22A/N: Hey there readers of mine! AncientHeartlessKai here…I'm so sorry for not updating for like 2 months! Writer's block suck by the way…but anyway, I'm back and here to bring the next chapter!
DW belongs to Koei.
Chapter 3 – The woman under the moonlight
"Can you see them Ling?"
"No Xiao Qiao, I'm sure they're almost here so please settle down. You're making me dizzy with your pacing." Xiao Qiao sighed but continued her pacing much to Ling's slight annoyance.
"Xiao Qiao." Xiao Qiao froze at her tone and quickly settled down beside Da Qiao, who was seated beside Ling.
"Sorry, I'm just worried." Da Qiao smiled.
"We understand that Xiao Qiao but I'm sure they're unharmed and are about to arrive here soon." Da Qiao assured. Xiao Qiao only nodded as Da Qiao turned to Ling.
"By the way, tonight is a full moon Ling." Da mentioned; Xiao's attention turned to Ling and her sister.
"That's right! What do you plan to do Ling?" Ling smiled.
"Well, I found a lake at the forest behind the castle. I plan on bathing, it has been a while."
"But we give you baths anyway Ling. And you can bathe in the castle, it's safer that way!" Xiao said.
"Yes but it's different. I want to be able to bath as a human once in a while and I can't bathe in the castle. What do you think will happen if someone sees me? They'll declare me an intruder and have me captured or worse."
"Oh…well, do want us to come with you?" Xiao Qiao asked. Ling shook her head.
"Better not, your husbands are back and it would make them suspicious if they find you gone at night. I can go alone." Both looked at her in worry making her chuckle.
"I can take care of myself. There's no need to worry, I'll be perfectly fine." She assured, the two nodded. All heard noises and looked up. Both the sisters lit up as Xiao Qiao stood.
"They're back! They're back, Ling!" Xiao Qiao cheered as she ran out, Da Qiao and Ling got up and followed.
"You can go ahead Da." Da Qiao blushed, shyly smiled as she nodded. She too ran after Xiao Qiao, eager to see her husband. Ling chuckled and followed suit in a much slower pace.
"Welcome back, everyone!" Xiao Qiao said happily, she perked up as Zhou Yu dismounted and immediately rushed to his side.
"Lord Zhou Yu! Welcome back!" Zhou Yu chuckled as he ruffled her hair affectionately. Da Qiao approached Sun Ce.
"I'm so glad to see you safe Lord Sun Ce, are you injured?" Sun Ce grinned.
"Missed you too Da, I'm fine!" he assured. Ling approached the group as attention turned to her. she bowed at them.
"Hello Ling!" Shang Xiang grinned as she bent and hugged the tiger, who nuzzled her head onto her shoulder making Shang Xiang laugh at the sensation before pulling away.
"Hello to you as well, Shang Xiang." Ling said back but only growls and purrs came out though Shang Xiang understood the gesture making her smile. Ling sniffed and her eyes narrowed, she walked around Shang Xiang and stared at Sun Ce, all blinked while Sun Ce couldn't help but feel unnerved at her stare.
"H-Hey Ling. What'cha lookin at?" Ling's eyes narrowed and she glanced at Da Qiao.
"Step aside for a moment Da Qiao." Da Qiao stepped away from Sun Ce much to their surprise and curiosity. Ling then began to slowly circle Sun Ce, who found himself standing straight, feeling like a cornered mouse. Then Ling stopped at Sun Ce's left side, looking at his waist.
"What is it Ling?" Da Qiao asked worried. Ling raised a paw, all except the sisters tensed; she placed her paw on his waist light and added a bit of pressure.
"OW!" Sun Ce yelped as he jumped back, holding his waist which was apparently injured.
"You can't hide an injury from me Sun Ce." Ling said, Da Qiao's eyes snapped at Sun Ce as she frowned.
"So you were injured! Were you going to hide this from me Lord Sun Ce?" Da Qiao exclaimed a bit angry. Sun Ce jumped.
"S-Sorry Da, I just didn't want you to worry. It's nothing serious though." He said looking guilty.
"You're bleeding." Spoke Xiao Qiao making them turn to her. Zhou Yu blinked.
"How do you know Xiao Qiao?" there wasn't any blood on Sun Ce's clothes as far as they could tell.
"Ling's a tiger, she can smell blood easily." Xiao Qiao said shrugging.
"I see."
"Is Lord Zhou Yu injured Ling?" Xiao Qiao asked as she moved back a bit. Ling circled Zhou Yu, who was much relaxed than Sun Ce. Ling turned to Xiao Qiao and raised her paw in a scratching motion.
"Just scratches?" Xiao asked and Ling nodded.
"Thank goodness." Once again the others though getting used to Ling's intelligence are still often surprised of how human she was. Ling did the same inspection with Sun Shang Xiang, Sun Quan and Sun Jian; they were all fine with only a few scratches here and there except for Sun Jian, who remained unscathed.
"This is certainly quite a welcome, to be inspected for injuries by a tiger." Sun Jian said giving a laugh. The others also couldn't help but chuckle as they continued on their way to the castle.
"Hey Da Qiao, Xiao Qiao." Shang Xiang started as all turned to her.
"What is it Shang Xiang?" Da asked.
"I've been hearing some rumors going on that you two went and defeated a group of bandits, is it true?" before either of the sisters could react.
"WHAT?!" came the exclamation of both Sun Ce and Zhou Yu. It made Ling winced at the loudness; she growled at two in annoyance, making them jump but recovered at remembering what they just heard from Shang Xiang.
"You two went on your own to kill a group of bandits?!" Sun Ce said wide eyed. The two sisters nodded.
"You weren't hurt badly were you? You're not hiding any injuries right?" Zhou Yu asked worriedly.
"No, we're fine Lord Zhou Yu. Ling was with us the whole time so we were unharmed." Xiao Qiao assured, she felt her fingers twitch at the remembrance of her first kill.
"Are you alright Xiao Qiao?" Zhou Yu asked worried, he had noticed how quiet Xiao Qiao had gotten.
"I'm fine Lord Zhou Yu it's just…it was…our first kill." She said quietly. All frowned, looking sadly at the sisters. Ling closed her eyes.
"You feelin' ok Da Qiao?" Sun Ce asked worriedly, placing his hand son her shoulder. Da Qiao smiled, happy for the concern her Lord Sun Ce was showing.
"Yes…I'm fine Lord Sun Ce. It was difficult but both Xiao Qiao and I got through it." Sun Ce sighed but nodded.
"Why didn't you bring any soldiers with you?" Sun Quan asked.
"That kinda defeats the purpose Lord Sun Quan, the soldiers will end up doing all the work." Xiao Qiao replied.
"But you brought Ling with you." Shang Xiang pointed out. The sisters nodded.
"Ling told us that we needed to do our first kill. Xiao Qiao and I only managed to kill two, one for each of us while Ling took care of the rest since we…couldn't continue for the moment at that time." Da said.
Silence.
"Ling put you up to this?!" Sun Ce exclaimed wide eyed as he and the others looked at the stern looking Ling.
"Yes, please don't be angry with her Lord Sun Ce. Ling is right, if we have our first kill in future battles and freeze up, it will get us killed. So we decided to do this…it had to be done." Da Qiao explained, Sun Ce relaxed and sighed.
"Geez…You know, it's still crazy that you follow a tiger that you somehow seem to understand." Sun Ce mused rubbing his forehead with his fingers.
"Crazy or not, Ling is quite intelligent for a tiger and she genuinely cares for the well-being of others. Ling is family now and we accept her no matter what." Sun Jian praised smiling at Ling, who simply bowed to momentarily hide her face; Ling didn't understand why she felt odd around Sun Jian. She's also glad that Tigers don't blush…at least she thought anyway, it would certainly be embarrassing.
"You are sure you're alright?" Zhou Yu asked again in worry. Xiao Qiao smiled.
"Perfectly fine Lord Zhou Yu! We're glad we did it, by defeating those bandits we saved a village!" she chirped, Zhou Yu sighed but smiled.
"I see, then good job Xiao Qiao. I'm proud of you." Xiao Qiao beamed at him.
"Yeah, I'm proud of you too Da. You did good!" Da Qiao blushed, smiling.
"Thank you Lord Sun Ce." The others smiled. It was saddening that the two sisters had to kill but it was for the best.
"Now then, let me see that wound. Don't think you're off the hook just yet Lord Sun Ce!" Da chided. Sun Ce groaned as the others laughed. Ling watched as everyone but Sun Jian went their separate ways, most likely their rooms.
"Ling." Ling looked up at Sun Jian, who was looking at her, smiling. It made her insides churn for some odd reason.
"You are a special tiger aren't you Ling?" Ling tensed but kept silent. Sun Jian chuckled and touched her head but as soon as he did, both felt a strange shock go through them like lightning, immediately Sun Jian pulled away as Ling jumped back, both wide eyed at what had occurred.
'What was that?!' both thought in surprise. Sun Jian looked at his hand in wonder then to Ling, who was just as confused and surprised as he was.
"I must be tired. I'll see you later Ling." Ling watched as Sun Jian walked away. Ling sighed, if she was human, she would no doubt be rubbing her forehead in frustration at what had just happened.
= Later that night =
"Ling?" Ling tensed and turned, blinking at seeing the two sisters.
"Da Qiao? Xiao Qiao? What are you doing here? You both should be sleeping!" Ling scolded quietly.
"We woke up and decided to check on you." Ling looked at them.
"…You haven't slept yet haven't you?" the two fidgeted as Ling sighed.
"It's almost midnight. I'll be fine; you should go back before your husband's find you gone." The two sighed but nodded.
"Be careful ok?" Da Qiao said. Ling nodded as Xiao Qiao pouted.
"I really wanted to see you as a human again." She whined a bit. Ling smiled.
"There's always next time. For now, get some sleep. Now go before your husband's wake." The two nodded.
"Take care, Ling." Ling watched as the two went and entered their rooms. Ling looked around and once she was sure no one was around, she went and picked up the towel Da Qiao brought her and quietly yet swiftly made her way outside and into the forest. She slowed as she entered a clearing with a beautiful lake in the center; she looked up to see the moon at its fullest.
"It's almost midnight." Ling moved to the other side of the lake, opposite from where she came from. Just a precaution, that if someone entered from the same place, she could easily make a grab for her items and make a run for it in the depths of the forest.
Ling placed her towel down and looked up at the moon. It was bright and the sky was clear tonight, making it absolutely a beautiful sight to gaze upon and the weather wasn't as cold as most nights too.
It wasn't long that midnight struck. Ling's eyes closed as her body was enveloped in a golden light, slowly her body began to change; her paws changing to human hands and legs, she straightened as her head shrunk and turned into a human head, long black wavy hair burst fort from her head and swayed with the slight breeze and finally, her tail disappearing in a shimmer of light.
Ling's eyes slowly opened to reveal expressive brown eyes as the light enveloping her subsided. Ling stretched, removing the kinks in her human body. Afterwards she approached the waters, looking at her reflection and smiled.
"It feels like it's been ages since I was human." She chuckled; she turned and walked back to the tree where her towel laid. She began to undress, placing her clothes under the tree. She grabbed her towel and headed to the lake, placing said towel on a rock nearby before she slowly descended to the cold waters.
Ling sighed in pleasure as the water enveloped her naked form. Due to having a tiger's body, her human body's warmth had increased as well which caused her to be unaffected by most cold weathers including cold waters. For her, the waters were just right.
Ling dove under the waters and she swam around, enjoying the solitude and peace it brought her. It brought back memories of the times, as a child, she often went with her father to help with fishing. After catching their fill, they would go for a short swim before heading back to their home. Life was hard and they were but simple peasants, even so Xiu Ling was happy as long as she had her father.
Xiu Ling resurfaced, letting out a small gasp as she took a breath of air. She had been under water for quite a while.
"!" Ling froze as a gasp reached her ears. She slowly looked back at the source and her eyes widen in horror.
There standing, to where she came from, was none other than her Lord Sun Jian, wide eyed as he looked at her in shock.
Ling did the logical thing in this situation.
She screamed.
= With Sun Jian, a few minutes before =
He could not sleep.
Sun Jian groaned as he sat up and rubbed his face in frustration. He honestly had no idea why he couldn't sleep; he came home tired after a battle and a journey home, he was positive that once he hit the bed that he'd end up in the land of dreams but what he didn't count on was Ling.
He didn't understand it but once he touched Ling's head, he felt a jolt course through him and Sun Jian found himself feeling more awake than before. It confused him why that happened and at the same time frustrated him since he couldn't fall asleep now.
"Maybe a short walk will help tire me." Sun Jian got up, pulling on a robe to help keep him warm, and made his way out.
Sun Jian knew he should have brought a weapon with him just in case but right now, he really didn't feel like it despite how careless that was; still where he was headed was secluded. No one knew of it but himself, it was a place that he often went to when he needed to think or relax on his own. It was also perfect for this night; the moon was full and no doubt would be a sight to see.
The whole walk there was quiet but Sun Jian didn't mind as the silence was quite peaceful. It wasn't long that he reached the clearing, he sighed at seeing the lake with the full moon reflecting beautifully open it. He paused as he noticed something on one of the rocks on the other side on the lake.
'What is that?' He moved closer to the lake to get a good look but before he could-
SPLASH!
Sun Jian's eyes widen and jaw dropped as a woman, a naked woman, emerged from the water with a gasp. He himself couldn't help but gasp in surprise and with that, the woman froze a hearing him and she slowly turned to look at him, immediately her eyes widen in horror yet despite that, Sun Jian was awed at how beautiful she looked and moonlight made her pale skin and brown eyes glow.
He was snapped out of his shock when she screamed.
= Currently…=
"KYAAAHHH!" Xiu Ling screamed as she wrapped her arms around her bare chest and sunk further into the water and Sun Jian finally had the right mind to turn around, face flushed.
"I-I-I'm sorry!" he stuttered, face red. Xiu Ling looked back and seeing him turned away from her, she moved quickly to shore and grabbed the towel, wrapping it around her form.
Sun Jian hearing her movement turned to see what was going on, only to see her now covered as she ran and grabbed something under the tree before heading into the forest.
"Wait!" he called out, hand stretched out but she ignored him and ran deeper into the forest. Sun Jian's hand fell as he watched her disappear into the darkness. He stood there for a while, stunned at what had just transpired before he groaned and rubbed his face in frustration once again. One thing did go through his mind at this encounter.
"Who was she?" Never had he seen her before and even if he did, he would certainly remember. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Decided that he needed some sleep, Sun Jian headed to his room, his mind however filled with thoughts of the woman under the moonlight.
= The Next Day = Courtyard
"Ling? Are you ok?" Da Qiao asked as she and Xiao Qiao looked at Ling in concern. Ling was unusual tense and quiet this morning. The two sisters decided to sit with her while their husbands along with Sun Quan and Shang Xiang began to spar, to be precise; Shang Xiang and Sun Ce were sparring while Zhou Yu and Sun Quan were having a conversation.
"I'm fine." She said quickly. The sisters looked at each in concern before turning back to her.
"Did something happen last night?" Xiao Qiao questioned quietly. Ling would have blushed crimson if she could, last night's event came rushing to her mind and the embarrassment she felt seemed to have doubled.
"…I don't want to talk about it." she replied curtly. Both sisters exchanged looks of concern which Ling didn't pay any mind.
After Ling had run deep into the forest, she quickly dried herself and got dressed, decided to explore the forest and train to pass time. She could not believe that, of all the people to have seen her; it just had to be Lord Sun Jian. But then again, it was better than being seen by some lecherous pervert or the sort. The problem was that Sun Jian might go start searching for her; no doubt he was wondering how a woman was able to enter their territory. The forest was hidden but the area itself was still part of the castle grounds. It would create trouble for Ling in the feature and she really had no desire for anyone but the two Qiaos to know of her situation. Who knows what may happen.
"Morning father!" Sun Ce greeted, as he and Shang Xiang paused in their spar, and everyone followed suit in greeting Sun Jian, who had arrived. If possible, Ling tensed further, which the sisters took noticed with them in close proximity.
"You alright father?" Sun Quan asked in concern. Sun Jian took a seat on the stone bench and rubbed his face tiredly, he seemed to be doing that a lot lately.
"I'm fine…I just didn't get much sleep last night." He admitted. He had trouble sleeping last night; the image of the woman had been on his mind all night.
"You weren't the only one." Ling muttered quietly to herself, unfortunately the sisters heard which only made them curious.
"Did something happen?" Shang Xiang asked. Sun Jian shook his head.
"No, it's nothing. I was just thinking too much." It wasn't a completely lie.
"Perhaps you should go and get some rest Lord Sun Jian." Zhou Yu suggested, concerned for his health.
"I'm fine, I'll rest in a while. Continue." He assured them. They all looked unsure but decided to let it go…for now. Sun Jian sighed again, he looked at them and not long found his gaze resting on Ling. Ling noticed and was stiff as a statue and did her best to not let it get to her.
"Is something wrong Lord Sun Jian?" Da Qiao asked, noting his gaze and how uncomfortable Ling seemed.
"Hmm?" he looked at her, blinking.
"Is something wrong?" she repeated.
"Oh, nothing's wrong Da Qiao. Just thinking." He assured as he leaned back on the bench, his arms crossed and closed his eyes. Ling took this chance and stood up, the sisters turning to her.
"I'm going inside." She mumbled and left. The sisters blinked, confused at what was happening.
"Lord Zhou Yu." Xiao Qiao called, he turned to her.
"Sis and I will be going in for a bit, we'll be right back." He nodded. The sisters stood and quickly followed Ling.
= Ling's Room =
"What happened?" Da Qiao questioned as she and Xiao Qiao got inside Ling's small room. Ling sighed as she rested on her bed.
"It's nothing important."
"Does it have something to do with Lord Sun Jian?" Xiao Qiao guessed. Seeing Ling tense up was enough of an answer.
"Ling…please." Da Qiao pleaded. Ling let out a long sigh.
"Fine." The sisters settled beside her and waited.
"I went to the lake, to bathe as planned. There was no one around and everything was perfect."
"Something happened." Da spoke. Ling grunted.
"Lord Sun Jian arrived at clearing, when I was in the lake…naked." The sisters' eyes wide and jaws dropped.
"He saw you?!" Xiao Qiao screeched a bit. Ling sighed.
"Yes, he did. Thankfully I wasn't completely above the water that he saw my breast but still, he saw me!"
"What did you do?" Da asked nervously.
"What else? I screamed. Thankfully, he turned around, apologizing as he did so and I took the chance to get out of the water and run off! I was fortunate that he decided not to chase me." Ling replied tiredly; it was unfortunate that someone had seen Ling and as luck would have it, it just had to be Lord Sun Jian, of all the people, to have seen her. They knew this was going to cause problems in the future.
"Well…now we know why Lord Sun Jian didn't get much sleep." Xiao Qiao spoke after a bit of silence.
"What do you mean Xiao Qiao?" Da asked in wonder. Xiao Qiao grinned.
"He was probably up all night thinking about you and how beautiful you were naked." Ling, if human at this moment, would be have turned beat red.
"Xiao Qiao…" Ling growled in warning but Xiao Qiao only burst into giggles.
"There, there Ling. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about." Da Qiao said gently, rubbing her head in comfort. Ling could only groan in frustration.
End of Chapter 3
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I tried to make it long and hopefully it is but anyway, I'll try my best to update. Not easy since I am pretty busy now with work and stuff but I assure you all that I have no intention of abandoning my fics, I might take long to update but that's all. Anyway I'd be happy to receive some reviews to know what you think :D til next time!