Getting closer to the end of the mainline series, which all of you seemed to have enjoyed!
It makes me happy to know that my works are so well received by the masses.
Maybe one day down the road, I'll open asks up, but for now I'm just taking my time with what I want.
With that said, have
PART 1/2 of Heishou Pack Wú Branch x GN!Reader
"It does not matter to me when they will wake up, all that matters is that we are to ensure a safe travel for them. I will not hear any further concerns."
Your body was still sore. What felt like pure agony shot through your whole body like thunder everytime you thought about moving.
Rest was an afterthought; you'd be lucky to get maybe 2 hours of mediocre sleep at best.
"I am aware of what they do, yes. It is only appropriate that they, too, are taken care of. The Lord himself mandates they stay alive, and even if he didn't, the other packs have too much invested into them for us to simply let them suffer lest they perish under our care."
A soft voice kept pulling you back into the real world. You didn't have the energy to open your eyes yet, so you settle on listening to them: voice intentionally hushed, so whoever this is, takes good precedence in not disturbing you.
"I will personally accompany them to ensure their safety. If we cannot provide a secure path forward, than we call ourselves failures in the face of our purpose. And I will not let such thing happen, and neither will any of you. Even if they have the backings of the other packs, that does not mean they are immune to threats. As you know, Hongyuan itself is no stranger to exterior powers and assailants. Regardless of how we prosper, there will inevitably be those who wish to undermine the very foundation our Lord has sacrificed much for. Thus, we will not fail in our duty, for the Wú does not show hesitation in lieu of danger. Am I clear enough on our mission?"
The sound of the door to the room you were in opening had woken you up fully. Eyes craning open with great effort, you find a figure slowly approaching your bedside.
"You're awake, that's good..."
"How are you holding up? From what I've heard, you've suffered quite the blow. I must say, you are quite the brave one to have stood in the way of such a violent creature such that of the Yôu branch."
You could tell that the voice - belonging to a male - was a lot softer and more concerned than what was usually present.
"Awful. Feels like I've incurred the wrath of the gods with every movement I make."
"I figured as much. I do apologize for your situation, but we must make the most of it."
There was genuine sympathy coming from the man that looked a bit too much like a horse. Perhaps this was another of the Heishous? Underneath the surface, you gauged that he was an empath, but hid it under his duties.
"Ah, where are my manners? I'm sure you're aware of the Heishou Pack's inner workings, so I'll spare you the details. I am Luongo, Wú Branch Adept. We horses are in charge of making sure that important assets are able to have safe passage. We are also the first sent out in combat, in order to break through and create weak points within enemy lines."
Pride built up in his voice as he described himself and the Wú, before focusing back on you.
"But I am here for you. Or, rather, the Branch is. The Lord himself requested that you are to be safely escorted back inside Hongyuan."
"Are we not already inside of Hongyuan?"
His gaze looks away for a second before coming back
"While Hongyuan does possess its own medical facility, the wounds you suffered were too...grievous to be fully treated there. Thus, you had to be taken to a specialized facility to be operated on. That is why you are outside of Hongyuan currently. It does appear that you have made a full recovery, though, even if pain may persist for a while."
You could see him more clearly now; his face, though shrouded by his hat, had soft features. His eyes were black - like a brush of the night sky had graced his face - and he carried himself at attention.
His mane was a messy, dark brown landscape. Either from his work, or for other reasons, it seemed like he didn't have the time to keep himself completely cleaned up all the time.
The way he spoke, too...ohnowaitheisspeaking-
"...and that's basically the whole plan. I hope you got most of that, right? I tried to simplify it as much as possible."
"Uhh...could you repeat that, please?"
His gaze shifted in an unrecognizable manner, but it only drew out more concern from him.
"It appears you still may be recovering...I am sorry, I must have gone too fast in my explanation."
He shifts to look at the door to the room
"I wish I could explain more to you in detail, but we must be going soon. Come, we must get you up."
He carefully lifted you into a sitting position
"This doesn't hurt too much, does it? No? Good...you aren't walking anytime soon, so you can hop on my back. I insist."
With a little assistance, he eases you onto his back, making sure you were secured before making his way too the door.
"Mind your head a bit, once we leave, I'll be taking you directly into Hongyuan myself."
As the both of you reached the wonderful place that is the outside world in H Corp, you notice additional horses alert & ready to go.
With a nod from Luongo, the Wú fall into formation around you, keeping you at the center of them for protection.
Moving at a light trot - so as to not jostle you too much - you found yourself with a bit of downtime.
"Your hair is tangled up."
"Yes, it is unfortunate. I try my best to keep up with maintaining it, but sometimes I find myself without the time to allocate to vanity maintenance."
"I could brush it out for you, if you'll allow me?"
"I suppose it couldn't hurt. Besides, it'll be nice to have my hair nice again."
As you go to reach for a brush, you realize that you don't have any of your supplies on you. They must've been left somewhere.
But that wasn't going to stop you; it might take a but longer, but your hands can work well enough for the task. Besides, you had a bit of time anyway.
Thus, with careful hands, you began to untangle his hair bit-by-bit. There were a few knots that took you a minute to get out, but once you were done, his hair looked a lot better now that it was "brushed" back.
The horse gave you a quiet 'thanks' as he continued on with the others. But suddenly he stops - and so does the other Wú - and his ears start twitching
"Stop. Something's wrong."
Before anybody could think of the next thing to say, Luongo bucks you off of him just as an arrow flies past, sending you tumbling onto the dirt with your clothes getting tugged as you roll for a few feet.
All around, the Wú immediately began to form a protective line
"Assassins!"
Luongo turned himself back into a more humanoid figure as he shielded your body behind his.
"Stay behind me, I can't risk having you sustain any harm."
All around, the Wú were engaging with assassins as they come from what felt like all directions. And in the midst of the action, a figure appears before you and Luongo - whom nudged you behind him - a person concealed by a well-adorned, purple cloak that had silver colored linings.
"My my, what do we have here~? You must be the fabled caretaker I've heard so much about, along with a typical steed company. There's quite the price for your head, y'know?"
The person laughed - the kind that would get on your nerves.
"And who the hell are you supposed to be?"
"Why the rush? Besides, you won't be living long enough to even get to know my-"
What looked like a red flame and a green blur dashed across your vision. The next thing you knew, was that the person's head is now on the ground, and the surrounding area turned to chaos as multiple beings were now engaged in skirmishes.
"Apologies for the late arrival, but judging by the situation, it appears we made it just in time."
"Bastards hardly put up a decent fight. These so called 'assassins' are getting worse and worse. But enough about that, we still have a mess to clean up, we can save the introductions for later."
