They met at the edge of the village.

Zhen stood with her arms crossed, her white hair a mess, her purple eyes fixed on the ground. She didn’t want to accidentally have eye contact with him.

Tao Zi stood a few feet away, his arms also crossed, his dark curls falling across his face. He was not looking at Zhen. He was looking at a very interesting tree.

Neither of them spoke to each other.

Han Shān looked at them. Yàn Shū stood beside him, his face arranged in an expression of stern authority.

It did not look right on him. His cheeks were too soft. His glasses were too crooked. He looked like a child playing dress-up in his father’s clothes.

Zhen noticed.

"Why are you making that face?" she asked.

"What face?" Yàn Shū said softly.

"That face. The serious face. It looks silly on you."

Yàn Shū’s ears went pink. "I am being stern."

"You look like you are constipated."

"Zhen."

"It is true. Ask Papa."

Han Shān said nothing. But his lips twitched.

Zhen frowned. "Why did you bring both of us here? I don’t want to see his face, and I was playing a game before. I am going back to the river," she announced.

"No," Yàn Shū stood his ground, nearly breaking his facade. "You are not."

Zhen stopped. She turned back. Her eyes narrowed.

"Excuse me?"

"You are coming with us."

"Where?"

"Somewhere."

Zhen stared at him. Yàn Shū stared back. His expression was still stern. It still looked silly.

"I do not want to go somewhere," Zhen mumbled.

"That is unfortunate."

"Why should I follow you?"

"Because I asked you to."

"That is not a good reason."

Yàn Shū’s tail flicked. He looked at Han Shān for help, but Han Shān offered none. Bai Yue had given him strict orders to let the Panda figure it out himself, after all, the scholar was a softie inside.

It was taking everything within him to not cave in.

Zhen took a step back.

Then another.

Then she bolted.

Before she could get far, Yàn Shū lunged. His arms closed around her waist, lifting her off the ground. Zhen shrieked and kicked and thrashed, but Yàn Shū did not let go.

"You are kidnapping me!" she yelled.

"I am escorting you."

"This is kidnapping!"

"This is parenting."

"I am telling Mama!"

"Your mother approved this."

Zhen stopped thrashing. Her eyes went wide.

"What?"

"Your mother," Yàn Shū huffed, already regretting agreeing to help Bai Yue with this, "approved this."

Zhen looked at Han Shān. Han Shān nodded in agreement. "That’s right. This is all your mother’s doing." Zhen’s eyes widened in shock. How could mama do this to her?!

Tao Zi, watching the chaos, nearly used the opportunity to run for his life as well, but he was stopped dead in his tracks by the glare the snow leopard alpha gave him.

"Don’t even think about." Han Shan growled, the air plummeting to freezing temperatures. Tao Zi swallowed, and stared at the ground.

"Yes."

"I hate all of you!" Zhen suddenly yelled, still flailing in the scholar’s arms.

"You do not," Yàn Shū countered her.

He carried her toward the clearing where Cāng Jì waited.

~

Cāng Jì had transformed.

His golden dragon form gleamed in the morning light, scales bright as polished coins, wings spread wide, tail curling around the trees. His golden eyes watched the approaching group with an expression that was equal parts resignation and irritation.

"I cannot believe I agreed to this," he growled, gritting his teeth.

No one answered him.

Han Shān carried Tao Zi. The boy did not struggle. He did not speak. He simply hung in Han Shān’s grip like a sack of flour, his face pale, his eyes fixed on the ground.

Yàn Shū carried Zhen. She was still thrashing, still yelling, still making her opinions very clear.

"Put me down! I will bite you!"

"No."

"I said put me down!"

"You will thank me later."

"I will never thank you! I will never speak to you again! All of you are horrible! You and mama! I will—"

Yàn Shū reached the dragon and deposited Zhen onto Cāng Jì’s back.

She landed in a heap, her white hair tangled, her purple eyes blazing.

"I do not want to be here!" she shouted.

Tao Zi landed beside her. He did not shout. He just sat there, his arms wrapped around his knees, his dark curls hiding his face.

Cāng Jì looked back at them.

"This is ridiculous," he said.

Han Shān ignored him.

"Uncle Sparkles is going to take you flying," Han Shān said. "He will not bring you down until you have sorted yourselves out."

Zhen’s mouth fell open.

"What?!"

"Sorted yourselves out," Han Shān repeated himself. "Whatever is between you. Fix it."

"Nothing is between us!"

"You have not spoken in days."

"Because he lied!"

"I did not lie," Tao Zi said quietly.

"You did!"

"I was scared."

"That is not an excuse!"

"It is not," Tao Zi agreed. "But it is the truth."

Cāng Jì sighed. "Let’s get this over with."

He spread his wings.

Zhen grabbed Tao Zi’s arm.

She did not mean to. It was instinct. The wind from Cāng Jì’s wings was strong, and she was afraid of falling, and he was the closest thing to hold onto.

Tao Zi went very still.

"Do not read into it," Zhen said.

"I am not reading into it."

"Good."

"Good."

Cāng Jì launched.

The ground fell away. The village shrank. The wind screamed past their ears.

Zhen’s grip tightened.

Tao Zi did not pull away.

Han Shān watched them go, his arms crossed, his expression unreadable.

Yàn Shū stood beside him, his stern face finally relaxing.

"Do you think it will work?" Yàn Shū asked.

"Perhaps," Han Shān said. "Or they will throw each other off the dragon."

"That is a distinct possibility."

"Either way, they will have to talk."

Yàn Shū considered this. "Indeed."