258 The Fox sees red

There was blood behind Chu Yun's closed eyelids, staining the inside of his eyes. He wanted to open them, but he was afraid the whole world would be tinted red too.

He became aware of his surroundings slowly, when his eyes finally fluttered open he was relieved to find the world around him simply blurry instead of bloody.

But then came the pain.

A sharp stinging pain radiating from his abdomen.

A pain that reminded him something had been taken from him.

His hands flew to his stomach and he was startled at how much it had deflated. There was still residual roundness to it, but already it was nothing like the swollen bump he had grown used to in the last months.

His throat issued a mournful sound, almost like some bird's cry -- lamenting the loss of something it would never get back.

A hand landed gently on his shoulder. "You should lay still. Don't try to move."