7. Shelter... And The Boy With The Rabbit

The four boys made their way down a mountain path as night fell over them. They've been out for a few hours and Yanjun was already complaining about being tired. Everett sighed and turned to look at him with a sharp glare. "Will you shut up?!" Everett exploded. "We haven't gone far at all. It's not even that late. You don't need to sleep right now!"

"Oh, right," Yanjun said, deciding not to test Everett anymore. No one liked testing Everett when he was angry. Everett huffed and pushed a strand of his long hair behind his ear before glancing around at everyone.

"We'll take a break," Everett finally decided. The three nodded their heads, each giving him a soft bow of gratitude. Everett then turned away and started to walk towards the sound of flowing water. He figured sitting by the river would give him some peace and quiet.

He stopped, however, when he noticed a male in a bright yellow sweater with a green beret next to a long. He was kneeling down next to a rabbit, running his fingers through it's fur. Everett frowned in confusion, never seeing this behavior from a rabbit. Somehow it was okay with a human touching it. Could it have been a pet?

"Don't worry, sir," he heard the male say. "You'll be able to stay in my cabin during the storm." Everett frowned at his words, tilting his head in curiosity. After a couple moments of silence, he heard the male laugh. "No, I promise. I don't have anyone dangerous staying with me."

"He's an animal whisperer," a voice said from next to Everett, causing Everett to spin around and find yet another male standing next to him. "Hi, sorry to startle you! I'm Jay. That's Dongwu."

"I didn't ask," Everett said softly, causing the other male to laugh and shake his head.

"But you were curious, right?" Jay asked, grinning at him. "I saw you with your friends. There's a storm coming. Why don't you guys come take shelter at our cabin for the night. I don't want you to get stuck in the bad weather."

"I don't know you," Everett said,skeptically, as Dongwu walked over to them with the rabbit in his arms.

"Didi, I think we should stay," Yanjun said, walking over as well. Everett turned, not having expected him to follow him. "None of us, not even you, want to get stuck in the rain. And how do you expect us to— complete our task in a storm?"

Everett sighed and looked at the pair in front of them. He bit his lip, knowing that Yanjun was right. He hated admitting it, but it was true. It was going to be a lot harder to focus on the mission in the storm. And he actually cared about the other boys, so maybe finding safety was the best option. There wasn't going to be another place for miles, at least none Everett knew about. He didn't even know this place existed.

"You guys are cultivators," Dongwu stated, nodding at their swords. There was no question in his voice, or any sense of fear.

"We are," Yanjun said with a bright grin. He pointed at the rabbit in Dongwu's arms. "How'd you get the rabbit to let you hold him?"

"She wanted to be hugged," Dongwu said with an even brighter grin. "Come meet my other friends!"

He grabbed Yanjun's wrist, pulling him away towards his cabin. Everett frowned, moving as if to follow. He didn't want anything happening to the other boy. It was funny how much Everett actually wanted to protect the other three, when he was the youngest of the group. Some think it's because he's the strongest, but it was just because Everett hated seeing his friends get hurt.

"He's not going to get hurt," Jay said, putting his hand on his shoulder. Everett glanced at him, taking in his appearance. The boy had on a bright tie-dyed hoodie and a pair of jeans. It was quite the contrast to Everett's black cloak he was wearing.

"Who are you guys?" Everett asked, narrowing his eyes at him. The boy's soft features didn't change and he just smiled more at him.

"I'm a cultivator like you. I found Dongwu years ago. He was living with a pack of wolves, but starving cause he couldn't eat like them," Jay told him. "He was only 11. I was 13. I have been a traveling cultivator since I was young. I knew how to take care of myself. But he didn't. So I brought him in and we came to this cabin. We've been here ever since."

"So you always just bring in random strangers?" Everett asked.

"Only those who need help," Jay responded. He let go of Everett and made a small gesture to follow. "I don't want you guys being stranded."

Everett sighed and nodded his head. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Gavin and Leon wrestling together. "We're staying here till the storm passes!" he called over to them. They just waved their hands in dismissal, causing Everett to sigh and look back over at Jay. "How old are you now?"

"I'm 16," Jay told him, leading him to his home. "You?"

"14," Everett said, glancing around nervously.

"You're the same age as Dongwu," Jay said with a bright grin. He led him inside where birds of every species seemed to be flying around. Everett ducked in head when one went flying straight towards them. He looked around in shock, noticing many different woodland creatures just lounging on the couches and carpets.

"What–" Everett started, causing Jay to chuckle and shake his head.

"Just like how I take in my friends, Dongwu takes in his," Jay told him. "Like I said, Dongwu is an animal whisperer. He'll bring in injured animals and nurse them back to health. Some of them, however, love talking to him so much that they don't like leaving."

"We're sharing the house with wild animals?" Everett asked with raised eyebrows.

"You can' use my room. I usually share with Dongwu anyway," Jay told him, placing his hand on a racoon's head and scratching it behind the ear. Everett stepped back, almost as if he were afraid of the creature. Actually, Everett had a fair share of animals he was afraid of. "These friends know not to enter my room. You can have it to yourself if you want. Your friends can stay in our guest room. They might end up having some furry visitors during the night, though."

"I-" Everett said, glancing around and biting his lip nervously as a fox casually made it's way over to him. He took a few steps back, nodding his head a couple times in agreement.

"Amber!" a loud voice called in a warning tone. Everett actually jumped in fear at the loud voice, turning his head to see Dongwu walking out of the bedroom with a sharp look in his eyes. The fox cowered back and ran the other direction, causing Everett to let out a sigh of relief. He didn't realize he was shaking.

"Didi!" Yanjun cried, rushing past Dongwu and running over to Everett, putting his hands on his shoulders and looking into his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," Everett whispered softly, trying to calm his breathing he didn't realize had escalated.

"He's always been afraid of certain animals," Yanjun told them as he made sure Everett was okay before turning on the others.

"My friends here won't hurt you," Dongwu said with a soft smile. "Please, make yourself comfortable here. I'll make sure she stays away, though."

Everett nodded his head, scanning the room to take everything in. The walls had vines growing off them and there were potted plants and trees in every corner or on every surface. It gave off a woodland feel. Everett was sure he'd love it if it weren't for all the animals everywhere.

"How about I show you to my room," Jay said softly, stepping up and reaching for Everett's hand. "You should get settled in." Everett nodded his head and allowed him to take his hand, following him out of the room. Maybe some breathing space would be a good idea anyway.