#fic extras

"Mm. Yeah. I know." He dragged himself out of bed and grabbed a sturdy set of robes for traveling. "Know what we're going after yet?"

"A tentacled snow goose," Mobei Jun answered. "There's a flock nearby. It should be a good first hunt for him."

"That sounds good enough. Let's go grab the kid." He selected a set of robes for his king once he dressed and moved back to the bed to dress him as well. Mobei Jun was more than happy to indulge in the intimacy of his queen dressing him. He managed to steal a few more kisses before they stepped out and down the hall to Small Scrap's room. 

Inside it Small Scrap was dressed and vibrating with energy ready to go. "Good morning your majesties!"

Shang Qinghua nodded in approval when he saw him dressed appropriately. "Are you ready for your hunt?" He couldn't help but smile, the excited energy from Small Scrap infecting him.

"Of course!" 

"You have your sword?" Mobei Jun asked. The rat demon nodded rapidly.

"And you have flares to send in case something happens?" Shang Qinghua checked. Small Scrap nodded, even though it was clear both demons thought the flares were overkill. Shang Qinghua's not risking Small Scrap's safety on his first hunt. They're taking far less precautions than he preferred. "Alright, we can grab breakfast and then leave." He turned to leave.

The family headed down to where breakfast had been laid out for them. It was a large meal since they would be out for the entire day. Mobei Jun sat down and tucked in. Small Scrap watched for a moment before mimicking the ice demon in what he picked. Shang Qinghua shoveled food into his mouth, picking out the bits of the meal that were catered towards his human palate. Decades spent with his king and he still can’t handle demon food well.

When they finished Mobei Jun cut open a portal out to what looked like an empty snow field. He lead the way over and looked to Small Scrap. "We start here." Small Scrap's ears twitched and he stepped forward. There wasn't anything in view, but he knew there would be a trail. He just had to find it.

Shang Qinghua held back and watched Small Scrap. It would be his time to show off his skills. He can hang back and press into his king’s side while their child catches his first prey. Mobei Jun nodded in approval as Small Scrap set to work. He wasn't terrible at tracking, he was working fairly methodically. When the rat demon found the trail he quickly spun around and waved at the pair. "Good at tracking," Mobei Jun commented quietly to Shang Qinghua.

“He’s efficient,” he agreed and followed after Small Scrap. He kept enough of a distance to not disturb the small demon. It was a good hour's trek along the trail before the flock was spotted in the distance. Small Scrap was clearly tempted to race ahead but stopped to study the tentacled snow geese instead. Mobei Jun again nodded his approval. Rushing in was not the way to deal with this. Small Scrap wanted to ask what to do, but this was his hunt. The king and queen would only step in if he was stuck. And he wasn't yet. He watched the flock as two of them got into a fight, erupting into a mass of tentacles and tearing each other apart.

"Damn those geese are weird," Shang Qinghua commented from his spectator's spot. He didn't remember making these ones so he figured they're probably generated as fill-in monsters. Or maybe he wrote them in while high. That seems equally as plausible.

Mobei Jun patted Qinghua's head. "A worthy test for our child." Small Scrap snuck in closer. A couple of the tentacled snow geese noticed him. He froze.

Shang Qinghua frowned. "He needs to move in. Go for one on the edges and get out of there before the flock swarms him." He muttered to himself as he watched his son from afar.

"Patience. Let him figure it out himself."

"Yeah, yeah. I won't ruin it for him." He waved him off. Small Scrap started forward again. A couple more of the tentacled snow geese joined in watching him. He paused only for a moment this time before charging in to tackle one of the beasts at the edge of the flock. Honking and hissing erupted as Small Scrap did his best to drag his target away from the midst of the flock. Tentacles erupted out and he slashed through them the best that he could.

Shang Qinghua snickered as he watched the show. He's sure Small Scrap will be able to handle this fight. It's just ridiculous watching a large goose try to attack him. The rest of the flock settled as Small Scrap battled against his chosen foe. The tentacled snow goose did its best to suffocate the rat demon and grab onto him to tear him apart, but the small fellow was tricky to hold onto. He was also fully willing to bite. It was a rough battle for the young demon. The tentacled snow goose had dozens of bleeding wounds before Small Scrap managed to land a blow that properly maimed the beast. He took advantage of the wound to finally slice off the head. He panted heavily covered in blood and exhausted. The tentacled snow goose didn't look much like a goose with the tentacles that had unfolded before it died.

Shang Qinghua hurried forward once the tentacle snow goose fell to his blade. "Your first kill." He patted Small Scrap's head with pride. "You really tore that thing apart, huh?"

Small Scrap beamed. "Yes my queen!" Mobei Jun moved in and stared at the flock. The tentacled snow geese were more than happy to move on now that they were aware of the much more powerful demon's presence.

Shang Qinghua glanced up at his king. “Want to grab another one? We can cook a couple.” Small Scrap would be able to properly enjoy his kill.

Mobei Jun nodded. He summoned an ice spear and killed one of the tentacled snow geese. He walked over and retrieved the dead body before flickering back over. He looked at Small Scrap. "You need to know how to take it apart to eat." He started a lesson on butchering. There was less there to go over than there would be for a human, with notes on how to best preserve the crunch of the bones, but Mobei Jun also covered what Qinghua would like from the kill.

Shang Qinghua prepared a fire for them to cook the beasts on while the other two butchered the meat. Once Small Scrap successfully sectioned away the edible meat he began teaching him how to cook the beast. This was the easier part. He just had to make sure the meat was fully cooked and not burnt.

Small Scrap pressed cheerfully into his queen as he was taught. The meal was simple, but he was thrilled with the attention. His teeth chattered away with delight. Shang Qinghua kept the meal quick. They'd have to continue on their hunt soon. The snack will replenish Small Scrap's energy and then they can see about finding more prey.

Small Scrap presented a portion to Mobei Jun. The king accepted it with solemnity and graced the rat demon with a rare smile. He was practically vibrating out of his skin after that, teeth chattering so quickly he could barely speak. "I'm going to take on an illgore!"

"Calm down a little bit." Shang Qinghua grinned at the eager little demon. "We can find another smaller beast for you to hunt. We don't need anything extravagant for your first hunt."

"I could manage it just fine," Small Scrap protested.

"Not this time," Mobei Jun said firmly. Small Scrap grumbled.

"You're still new to this." Shang Qinghua reached over and lightly flicked his head. "Don't rush into it."

Small Scrap's ear twitched at the flick. "Alright." They packed up the small campsite they had cooked at and Small Scrap again began to hunt for a trail to follow.

Shang Qinghua yawned as he walked, the warm food settling in his stomach. "Almost wish I brought some paperwork along for this."

Mobei Jun huffed a laugh. "Small Scrap would be shattered you don't find every moment of this thrilling."

"Aw, come on. I don't even find your hunts entertaining all the time. The actual tracking bit is boring for a guy like me." The battles and kills are the only thrilling part.

Mobei laughed again. "You do better with your books," he agreed. Qinghua was a good companion on a hunt, but the human was tolerating the hunt when it didn't come to the kill. Something which made Mobei hunger for him even more, the way he was so patient accompanying Mobei Jun.

"You guys like it so I'm happy to stay." He sighed. "Even if it's really boring sometimes."

Mobei Jun hummed. They passed tracks Small Scrap had clearly decided against in his determination to bring something impressive in. "This is better than my hunt was."

Shang Qinghua frowned and tried to recall what that was. "What did you do?"

"I brought down a north seaquest deer eel," Mobei Jun said. "It was my only catch. My uncle decided it was enough to allow me back home." Mobei Jun remembered being relieved by that. He hadn't known if he would have been able to catch anything else after taking down the large beast.

"I mean, quality over quantity. That's impressive, especially for your first hunt." He nudged him with his elbow. Mobei Jun nodded silently. He didn't know what had happened to his kill. He just remembered the relief of getting to hide in his room and sleep without fear of being eaten. 

Ahead Small Scrap picked up speed following the trail of a carnelian encrusted mule turtle.

Shang Qinghua turned his attention back to Small Scrap as he hurried away. He followed after him, careful to keep their kid in his sight.

The carnelian encrusted mule turtle was a beautiful sight. It was also a difficult prey with its hard shell of jewels and powerful kicks. Mobei Jun silently summoned an ice spear but stayed back to give Small Scrap the chance to try and take it on. The kid circled the beast cautiously. The mule turtle caught on and snorted a warning stamping its feet.

Shang Qinghua slipped his hands into his sleeves and grabbed a couple talismans just in case Small Scrap couldn't handle the beast. It would be tricky for most people to take on. If the little demon could pull off killing it on his first hunt that would be very impressive.

Small Scrap charged in. Truly the kid lived up to his name. He was scrappy and tough and not going to go down easily. He had also bitten off more than he could chew. Mobei Jun sent out his ice to strike the carnelian encrusted mule turtle and pin it in place.

Shang Qinghua darted in, ready to snatch Small Scrap away from the beast if needed. He hates going on the offense but he’d rather not risk losing his kid if his king’s ice fails to hold it still. Small Scrap was shocked by the mule turtle being pinned down. He hurried in trying to crack open the shell with his sword and slice through the beast. He cried out as it bit painfully into his shoulder. Still he didn't give up. The mule turtle thrashed, and Small Scrap finally managed to cut through its head. He was thrown back as the last spasms of life ran through it.

Shang Qinghua caught Small Scrap as he was thrown. Once the mule turtle finally collapsed he looped down at him to catalogue his injuries. Anxiety pounded in his veins. He couldn’t risk losing his kid to some stupid beast. He didn’t prepare enough or mitigate the risk and he’d been up against something way stronger-

Mobei Jun was beside them in a flash and started healing Small Scrap. The kid whined unhappily. "You did well," Mobei Jun told him firmly.

“You killed the thing. It’s impressive,” Shang Qinghua assured like his heart wasn’t about to rabbit right out of his chest.

Small Scrap grinned only to wince again from the pain in his shoulder. Mobei Jun looked at Shang Qinghua. "Go home. I'll take care of the kill." He opened a portal to the medical hall. Shang Qinghua took Small Scrap from him and carried him through the portal without another word. He handed the demon to the doctors to be treated and sat down to destress.

It was only half an hour before Small Scrap was back out of the clinic with his shoulder bandaged and tail wagging behind him. "My queen!" He darted over to Shang Qinghua.

“Hey kid.” Shang Qinghua broke into a small smile and patted his head. “Feeling better now?”

"I am!" He looked around. "Where's Mobei Jun? Where's the carnelian encrusted mule turtle?"

Shang Qinghua frowned at that. “He hasn’t come back yet.” It shouldn’t have taken his king that long to fetch the kill.

"Was he disappointed?" Small Scrap frowned. "He had to step in to help."

Shang Qinghua shook his head. “He’s very proud of you,” he assured. “My king?”

Mobei Jun rounded the corner holding onto a trio of necklaces bearing carnelians. "Qinghua," he rumbled. He held it out. "The rest of the kill is yours to plan how it's used, but this is my share." Small Scrap stared in awe accepting the necklace. Shang Qinghua sighed and took his necklace from him.

Small Scrap squirmed excitedly. "Did you see how I took down the carnelian encrusted mule turtle?" He immediately launched into retelling the hunt they had just witnessed. Mobei Jun sat down beside Qinghua and wrapped an arm around him.

Shang Qinghua melted against his king. He rubbed his temples and nodded along to Small Scrap’s story. Going on hunts with his kid is going to be the death of him. When did he start caring about who died in his stupid book?

"Our child is strong," Mobei Jun said quietly careful to not interrupt Small Scrap.

“He is,” he muttered his agreement. But he’s also too reckless and unable to tell when he’s up against a foe way out of his league.” They got lucky with the mule. It wasn’t looking to actively hunt the little demon.

"He'll learn," Mobei Jun said. "And we'll watch out for him."

“I think I probably shouldn’t go on the next hunts.” He settled his head onto his husband’s shoulder.

Mobei Jun tilted his head. "Too dull?"

“No I just nearly had a heart attack seeing him fighting,” he grumbled. Stupid. It’s stupid to be this worried.

Mobei Jun huffed at him in amusement. "He is a demon."

“So are you but I don’t see you complaining when I collect poison antidotes or fuss over your wounds.” That was at least fueled by logic. People tried to poison and kill his king all the time.

Mobei Jun pulled Qinghua in closer and started rumbling. Small Scrap took the chance to join them. Shang Qinghua snorted a quiet laugh and leaned against his husband. It’s really stupid how easily being held by Mobei Jun can calm him.