The Nine-tailed Fox rises high above the clouds

Wan Mi flinches and hides behind Lan Tian until only her eyes peek out. "I was taken by...uhm, human hunters."

The woman's red eyes light up with blazing fury. "What? And how did you fall into their hands, it certainly wasn't in Kunlun."

The woman walks towards Wan Mi and grabs her by the back of the robes like a disobedient kitten. "You're coming with me right this instant."

Her wings appear again, protruding out of her back. Each of them two times her height, trailing to the floor like a cape of shimmering red. She seems poised to take flight and carry Wan Mi with her, which is when Wu Yun says.

"What about us?"

The woman looks at them as if she's seeing them for the first time. Her eyes narrow. "You're a nine-tailed fox, and he's a dragon, but you're not from the Kunlun mountain clan, therefore, none of my concern."

"Wait, Master, they were the ones who saved me," Wan Mi says, kicking her feet back and forth from where her master holds her suspended above ground.

She turns to them, and nods, almost imperceptibly. "Thanks for rescuing Wan Mi."

"We were actually hoping you could help us. We can't return to our beast forms, and we're stuck as regular mortals," Lan Tian says.

Wan Mi's master lets out a sigh and glares down at Wan Mi, who she is still holding aloft. "You may come, we'll see what we can do."

She flaps her wings and the air current their movement generates is so strong that Wu Yun is pushed back a few paces. She gains altitude and takes flight, soaring up towards the clouds with Wan Mi dangling from her hand like a sack of rice.

Wu Yun would laugh at the sight if it didn't mean he would have to climb an unending amount of stairs, with no flight assistance.

He notices Bai Xiaoli is still standing there, looking enraptured up at the clouds.

"Weren't you leaving?"

"I've never been to Kunlun, maybe I should take a look around," she says, her tone casual.

"What about your piles of work?" Lan Tian asks, he exchanges a knowing smirk with Wu Yun, who only shrugs in confusion.

He has no idea why Bai Xiaoli isn't leaving, other than the fact that she likes to stick her nose in other people's business and is inconvenient at all times.

Wu Yun looks up at the stairway like a man faced with the noose. He sighs and walks towards them with dragging steps. "The only way forward is up. If I don't make it, bury my body some place at ground level."

---

Wu Yun does make it, but it's a close call. He climbs the last few steps on his hands and knees. When he finally reaches solid ground he falls face first into the lush grass with a grateful moan.

"When we need to get down I'll just throw myself over the edge," he says from his supine position on the ground. He surprised to see that despite the clouds below there are also clouds above, dotting the blue sky like cotton fluff floating on a calm river.

Lan Tian ascends the last step with much more dignity, but his entire face is flushed red. "I never want to go through that again."

Bai Xiaoli climbs up after him, looking for all intents and purposes like she went for a short stroll.

"The effort or the view?" she asks Lan Tian, meaning the sight of Wu Yun on all fours.

Lan Tian doesn't answer, and looks resolutely ahead, at the rolling hills suspend in midair, and the large stone buildings in the distance, their shining yellow curved roofs glimmering like gold under the autumn sun.

"It's even more beautiful than I imagined" Bai Xiaoli says, transfixed by the sight of the tall Wutong trees, their branches growing skyward in supplication and their open copses shading the ground like an oiled-paper umbrella.

The Wutong trees lead them towards a central building, with red walls and pillars. Behind it a large waterfall falls from a steep cliff into the open sky beneath.

They follow the path under the shade of the Wutong trees. Wu Yun hears the melodic cry of several birds, and when he looks up he sees the tall branches are alive with dozens of vermilion birds, fiery read throughout their bodies, and phoenixes, with their large multicolored tail feathers, and long necks. They all peer down curiously at them.

When they reach the red building, the carved gates swing open at their presence.

Inside, Wan Mi's master is walking in circles, while Wan Mi kneels on the wood floor with her hands demurely folded over her knees.

"Not only did you leave the mountains, but you also flew far enough away from the protected territory, that you got lost and grew so weak that you allowed humans to catch you," she says, listing all of Wan Mi's transgressions and making her flinch with each one.

"Wan Mi apologizes to Master for her behaviour," Wan Mi says, her eyes glued to her folded hands.

She's about to launch into another tirade when she hears the sound of their approaching steps.

"Heavenly Venerable, your presence flatters us," she says, addressing Bai Xiaoli and sounding anything but. "I'm Lu Jiao, and I welcome you to the Kunlun mountains."

Bai Xiaoli is quick to bow, almost tripping in her haste. "Thank you, uhm, Exalted Lady, uhm, Madam of the Mountain, that is... the honor is mine."

Wu Yun watches the spectacle Bai Xiaoli is making of herself with an amused smile. It's great to know she is as proficient at making a fool of herself, as she is of making others.

"There's no need for titles among our Kunlun mountain clan, the only ranks we observe are those of master and disciple. You are no longer in the Heavens," Lu Jiao says with a dismissive flick of her thin wrist. "If you want to call me anything, you may call me by my name, or by Elder Phoenix of the Kunlun mountains."

"Then Jiao-jie is free to call me Bai Xiaoli, or just Xiaoli, if she prefers."

Lu Jiao shoots Bai Xiaoli a glare. "When I said there were no titles among us, it wasn't an invitation for the Heavenly Venerable to behave with needless familiarity."

Bai Xiaoli lowers her eyes, looking cowed. "I understand, I didn't mean to disrespect the Kunlun mountain clan's hospitality."

"I have found that gods seldom do anything else." Lu Jiao turns from Bai Xiaoli, and faces Wu Yun and Lan Tian, her curtain of feathered hair moving behind her like a cloak. "Wan Mi has told me about your efforts to release her from captivity, I thank you both for your assistance, and will do what I can to help you regain full control of your powers and return to your original clan."

"Uhm, thank you, but I don't think we have one," Wu Yun says, exchanging a look with Lan Tian.

He tells Lu Jiao the tale of their transformation into humans, and watches as her eyebrows climb further up into her forehead, almost meeting her widow's peak.

"That's most unusual, all mystic beasts are born into a clan. We come fully formed into existence as hatchlings or cubs from dewdrops, ash, snowflakes, or seeds in the realms of our clans. For beasts to gain sentience out in the human world as adults is unheard of."

Wu Yun is still trying to grapple with how something can be born out of a dewdrop to fully process Lu Jiao's words.

"Then how do you think we were born?" Lan Tian asks.

"I would also like to know that. Master Cang might know more, but he's away now, he should return tomorrow, I'll take you to him then." Lu Jiao pins them both with a level look, but her fiery eyes don't reveal anything of her inner thoughts.

"Well, I've delivered the three of you, so I'll be taking my leave now," Bai Xiaoli says, fiddling with the hem of her long sleeve.

"I wouldn't want the Heavenly Venerable to return to the Heavens with tales of how our hospitality was lacking, please join us for a meal, it should be served shortly." Lu Jiao says.

Her tone brooks no room for argument, and Bai Xiaoli nods her assent, still flustered.

"Wan Mi, show our guests to accommodations so they might freshen themselves, and change into more appropriate clothing."

Wan Mi's head snaps up at Lu Jiao's command and she gets up to her feet.

"Would you prefer quarters with your own kind or to remain with each other?" Lu Jiao asks, addressing Wu Yun and Lan Tian.

Wu Yun doesn't need to think hard about that. He doesn't know anyone here, and as curious as he is to meet other nine-tailed foxes, Lan Tian is the only constant in his life, he wouldn't know what to do in a strange place without him.

"Together. We want rooms together," Wu Yun says, rushing out the words before Lan Tian has the chance to contradict him.

After his experience in the secret dimension Lan Tian thinks some time away from Wu Yun might help him regain his composure, but he can't help the small private smile that crosses his lips at the readiness of Wu Yun's answer.

"If that's what your wish. Wan Mi, take them to one of the rooms beneath the waterfall, they'll have access to the pool, I'm sure that brother Dragon misses the running waters."

Lu Jiao turns to Bai Xiaoli then, "The Heavenly Venerable can remain here, there's something I wish to discuss."

Bai Xiaoli doesn't know whether to be flattered or worried, she settles for intimidated, which she suspects is what Lu Jiao was going for.

Wan Mi leads Lan Tian and Wu Yun through a large paneled door, leading to a courtyard behind the red building, that she tells them is called the Phoenix's Perch. The courtyard has yet more wutong trees, and a small lake filled with swimming colorful carps.

Wu Yun leans over the bridge's railing to admire the carps colorful scales, like a painting in motion, when one of them breaks the surface and stares him in the eye.

"What are you looking at?" the carp asks, and dives back into the lake flicking water at Wu Yun's face with its tail.

"Now I know where you got your manners," he tells Wan Mi, wiping his face with his sleeve.

She snickers at him and continues lead them through the courtyard, explaining points of interest as she goes.

"That's the Dragon's Roost," she says pointing at the building seemingly carved into the cliff-face from where the waterfall springs. "You're going to be staying there."

As they approach it, the noise of the waterfall becomes deafening, they surround the pool where the water gathers before spilling down the edge of the suspended plateau where they stand.

Wan Mi leads them behind the waterfall through a stone path over the water, and into a complex of rooms carved into the stone. They don't enter the Dragon's Roost proper, but another path trough an archway seems to lead into the main building.

There are two levels to the room. They enter from above, leading to a chamber with a circular bed of silken sheets and a hanging net. A short flight of stairs leads to the second level with two pools separated by a natural granite rim. Both pools have an unimpeded view towards the blue horizon, and the edge of the plateau.

"All yours, I'll call when it's time to eat," Wan Mi says, gesturing towards the sparse room. She closes the door on her way out.

Wu Yun starts taking off his clothes as soon as she's gone.

"Are you coming?" he asks Lan Tian slipping the robe off his shoulders.

He hears the loud click of Lan Tian's dry swallow, and his hoarse voice as he says, "Yes."

------

A.N.: Bai Xiaoli called Lu Jiao "Jiao-jie" which means older sister Jiao, it's a very informal way of address, since they literally just met, and even more so because she uses Lu Jiao's first name. It would have been slightly less informal is she called her Lu-jie, but Lu Jiao still wouldn't like it. Another thing, names with only two characters "Lu Jiao", "Wu Yun", "Lan Tian", can only be referred to in full. Wu Yun, would never be called just Yun, or Lan Tian just Tian, unless it's followed or preceded by a modifying particle of endearment like "A" or "er". Bai Xiaoli's first name has two characters so it's okay to call her just Xiaoli. Sorry for the long ass author's note, I'll shut up now.