First Flight

Xia Lihua's heavy eyes fluttered slowly open. Sharp grass prickled at her skin like tiny needles. The trees towered above, their branches twisting and gnarling like grasping fingers without any leaves. Snow fell gracefully. Cold winds blew through the dark forest, sending a chill throughout her entire body.

Snow collected on her skin before melting. The pitch-black sky was barely visible through the thick concentration of trees around her. She sat up and dusted the thin layer of snow off her robes. Some snow stuck to her, but she was able to get most of it off.

She tried moving her legs, but they were stuck like glue to the ground. A burning sensation creeped up her legs like tangling vines wrapping around her. It crawled through her entire body, rushing to her head. The pain was excruciating; it felt like every breath tore a hole through her lungs. The world around her spun, twisted, and warped before returning to normal. She felt as if the earth had tilted on its axis, and she felt a spell of dizziness wash over her like a wave in the ocean. It felt as though someone was squeezing her head on either side. She had used up too much energy getting out of the crown prince's path.

Her form flickered between human and bird. Her arms transformed into white, feathery wings. Her wings wrapped around her body and covered her completely. Her form shrank, and she finally turned back into her original form: a pure white Gyrfalcon. 

Xia Lihua flapped her wings and lifted off the ground unsteadily. Snowflakes floated down and landed gently on her wings. Being in Gyrfalcon form seemed to lessen the pain in her body enough for her to move around pretty well.

She soared through the forest, weaving between the trees, but it seemed unfamiliar to her. Trees stretched as far as her eyes could see, and she didn't know which was the right direction.

Voices came from ahead as loud feet crunched down in the snow. Xia Lihua could see the burning glow of a fire reflecting off the snow. She flew in the direction of the hot, piercing light.

"Ugh! Why do we have to hunt them? Everyone knows that they're all dead. There's no point. The king is so...! Anyway, do you see anything, Yi-ge?"

"Stop complaining, a-chang. It's your fault we got lost. If only I hadn't listened to your fucking nonsense about some 'bright light' you saw! None of us would be in this situation if you weren't some delusional fucking moron!"

"I'm so hungry, and it's freezing out here! When will the food be done?" Li Shuchang complained.

Smoke rose up from the campfire, and the smell of cooking rabbit made Xia Lihua's mouth water with intense hunger.

She landed quietly on a branch, overlooking the two men. The one called Li Jingyi had a bow and quiver full of arrows to the side of where he sat. Li Shuchang had a sheathed sword at his waist. The two men had the emblem of the royal guard of Beiguang on the chests of their plated armor.

Xia Lihua watched with caution as they cooked the meat over the fire. She felt so hungry that she thought. Should I go down there? She shook her head before continuing the thought. They might think I'm just a normal bird.

Li Jingyi grabbed a small branch and snapped it in two with a loud crack. He threw the broken tree limbs into the dwindling fire and went to pick up another one to do the same thing. The flame rose with a new burst of energy, and sparks flew out in all directions.

"A-chang, the food is done," Li Jingyi said.

Xia Lihua flew like an arrow and landed gently beside Li Shuchang; he didn't move a muscle and called over to Li Jingyi, "Look over here, Yi-ge. I found a pure white Gyrfalcon! I thought pure white ones didn't exist."

Li Jingyi gently tilted his head, careful not to make any sudden movements. He grabbed a small piece of rabbit meat and held out his hand. "Are you hungry, little bird?" as she flew over.

Xia Lihua pecked at the meat with careful consideration for a while before gulping down the rest in one bite. A small smile appeared on Li Jingyi's face.

He grabbed another piece of meat and placed it in front of her. She dug into it without any hesitation. Xia Lihua pecked her beak against Li Jingyi's open palm, saying thanks in Morse code, as that was how the people in her clan communicated with each other while in bird form. Li Jingyi thought, Why is the bird suddenly pecking at my hand? I thought it liked me, and he pulled his hand away with a shake of the wrist.

"Wow! You must be starving. Poor thing. Shouldn't you be in hibernation this time of year?" Li Shuchang said as he grabbed some food for himself. "I heard somewhere that Gyrfalcons hibernate in the winter."

"That sure is weird." Li Jingyi said, "Anyways, after we are done eating, we should start heading back to camp. They will probably start wondering where we are."

"Yeah. And the air will only get colder as the night goes on. We would probably freeze to death if we stayed out here in this weather."

She let out soft chirps of happiness and decided that they probably wouldn't harm her for now. She flew back over to the tree and landed softly on a branch. She tilted her feathery head and watched intently as they talked and ate the rabbit meat.