As the sun started to shine from the horizon, Khampa was just standing outside of a house. While he was looking around his left and right sides, his son Bodi arrived while holding a cup of hot tea.

'Morning, Dad.'

'Ah. Morning, Son. Have you taken your breakfast already?'

'Yeah. I just finished eating with the others.'

Khampa then notices the cup that he was holding.

'What's with the hot cup of tea?'

'I came here because I wanted to give it to you.'

'Really? Who made it?'

'I did.'

'Oh. Thanks, Son.'

Bodi hands over the cup to his father. Khampa then took a few sips and the taste of the hot tea makes him smile a bit.

'That is a good cup of tea.'

'Yep. I also made some toast as well back at the house. Would you like for me to return back and bring some for you?'

'Don't overexert yourself, Bodi or else you might get too tired for your musical practice later.'

'Nah. Don't worry, Dad. I could still handle.'

Khampa chuckled and he continued on drinking his tea but as he was going to finish drinking, a mysterious sound echoed from the distance.

'Wait. Did you hear that?'

'Hear what, Dad?'

'That sound. I think it's from the sky.'

Bodi listened carefully and he too heard it.

'Yeah. I do.'

The younger Tibetan mastiff perked his ears a bit and he looked toward the skies around himself.

'Can you see what is it?'

'Umm.'

The other villagers then started to see something that was in the sky. Bodi searched for something in the air more closely and he saw it.

'Hey, Dad. Ain't that one causing the sound?'

'Where?'

Bodi pointed his fingers towards the sky. Khampa looked up into the sky, towards to the direction of where Bodi was pointing at. As the sound went louder, the two mastiffs and the villagers could see a pair of small planes slowly flying over. The planes were shaped like a bird and they were colored yellow and white. As the planes circled around the village, the residents were coming out from their houses to witness the mysterious things flying in circles.

'What are those?'

'Looks like bird-like planes to me.'

As the plane circled around for a few more minutes, one of them started to slow down and descent towards the grassy clearing away from the village. The other mastiff guards began to rally up towards it.

'Dad, I think it's coming down.'

'Let's find it out, Son.'

Both Bodi and Khampa left the spot and went towards to the plane.

...

The propeller engine began to quiet down as the plane was about to land on a spacious patch of grass not away from the said village. When the plane landed, the engine stopped and a pair of two Splenish pilots wearing Qing Dynasty-style Beiyang Army uniforms disembarked.

'I guess we're having an engine failure, Acher.'

'You should have told me earlier that this Etrich Taube hasn't been checked back at Splena, Renar!'

'Okay, Acher. Calm down. I'm sorry if I didn't told about the problem.'

Acher sighed.

'Just contact the second plane that we're going to catch them up at Lhasa instead of Peking.'

'Alright.'

Acher took out a knapsack while Renar operated the radio.

'Kalir, this is Renar. We have experienced an engine failure and we're forced to land in the field at the southwestern direction of your position. Be advised that we'll be delayed to reach Peking to conduct on-the-spot repair of our plane's engine.'

'Renar, this is Kalir. I copy that. We'll wait you in the rendezvous point at Lhasa. Stand by for ETA.'

Renar sighed.

'Acknowledged.'

He then switched the radio off and faces to his brother.

'I already contacted Splero's son.'

'Good. For the meantime, I'm going to hoist this flag.'

'Are you sure about it?'

'Don't worry about it.'

Acher then unfurled the flag from his knapsack. He took a long piece of wood that was on the ground and Acher tied on it before planting the flag onto the ground. The breeze make the Splenish Imperial flag flutter.

'There we go. If there would be anyone who might spot us, at least they know that we're not one of them.'

'I guess so.'

Renar then turned his head to one side and he could see a group of Tibetan mastiffs closing towards the plane.

'Hey, Acher.'

'What?'

'Are we armed or what?'

'We're armed with nothing more than our ancient Mauser C-96 pistols in our holsters. Why?'

'We got company.'

Acher turned around and he saw the mastiffs closing.

'Oh dear.'