Page 134 of Hoofin’ It

“They think it’s blasphemy,” the kirin said, a female judging from the sweetness of her voice. She laughed merrily, tossing her head, turning a bright eye to me. “I haven’t gotten to eat a human in centuries. This will be delightful. I am Bai Bao Chen, for I am a jewel of the morning sea. You bring change and chaos where you go, so I look forward to carrying you into battle. Prove yourself interesting, and I may grace you with my presence longer.”

I really needed to stop hanging out with beings who thought of me as food. I only knew two things about the Chinese, which were to bow when being polite and that I really liked their food, even the fake stuff made in America no one else could tolerate. I dipped in a bow, my hands clasped in front of me, careful to lower my head enough to be respectful. “I’m honored, Bai Bao Chen.”

“A quick study, this child of yours,” the kirin murmured, and I thought she sounded pleased. “Introduce him, Ernesto, as is your place.”

“He is Shane. The lady is his mate and future bride, Marian. You honor us, Bai Bao Chen. Who would you recommend ride with us into battle?”

I raised my head, and the kirin lifted hers high, her fiery eyes scanning the herd. “Fen Guanyu Shi, for she remembers the old forests and their beauty well and honors their memory.”

A deep green kirin stepped forward, and golden crystals chimed from her beard. She lowered her head, approached Ernesto, and blew her breath in his face. “You still stink, ancient one.”

Ernesto’s laughter rang out. “And you’re as irreverent as you are beautiful, as always. I would be honored to share the hunt with you.”

“Quinton, as my loathing for you will never die, I shall send Tai Wu Xiang with you, in the unlikely chance he might rid the Earth of you once and for all.”

A jet black kirin separated from the herd, head held high. “Rude, Bai Bao Chen. I would not rid the Earth of such entertainment.”

“Can I not dream?”

“Do not listen to her, friend Quinton. She sends me with you for I am the best equipped to protect you, for I bring good fortune in the heart of battle. Blood will flow, but it will not be ours, not this day.”

Quinton smiled. “It’s good to see you again, Xiang.”

“And it’s good to ride into battle once more. My herd sister is right. It has been too long since we have walked the Earth, far too long since we have been instruments of balance, even for a small matter such as this.”

Marian leaned towards me. “Is it just me, or are we majorly outclassed here?”

“Glad I’m not the only one to have noticed that. Between the two of us, we have thirteen bullets, two guns, and a pair of daggers. I’m pretty sure we’re spectators.”

Bai Bao Chen turned her head to me and showed her teeth. While I was fairly certain she smiled, I got the feeling she was hungry and thought I looked tasty. Her attention turned to Marian. “My mate will carry you. He is Fang Jiahao Yi, the keeper of justice in our herd, the guardian of our virtues, and the heart of our family.”

The largest of the kirin, blood red with fire blazing from his eyes, split off from the herd. The prongs of his antlers curved, sharpened to razor edges. Unlike the others, no crystals decorated his beard. Instead, they sprouted from his scales, as though he slowly transformed from flesh to gem.

Marian mimicked me, bowing with her hands clapped in front of her. “I’m honored, Fang Jiahao Yi.”

“As am I. You may be small, but in you, I see a warrior’s heart.”

Bai Bao Chen snorted. “It is decided. We ride together. Abil Ili has named our prey and has made his face and his sins known to us. His final breath belongs to the werewolves, whom were slighted first. We may feast after they have enacted their justice with their claws. We are to leave no trace of our passage, so hunt well, hunt clever, and hunt beyond the eye of mortal man, for they are not ready to accept the truth of us.”

I agreed with that readily enough; I sure as hell wasn’t ready to accept any of the insanity around me, although I had no choice in the matter. The kirin all reared, lifting their heads to the crystals overhead, their hooves tucked to their chests. Silence fell, and in the still quiet, I thought they prayed, although I didn’t know to whom or for what.

As one, their front hooves clicked on the crystal floor, and Bai Bao Chen turned to me. “There is one last matter we must attend to.”

I frowned. “What is it?”

“Your eye. Abil Ili, do not forget your manners. My rider’s eye. Return it to him. It does him no good in your hands. Really, making us look at that empty socket. Do not strip him of his dignity.”

Somewhere in the crowd of Babylonians, I heard Abil Ili laugh. “Yes, I have his eye. I was merely examining it for a while.”

“And you could not do this when it was in his head where it belongs?” The kirin flattened her ears. “He has lost his center without it.”

Truer words had not been spoken, although I tried my best not to let it bother me. “It’s all right, Bai Bao Chen. It’s not like I don’t take it out and roll it around to express my disgust at times. It doesn’t bother me he has it.”

“No, it just bothers you what is rightfully yours was taken from you due to greed. I see your heart, Shane, as well as its shadows. The wound has scarred, but it has not healed.”

Not only did I need to stop hanging out with beings who thought of me as food, I really needed to stop hanging out with people who saw through my bullshit and called me out on it. “Guilty as charged.”

“The name of your heart is Cheng, for it is an honest one. The name of your spirit is Shui, for you flow like water. In the way of our herd, you are Shane Shui Cheng, for you are as true and honest as the water’s flow.” Bai Bao Chen lifted her head and stared down at me, a challenge in her bright eyes.