The Snake, the Bird, & the Fox

Song had waited long enough; how could his people be so incompetent. Why couldn't anyone follow a simple order? Xiao doesn't even know the terrain. How was it they were having such a hard time finding her? Even Tae, his Commander, and best tracker had failed.

A squirrel spirit rushed in its tail catching between its legs, causing it to tumble and roll before Song's feet, "Your Majesty! Oh, your Majesty." The squirrel beamed with excitement; he would surely get a nice reward. "Her ladyship has returned," changing into his human form, the squirrel added, "she brought back a snake."

Song was about to head to Xiao's palace when the squirrel added that last part. Song felt bile rise from the pit of his stomach. Did he, too, come to this world? No, perhaps it was just an ordinary snake. Song rushed over to Xiao's peace and found a peculiar-looking child.

Coatl looked at Song as if he were the Master of his domain and Song a bug beneath his feet.

"Where is your Master?" Song commanded.

The child looked at the Fox King but did not respond. What an admirable being, Coatl thought if he could grow up as strong as the man before him, perhaps he would be worthy of calling the Pretty Immortal Mother.

"I have decided to raise him as my own," Xiao fluttered in landing between Coatl and Song.

Song looked at the boy; it seemed he had worried for nothing but still, why take him in all of a sudden.

"Xiao...

Xiao placed a finger atop Song's lips silencing his protest. "You already took him from me once; I will not allow you to do it again."

This time Song truly looked at the child. It seemed he had missed it the first time he looked at him; this was the life Song owed Xiao.

In their first life, Song had allowed Xiao to believe he murdered her child out of hatred and jealousy. But the truth was another. That child Meztli had carried in her womb was an abomination created by the gods.

The child was neither Ehecatl's nor Matlal's but that of one of the gods of mischief who, while disguised as Ehecatl, took advantage of Meztli. A child born between a god and a spirit would only bring destruction to the world; that was what had been prophesized.

To save the world and Meztli, Matlal had done the only thing he could. The little serpent in Meztli's belly had to die. Now that child stood before Song, a snake spirit once more blessed by the Nether.

In this life, Song would not disappoint Xiao. If raising the little serpent was the only way to gain redemption, he would take it.

Taking Xiao's hand into his own, Song proclaimed, "I will not harm him." In this life, he would let the child live, and he would let it call him father. If the gods dared challenge them, Song believed himself strong enough to defy them.

Xiao did not taste a lie in Song's declaration; perhaps she could attempt to give Song one last chance. Unlike Caihong, there was no malice radiating from Song towards Coatl, so she decided to let them become acquainted.

"Coatl," Xiao extended her hand towards the child, "this is the Fox King."

Taking Song's hand, Xiao placed Coatl's small one into his big one, "Song, this is Coatl."

While Song and Coatl became acquainted, Xiao headed to where she'd looked Caihong away. That Xiao regarded Caihong as a sister did not mean she would overlook the harm Caihong attempted to bring upon her child.

Caihong trembled in the cold water; why would her Mistress bring such a predator into their home. The coldness of the water seeped into her bones. Her Mistress had trapped her in her bird form, making it difficult for her to withstand the harsh environment.

"Have you regretted what you did yet?" Her Mistress's voice echoed through the water chamber. The darkness made it difficult for Caihong to see.

Floundering in the water, Caihong tried and failed to get up. The water was starting to get into her lungs when Xiao lifted the block, she'd placed on Caihong, allowing her to change forms.

Caihong stuttered, "Mm-iiiissss-ttt-rrre-ss," grasping for breath; she asked, "why would you bring that snake home?"

Xiao jumped into the well, brushing her skirt to the side; she squatted down and took Caihong's face into her hand. "After all that you have done, how dare you question me? Have you forgotten why I lost my child?"

Caihong pleaded, "Mistress, I was only trying to help." Why did she beg when this was what she wanted all along? In each life, Caihong had implored her Mistress for sweet release, but she conceded not once. So why was Caihong pleading now?

Perhaps it was that when faced with the end, we realize how insignificant we are.

"I did not save you then to end you now," Xiao let go of Caihong's face and brushed droplets of water off her skirt, "if you try and harm him, I'll grant you a fate worse than death."

When Xiao returned to her palace, she found no trace of Coatl or Song. Where had they gone?

"Lady Xiao," a squirrel spirit ran up to Xiao, "his Majesty waits in his throne room for you."

Xiao headed towards the palace, and as she neared, she found a long line of spirits and mortals waiting for an audience with the King.

"This way, Lady Xiao," the squirrel guided her past the crowd and through the double doors.

Coatl set next to Song as a gray-tailed goose gave some speech about longevity and loving the King. Song looked unamused while Coatl looked perplexed. What in the world was going on?

The squirrel swaggered in, ignoring the nasty looks he got from the other spirits, "Your Majesty." The squirrel interrupted the gray-tailed goose with a tinge of bravado, "Lady Xiao, as you requested."

The gray-tailed goose could have lived had he not dared look at Xiao with such disdain. With a flick of his hand Song sent the goose flying out the door and smashing into a pillar.

Song stood from his throne and walked towards Xiao, "I've decided Coatl will need a tutor or two if he will one day succeed me."

After some discussion Song had found the boy was quite ambitious. If all went well and Xiao didn't kill him, perhaps they could live as a family.