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You ran to find cover. The forest felt denser than usual, preventing you from seeing any type of exit or escape even though it was still bright daytime. You continued to run, as fast as your exhausted legs would take you, your tired limbs were soon to fail as you continued to over exert yourself.
After half an hour of more running through the forest, the rain continued to drench your already wet clothes. You took a break to stop by a damp tree, placing a banged up and scraped hand onto the uncomfortable bark. You panted and wheezed, calming your racing nerves to regain your needed energy.
You turned your head to the side scanning the surroundings and took notice of a bright orange blur. Stabilising your head you realised that the unrecognisable blob of colour was actually just a simple, albeit a bit small, orange and white fox. The ones where you'd usually see in a book, with the common designs and the simple contrast of the two colours, white on the belly, orange on the top, and tiny but noticeable bits of black littered around their paws and tips of their ears.
you stared at the tiny and adorable being, for a second forgetting about your predicament of being lost in a woods with no sight of escape. The ball of fluff did not seem to fear the woman as it took a tiny step closer, its fluffy tail trailing behind, curling around its paws once its tiny cute trots came to a halt. It nuzzled its fluffy cheeks against you 's legs, beckoning you to lean down and pet it with its remarkable cuteness. you ultimately gives in and kneels down to the foxes level to provide it with a few good pats. Soft soothing rumbles, akin to purring, escaped the fox conveying its relaxed and comfortable mood. It clearly enjoyed the pets.
Once the short petting session was over, the fox whined from the loss of sensation for a second before taking a few steps away from you . You felt confused, stood up from the ground and followed the fox. The fox seemed to approve of your act and repeated its action, once again stepping further away from you in a few tiny trots beckoning you to follow. Soon Enough you were following the fox, trailing behind the tiny critter, allowing it to lead you to whoever was its destination.
After a full twenty minutes of walking, you noticed your surrounding warping and changing into something you weren't familiar with. You took notice of how the forest’s atmosphere seemed to have changed entirely, feeling a sense of awe at the sight.
The trees instead of being withered and crippled, were now standing strong and elegant, its unhealthy leaves now turned into a beautiful healthy and luscious green foliage looking much happier than the forest you had previously been lost in. The ground was now lacking mud and seemed to have formed a solid clean path forward, no signs of stray twigs or unsuspecting stones to trip on. you thought that there was no chance that this was the same forest, right?
Looking down at yourself, you noticed that your clothing seemed to have miraculously changed. Your drenched formal office clothing has disappeared, but in its place was an extravagant traditional wedding attire. It was gorgeous.
The attire was beautiful and clearly very expensive looking, but it didn't deter you from the fact that this outfit magically just appeared on, and why on earth were your lanterns hung on the trees. Your mind spun with confusion the more you followed the fox… wait… who is the fox?
The fox that was previously following has left. You felt hopeless now, your only guide and companion through this forest has seemingly disappeared and vanished. The rain was still pouring endlessly with no stop in sight, but miraculously, you as well as your outfit was in perfect dry condition. All these supernatural occurrences began to creep you out, but then you took notice of the bright lanterns, the glowing paper ornaments seemed to lead you to a specific destination, so onwards you went, following the lanterns deeper into the path carved from them.
“It seems like the bride has finally arrived!”
came a smooth mid ranged voice. Its speaker seemingly spoke in both a playful and tender tone, its warmth managing to reach out to you and touch you heart.The sound of another person talking calmed you nerves, but from its context, it respiked you anxiety. Bride? Were you the bride? No this cannot be right…
More thoughts surrounded this mysterious person. you has no idea who he is from the voice, and with the view, you are unable to identify this stranger. You were about to question him, but before you could, he spoke.
“I can’t see you my dear, please come closer.”
That did not answer any of your questions. Why did he call you a term of endearment? You did not recall anyone who used the term “My dear”. Who on earth is this mysterious fellow?
”Who are you?”
you warily spoke, you attempted to sound more threatening to hide the unease that encased you. Not long after, the mysterious figure responded.
“So cold but so beautifully captivating at the same time, how cute.”
Silence
”If you come closer, you can see for yourself.”
The charm embedded within his voice did not waver one bit, but sensing your hesitation, he added on.
“Don’t worry” he said in a more reassuring and kinder tone “I swear on my life that I would not let myself cause a single injury to your body and soul.”
This took you by surprise, but what the man said reassured you in a way. You trusted the man’s word and took a few confident steps closer to the source of the voice as your curiosity grew.
The wedding attire you were wearing stayed in pristine condition, not even a single smudge of dirt was able to stain the soft fabric. Although it was assaulted by constant rainfall, the sun still shone and your whole body was dry, it was as if you were under something or someone’s protection.
The rain and bright sun only added to the atmosphere as you walked. After a few steps that felt miles long, finally, you came close enough to properly view the figure… Fox ears?
There standing tall was a man dressed finely in a male version of wedding attire, its appearance similar to the outfit that youwas wearing but instead a male variant of it. A slight wave caught your eyes, bringing you attention to the wagging tail behind him. This extra limb flowed from base to tip with soft peach colored fur, being the same tint as the fur on fluffy ears. The tail reassembled the tail of a fox, with bushy and thick fur, dragging the fur into a slight upwards curl at the end of the appendage. The tail itself wasn’t long enough to brush against the ground, keeping it perfectly clean and smooth. The softness was evident from a distance.
From observation, it seemed as soft as a wool, leaving you to fantasise about how it would feel under your hands, the feeling of its soft strands as you thread your fingers through them. The silky sensation if you were to just bury your face into the bushy tail… No you had to focus, you had no clue who this mysterious man was, you had to be cautious.
Both the two of them stayed dry in the rain with the sun’s gentle caresses illuminating his surroundings. The nervous atmosphere loosened its tight grip on you as you feel your emotions and worries slowly fade. The gears clicked in your head, the pieces solving themselves in your now calming mind. Both of them in similar wedding attire, and looking around, the site around them is clear and distinct compared to the dense foliage of the forest.
“You haven’t answered my question yet,” you started “Who are you?”
“I suppose I should in fact introduce myself to my future partner.” spoke the kind faced man. His eyes were both closed, but not clenched tightly, instead relaxed and languished instead. Above his lashes was eyeliner colored in a deep red pigment, perfectly complimenting the sharp curve of his eyes. Below, his lips were arched in a fox-like smile. One would say this man appeared cunning, but the only thing you could think of was how ethereal this man looked.
“I am Jiaoqiu. And you are…”Finally the fox-eared man utters your name, the syllables sliding off his tongue with the smoothness of silk, and with a type of tenderness you had never even thought was possible.
“You know my name?” finally the fact that his man knew your name caught up to you, you instantly paused your ogling and stared blankly at him.
“Of course I do, I’ve been waiting for this moment nearly my whole life.” Jiaoqiu let out a light chuckle which eased the tense atmosphere around the two.
“Now don’t keep this old fox waiting my dear, come here…
Our wedding awaits.”