabbed his arm to stop him. “Can’t call him now.”
“Why not? You want to bleed to death in the middle of nowhere?”
“It’s still here.”
“What?”
“It’s still here.”
“You didn’t kill it?”
“Nicked him the same time he got me, but I’m guessing he thinks he mostly missed. I chased him for a bit before finally hiding in here and calling you.”
Appalled by all the wrong things his brother said, Rang was shocked, “You didn’t kill it, managed to get yourself skewered and it’s still nearby? Where was the last time you saw it?”
“Heading upstairs. Have to kill it. If it gets out more people will die.”
Leaning back a little, Rang asked smugly, “And what is this annoying beast that managed to knock the mighty mountain god off his pedestal?”
Scowling at his brother, Yeon ignored the jab and answered, “A rogue xiezhi.”
It was Rang’s turn to scowl, “A xiezhi? Aren’t those like inherently good, and rather revered to boot?”
“Hence the rogue.”
“What happened?”
“Don’t know,” Yeon grumbled as he shifted position. “The old hag said one had been reported in Seoul, but it had a highly skewed sense of judgment. It was taking people out who had committed even the smallest of crimes or even perceived crimes.”
“What do you mean by perceived crimes?”
“People that have taken a pen home from their office. Considered wishing someone dead in a bout of anger. Whatever a person might feel even the tiniest bit guilty about.”
“Is that why he got you?” At the older man’s confused expression, Rang rolled his eyes and clarified. “Ah-eum, you’ve felt guilty about her for centuries. And just because you found her finally I doubt that much has changed.”
Softly, Yeon gazed at his brother, “She’s not the only one. Rang-ah…”
“Yeah, yeah,” Rang dismissed and stood. “I think I should dump you at the vet’s, you’re sounding delirious.”
“No. Have to take him out. Took me weeks to track him down. If he gets away now, who knows how long before I find him again. Too many will die in the meantime.” Yeon pushed himself off the ground but failed miserably.
Shaking his head, Rang denounced, “Well you are obviously in no shape to take it on.”
Huffing slightly, the older fox looked up urgently, “That’s why I need you.”
“To do what? Finish the job? That’s not me.” Rang really didn’t like how this night was going already. On the ride over his stomach fluttered a few times, a bad omen in his book. And now, he was feeling a tingling down his spine. “No, let’s get you out. We can track it together after you’re patched up.”
But Yeon refused, desperately he peered into his brother’s eyes, “No, I need you to do this for me. You’re the only one I can trust to finish it.”
Damn him! The man knew how to hit below the belt. As much as he always wanted Yeon to depend on him, trust him, a small part of him was also afraid. Afraid he would fail, let him down. After so many centuries, it’s finally happened. And all Rang could think about was getting Yeon out, keeping him safe. The creature could wait. Something in the back of his mind kept telling him that if they didn’t leave now, it was going to get ugly. But how could he deny his brother when the man needed him?
Growling low in frustration, Rang was about to protest once more, but their time had run out. Senses suddenly going on full alert, the younger man froze, listening, eyes making a slow trek around the room. Yeon seemed to catch on and was also scanning the area. A slight scuff was their only warning before something rammed into the filing cabinets, toppling them over. Fortunately, they wedged up against the wall, creating a little cubby around them.
Jumping out, axe in hand, Rang stood ready to face the beast. The young man made a face the moment his eyes landed on it. It was hideous. Apparently this creature decided to forgo its human disguise, instead revealing its true form. Only it wasn’t the graceful beast that adorned so many temples and palaces. It was a hulking monster covered in thick dark fur with a long, sharp horn on its head.
Snarling, there was a hint of confusion that danced in its eyes. Voice deep, the thing determined, “You’re not Lee Yeon.”
“Figured that out all by yourself? What gave it away?”
Not appreciating the flippant tone, the creature’s eyes glowed red. A moment later, it announced, “Lee Rang, half breed abomination, you have committed numerous crimes, acts of cruelty, and harbor a level of guilt I have never seen before. You have been found wanting, and your punishment is death.”
“I think I’ll pass, if it’s all the same to you.”
“You will die this night.”
“I’m harder to kill than you think. And I have already had a rough night. So, let’s get this over with.” Rang charged, so tired of being talked down to and dismissed. It’s not like he didn’t know he was inferior. But after 600 years of people constantly reminding him how worthless he is, it struck a nerve in the young fox. Somewhere in the distance he heard his brother cry out his name.
Rang swung his axe, the creature leaned back then punched up with one of its hard hoofed hands. Spinning, he tried to come around but the beast blocked. Countering the creature went for a hook, which Rang ducked, rolled and sprang up, catching the monster in one of its huge thighs. Howling in rage, it charged. Rang met its anger with his own, shouldering the beast in the chest and launching it through the wall into the next room.
The wise choice might have been to pursue, but another cry of his name had him running back to his brother and checking on him. “You ok?”
“Fine, you?”
“You can’t stay here. Come on, we need to move.” Gathering the taller man up, tucking him into his side, Rang managed to get them out the door into the hall. Glancing back and forth briefly he made for the stairwell a couple doors down. Once inside though, instead of descending he headed up.
Perplexed, Yeon questioned, “Shouldn’t we be going down?”
“You said we need to take this creature out. If we go down he could just run away but if he’s following us up, we keep him here.”
“True but we only have so far up we can go.”
“Exactly, which is why I need to find you a place to hole up for a bit while I kill him.”
“No, I don’t think we should separate. We can work together.”
“Right, because you’re in such great shape right now? No, it’s easier if I can face him on my own. Once you’re safe, I can focus on it better.” As they were making their way down the hall, Rang had been scanning for a hiding spot. He led them into a room and headed for a door in the back corner.
Yeon was not happy. The pain in his side was aggravating and he felt foolish for making such a stupid mistake. However he was even less happy about this turn of events. “I called you to help. Not to take it on alone.”
“Well funny how things don’t always go to plan.” Lowering his brother into the corner of the small supply room, Rang added, “Now wait here, like a good boy and I’ll be back before you know it.”
“Rang-ah,” Yeon wasn’t sure what he wanted to say but he wanted to say something. He settled on, “Be careful, he’s stronger than you think.”
“I’m not exactly a pushover myself. I’ll be fine.”
“Rang-ah.”
“What? Think I can’t take him?”
“It’s not that.”
“Then what? Do you trust me or not?”
“Of course I do.”
“Then let me go. I got this. I survived more than you could imagine without your help. This is just one more for the books.”
“Just… be careful. Don’t underestimate him.”
“I won’t. Now rest.” Feeling the heft of the axe in his hand, Rang glanced down at the sword loosely held at his brother’s side. Making a decision, he reached down and grabbed it. “If you don’t mind, I think I’ll borrow this for a bit. Besides the old bag may not appreciate my assistance like you do. Best to make her think this was still all you. I’ll be back soon.”
Rang left, closing the door behind him and moving a desk to partially block it. Feeling better now that his brother was safe, the dark haired fox went into hunt mode. The big question was deciding who was the prey and who was the hunter. Most likely a mix of both.
In an attempt to hide their tracks to Yeon’s sanctuary, Rang made a deliberate path to go in and out of as many rooms as possible. Considering some of Yeon’s blood had gotten on his clothes, he could assume that he was leaving a trail for both of them. Hopefully it would be enough to fool the xiezhi.
So focused on this false pattern, it was only the soft scuff again that warned him he was no longer alone. He barely had enough time to turn toward the sound before the monster was charging him. Rolling out of the way, he slashed at the beast’s hindquarters. But the creature’s hide was tougher than he expected. Facing off, the two glared at each other.
“Is that all you’ve got?” Rang taunted with a shit eating grin on his face.
The creature scowled. “Lee Rang you have been found guilty of many crimes. Your life will end this night.”
“Tell me something I don’t know. And you can try all you want, but in the end it’s you who will die, not me.” The half fox lunged for the hulking beast. Surprisingly such a large and lumbering figure moved fast and quietly, shifting out of the way and knocking Rang in the side.
The fox flew out of the room and into the opposite wall of the hallway. The xiezhi charged again, this time braced by the wall, Rang leaned forward and countered by shouldering the monster in the chest. He heard a pop as a result and felt a sharp pain spread across his back. Grunting through it, he shoved the creature away.
The two continued to scuffle their way down the hall, bouncing off the walls and each other. Advantages made and lost. By the time they worked their way to the other end, Rang had managed to pop his shoulder back into place. Of course that came with the added benefit of a horn in the shoulder too. Thankfully, it was more glancing and wasn’t as deep as Yeon’s.
Once more the monster charged, Rang dodged and swung out with the sword. He heard the satisfying howl of pain when the blade sliced the same place as Yeon. Startled the beast took off up the stairs to the next level. The good news is that they were running out of options with only the fourth floor and the roof above them. It should make it easy to find his prey.
The bad news is that the monster was now going to be even angrier that he got hit twice in the same spot. Not that it mattered too much. Even at half gumiho strength, Rang was certain he could take it out. In truth, he felt that after a few minutes rest, Yeon would probably have been able to bounce back enough to take it on. Still, he didn’t want to let his brother down, so he followed the creature up.
Only he didn’t stop on the fourth floor, but continued up to the roof. Frowning the younger fox knew that this would be the final battle. He hyped himself up before bursting onto the flat rooftop. The beast was panting hard, waiting for him. “You are an abomination. You should never have been allowed to live.”
“Yeah, well, it wasn’t for lack of trying. Guess the gods thought it would be funnier to let me live. You can ask them after I send you to hell.”
“Both you and your brother have committed many crimes and injustices. I cannot let you continue.”
“You sound like a broken record. Can we just get this over with?” Then the fox pounced. Together they careened across the gravel surface. Pressed back against an old condenser, Rang threw several punches at its face. They barely seemed to affect it. He was getting tired of this. His head throbbed from his hangover and lack of sleep. His shoulder was screaming at him to stop moving. And he needed to get his brother to Shin-ju for patching up.
Getting out from the creature’s hold, he scooted closer to the edge. There he taunted, “It seems like you aren’t faring much better than any of the others that have tried to kill me. Should we just stop now?”
Enraged, the xiezhi put his head down and really charged. Expecting this, Rang crouched down. At the last moment, he knelt down further, thrusting Yeon’s sword into the wound he created and Rang added to. It pierced under the ribcage, making the creature scream. At the same time, he pushed upward using its momentum to carry it over the edge. Howling as it fell, the abrupt silence was music to his ears.
Peering over the side, he found the xiezhi on a pile of piping debris, copper tubing protruding from several places of its body. Smirking, he mocked, “Told you I was hard to kill.” Taking a few additional minutes to revel in his victory, Rang came down from the adrenaline high. It had been a while and he had forgotten how alive one felt in the midst of a fight.
This wasn’t particularly challenging except for its speed and size. It seemed to have a one track mind, which made it easier to predict the longer they fought. He just wasn’t expecting a full on brawl after a bender. Fortunately, it was easier to manipulate than expected and luring it over the edge was practically child’s play.
The sharp pain in his shoulder when he turned reminded him that he took a few licks himself. Nothing too major, but he could feel his clothes sticking to the skin around the puncture the creature made. Just a few days rest was all. Gingerly, he moved back to the door and slowly made his way down the flights of stairs to find his brother.
Rang was happy to find him exactly where he left him. Crouching down, he nudged the man. Stirring, the red head blinked over at him. “So did you get him?”
Handing back the sword, Rang snarked, “Was there ever any doubt?” At Yeon’s raised eyebrow, the half breed clicked his tongue, adding, “Don’t worry, your reputation is safe. If you don’t believe me we can walk past its corpse on the way to the car.”
Wagging his eyebrows at his kid brother, the red head held out a hand saying, “Let’s go home then.”
“That’s the first sensible thing you’ve said all night.” Rang clasped his hand and pulled the taller man up. Yeon groaned as he got to his feet. Positioning himself to support the older man, the half fox began their long trek out. Carefully, he guided them down the stairwell and out the door he entered. His car was exactly where he left it and headed for it.
By now the sky was brightening up, dawn would soon break. Before his brother could say anything, he said, “Shin-ju can get your car later.” Then he opened the door for his brother to climb in.
Hesitating a moment, Yeon glanced at the younger man, “Shin-ju?”
“Yeah, I’m dropping you at the vet’s so he can patch you up. You can have him retrieve your car. I’m sure he’ll be happy to do it. Now get in. I’m tired and I want to go to bed.”
Smirking, the red head pulled himself in with a grunt. Rang shut the door and got in the driver’s seat. Traffic was light as it was still very early. Rang had been focused on the road and didn’t notice the other man’s quiet contemplation. Or the eyes that seemed to drift his way too often.
When the car softly revved through an intersection after the light had turned green, Yeon cleared his throat lightly, “You are not an abomination. And you have every right to live.” Those words the creature spoke had made his heart sting at the thought of not having his brother in his life. He could only imagine what Rang had felt when he heard them.
However, the half breed’s initial reaction was, “Wait, how did you…. Aish!” He should have realized the moment he caught a whiff of Yeon’s scent in the stairwell from the roof’s access point that it wasn’t just his mind playing tricks on him. “You didn’t need me on this mission, did you? It was pretty easy to take it out. You could have taken him after a few minutes rest.” Rang slammed the steering wheel feeling like he had been tricked.
“You’re wrong. I did need you. It had gotten me worse than I thought and I lost a lot of blood. I wasn’t sure how quickly I would recover and I couldn’t lose it again. I was telling you the truth that it had taken me a few weeks to track it down.”
“That doesn’t change the fact you could have taken him down without my help eventually.”
“Maybe I didn’t want to. Maybe I just wanted my dongsaeng by my side.”
“Why? It’s not like I did anything you couldn’t do yourself.”
“True.”
“Then why? Why wake me in the middle of the night and drag me out to nowhere to finish your job?”
“Because,” Yeon decided to speak from the heart this time, “ever since you got back, I feel like you’ve been drifting. Like we don’t need you in our lives and you have withdrawn to give us the space you think we want.” Rang’s angry expression softened as he swallowed hard. Yeon had guessed correctly. Pushing forward, he continued, “The fact is, we wouldn’t have gone through so much trouble getting you back, just so you could distance yourself from us. We wanted you back because we need you. This world is a little darker without you in it. So don’t listen to what that thing said back there. Because I will be forever grateful that you were born and came into my life, my dongsaeng.”
By now, Rang had pulled off and stopped along the side of the road. The emotions tightening his chest and making his eyes sting made it difficult to drive. He wanted to fight back, deny, anything to keep up the façade. Because self inflicted loneliness is better than being forgotten. By pushing them away, he was in control, but if he kept trying to be a part of their lives and they didn’t want him there, he would be left with nothing. And he couldn’t handle being alone again for hundreds of years, regardless if it had been imposed by the traitor.
“You have Jiah. Yuri has Shin-ju. No one needs me.”
“Of course we do. True we don’t need you for any specific purpose. That’s not what family is. A family needs each other simply because we are family. Not because of what you can do for us.” Yeon reached over and placed a hand on the younger’s shoulder. “You have been oppressed for too long. You were never given the opportunity to live your own life, to see what you can achieve, to share all the amazing things that make you you. But your back now, you’ve been given a second chance. And I for one look forward to seeing what you do with it. Because I know, with the chains that have been tying you down gone, you will do great things.”
“Aish,” Rang muttered, half heartedly shrugging off the hand and looking out the side window to hide his tears. “You don’t have to get all cringey on me. What do you think this is? Some kind of crappy drama?”
Chuckling, the red head slapped the man’s arm, “If it was it would be called, ‘Tale of the Gumiho Brothers.’”
Spinning around, Rang whined, “That’s what I told your woman to call her film. She ignored me.” He pouted.
“That’s a good title, I will make her change it.” Yeon agreed. All teasing aside, the older man reiterated, “Our story has been entwined for a long time, but there’s a lot still unwritten. This is a new chapter, a fresh start. Go write your own story now. Go find your own purpose. Just know you have a lot of supporting characters behind you. So if you need help or just want some company, we are here for you. You don’t have to do this alone.”
Wiping his face quickly with his sleeve, Rang put the car back in drive. “Ai, you can’t even take out a xiezhi on your own, what makes you think I need your help?” The younger mocked.
Yeon laughed and fell back in his set feeling better already. “Well, if you hadn’t taken so long, I wouldn’t have bothered coming up to check on you.”
“Since you bothered to come up, you could have helped finish him faster instead of scurrying away.”
“I knew you had it under control and I was hurting quite a lot. I had a huge hole in my side!”
“Don’t be such a baby. It’s only a flesh wound. It will probably be gone by tomorrow.”
“Did I mention the blood loss?”
“You played it up to gain my sympathy. But I’m on to you now and I won’t get fooled again.” Their banter continued for the rest of their drive. When they got to Shin-ju’s place, Rang pulled up to the entrance, got out and helped his brother down. “Think you can make it up on your own?”
“You’re leaving?”
“I’m tired. I would like to get a few hours sleep in.” The dark circles under his eyes only supported his claim.
“Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Nothing a few days rest can’t cure. Now go on. I’ll check in on you later.”
“Fine. Thanks for helping me out tonight. You know if you are looking for work I can talk to Gr-”
“Don’t even think it! I won’t ever work for that old hag.”
Smirking the gumiho pulled the younger fox in for a hug. Glad to see some of his old fire back. At first Rang resisted, but quickly melted into the embrace. Content, Yeon gave a quick squeeze. A soft whisper followed, “Thanks, hyung.” And then the half breed was gone. Lingering for a moment, the older man sighed before turning to head inside. Despite Rang’s protests, Yeon thought having a partner wouldn’t be such a bad idea. For now, he would let Shin-ju baby him back to health and recruit his baby brother later.