Chapter Text
Recently, the entire mountain was full of talk about the new tiger and his followers that had taken up residence in the mountain’s northern areas. They say that they’re a bunch of bullies that had quickly established a reputation for their strength and carved out a not insignificant area of territory for themselves. Those who opposed them were swiftly taken out. The leader of their group, the tiger known as Ashina Sun was especially fierce and renowned for showing no mercy in battle and giving no quarter and–
“Are you even paying attention?” Mimi puffed out her cheeks in annoyance (though, really, Changge would call that expression a pout), while her ears (covered in red fur and shaped like a leaf, the distinctive shape deer ears took) stood straight up.
Changge sighed and looked up from the scroll in her hands. She wanted to say, “honestly, I don’t really care.” but she was sure those were the words of someone just asking to be rebuked and she certainly wasn’t that sort of idiot.
So what she said was, “They live very far from us, right?” She didn’t really wait for an answer (because she already knew it). “At the moment, they should not be our primary concern as they do not pose a threat to us. In order to consolidate their power, they will have to manage the territories they now own.” She smiled (the smile that Mimi called her, ‘untrustworthy salesman smile’), “For the time being, I cannot foresee them coming any closer. Besides,” She looked back at her scroll, “there is nothing in our territories they could want. As they say, the river water will not bother the well water. I feel like rather than coming into conflict with them it is more likely we will continue to exist separately.
~ + ~
But, of course, no matter how carefully Changge observes the situation, no matter how carefully she predicts her opponent’s next move on the game board there will always exist the sort of idiot that doesn’t move according to logic or common sense.
Which was how Changge found herself being called into one of the establishments (a restaurant selling adorable sweets that Mimi was especially fond of) to deal with an incident.
She smiled as she stepped in and walked over to where Ashina Sun was sitting, his long, striped tail swinging lazily. “May I ask the customer what appears to be the problem?”
There was a time and place for fighting, either with words or with fists. But it was better to solve this particular problem without coming to blows. But her plans were put at risk, at the same time Ashina Sun the New Tiger On the Mountain said, “the service is terrible.” Ah Dou (a porcupine that had followed her despite her best efforts to leave him), stood out from the crowd of cowering workers, the spines hidden amongst his hair standing up in a threat shouted, “this guy just walked into here making all sorts of demands, master! He’s clearly making a mockery of us!”
She reached out without removing her eyes from Ashina Sun to take his ear between her fingers and pulled it, silently demanding he be silent.
“That is quite enough.” She was still smiling, but the nature of the smile had changed and Ah Dou frowned at her. When his spines had lowered again, she let go and patted him on the head, just once, before stepping forward again.
Changge had a hundred ways to deal with this and she could have used anyone of them, but then Ashina Sun opened his (stupid) mouth again and said, “this is your reinforcement? What do you expect a little fox,” He spat the word and everyone could see the sharp canines he had as he leaned against his hand in a show of boredom, “to do against me?”
Pride was a trap. It was difference from confidence though many mistook one for the other. To be too prideful, one of her teachers had taught her, was not a boon, but a burden.
And yet, the fur on her tail bristled and she grit her teeth briefly, before it smoothed back into her usual smile. “Oh? You do not know? Why, dear customer,” She said those words so very sweetly (because what better way to disguise poison?), “let me explain something to you–”
~ + ~
At the end of the day, the entire mountain was a flutter with the news and rumours circling about how the a fox had been leading a tiger all around the place.
~ + ~
Mujin’s ears and tail drooped as he placed a hand over his face. The wolf sighed.
Sun let his tail flick from side to side sullenly. “If you have something to say, then say it.”
“No, it is nothing.” Mujin said and dragged his hand down his face with another sigh, “I just can’t believe you fell for something like that.”
Looking away with a hmph, Sun didn’t bother to explain how things had gotten to that point. It was a simple ploy, but the fox had (with a tilt of her head and a guileless smile), managed to push in all the right ways that left him equal parts disbelieving and frustrated.
But they had known each other for years. Mujin could read him as easily as if the things he didn’t say were like the bottom of a clear pond. “Well, what are you going to do?”
That was the question, now wasn’t it? Ashina Sun tossed back a cup of wine and wiped his mouth with his sleeve and remembered how the fox had smiled at him, full of self-satisfied victory (that made her eyes shine with mischief that did not disappoint with the reputation of foxes as cunning and wily) even as she bowed to him and murmured how she hoped they could co-exist peacefully.
“We’ll go pay them a visit.”
~ + ~
Changge’s morning had begun so peacefully. The sun was bright and it was cool beneath the tree where she was sitting with new reading material about the latest agricultural innovations. When it was interrupted by a shout of:
“Li Changge!”
…followed by a harassed sounding:
“Sir, you cannot go in there–!”
…she could only sigh. She considered, briefly, climbing the wall around her estates and escaping. Not out of any real fear but because she knew the voice calling her name and she didn’t have the patience to deal with a headache such as Ashina Sun.
It truly was brief, however, existing only in the time it took a leaf to fall from the tree into the nearby pond.
She rolled up her scroll, accepting the fact that even if she could run today, she couldn’t run her entire life.
“Should I deal with him?” Shiba said, her ears, like Ashina Sun’s were small and round, perched on top of her head. But they were not orange, but grey, spotted not striped and Changge thought the clouded leopard’s markings were much less garish than Ashina Sun’s.
Changge stood up and brushed herself down. “There is no need for that: I will handle it.” She said as the voices got closer. She tucked the scroll carefully in her arms as she walked away from the pavillion towards the stone bridge that connected this spot to the rest of the gardens. Shiba followed at her heels, her hand resting on the pommel of her sword, her tail barely even twitching.
“I did not expect to see you so soon, Ashina Sun.” The words were sweet, innocuous and his name rolled off her tongue like a respectful address (but her expression was as pretty as a dolls and there was no seeing through it). Changge waved away the servants who had been clustered around him, as if trying to bar his entry. They retreated, with quick, fretful steps even as their rabbit ears were turned in their direction, as if they wanted to keep listening.
“I owe you a visit after yesterday.” He stepped towards her like he was stalking prey and his tail swished from side to side.
“Shiba.” Changge said without a single change in her expression because she recognised the unmistakable sound of a sword being drawn. She did not say, stand down, but that is what Shiba did.
But Ashina Sun only snorted and crossed his arms. “I gave my word yesterday, didn’t I? If you can show me proof of what you claimed I would not touch you or anyone in your territories…and I never go back on my word. The fact that I was tricked was evidence of my own shortcomings.”
If Changge were honest (which she wasn’t), she’d admit that she hadn’t expected that. Or for him to actually mean it (because despite how sullen he looked about admitting it, he was being sincere and that didn’t make any sense). So she was at a loss for words for a second before she collected her wits and said, “So then what are you doing here?”
Her words might have been sharper than she’d have wanted (because she did not like being surprised like this), but her fur on her tail and ears did not stand on end and she did not bare her fangs.
Ashina Sun just crossed his arms and he did not smirk, exactly, but there was a stupid arrogance in the tilt of his chin and sincere respect in the glint of his eyes.
Much later, Changge know this was the beginning of something. That if she had wanted to guard her heart against this stupid cat, that she should have thrown him out and barred the door behind him.
But by the time she realized it, she was already smiling at the letters he sent her when he couldn’t come himself, when she was sure no one would see and there was no door or gate or lock that could keep him from coming for her (and nothing that could stop her from letting him in).
For now, however, without the clarity of retrospect, she listened with her head cocked as he offered, but didn’t ask, to form an alliance and she made mental calculations, weighing the dangers at their borders, the need for peace and against allying themselves with a newcomer who had no doubt already made enemies of his own.
Changge swept an arm out with a smile meant to dazzle, “let us speak of this inside.”
As they walked, the wind blew and there was a shower of flower petals as they left the gardens.