29. A Shock
A dense fog was still hanging over the Valley of Peace when Dao woke up this morning. Although he had brooded for a long time last night, the morning rays lured him out of sleep. But a slight rattle in the yard also caught his attention. Still a little tired, he got out of bed and went to the window. Below, he saw Mr. Pong loading some sacks onto his cart. In the next moment, Mr. Ping approached his brother.
"Pong? What are you doing there?" the gander asked.
Pong stopped for a moment. "Oh, you know, my wife and I thought I'd drive first. Because it could be something with our restaurant. And someone has to keep things running." He turned away again, but that didn't stop Mr. Ping from stopping him from leaving.
"Please don't go," he pleaded. "I know we had an argument, but that doesn't mean you have to fold up your snack bars right away."
"Why not?" Pong replied with a bitter undertone. "We'd be in each other's way most of the time anyway."
Mr. Ping swallowed. "Well, I think it's normal that brothers don't always agree."
There was a period of silence while Pong swung the next sack onto the cart.
"I was thinking about something yesterday," Mr. Ping began again. "And I have to say, my first criticism was kind of unfair."
Pong paused. "Then you like what I'm cooking?"
Mr. Ping rubbed his feather fingertips nervously. "Well, there were some interesting things there. For example, I didn't know that curry is a mixture of different spices. I always thought there was a curry tree for that."
A smirk crossed Pong's beak.
"Anyway," Mr. Ping continued. "While I was thinking about this, I had to think about Po."
Pong raised his feathered eyebrows in wonder. "What does Po have to do with my kitchen?"
"Well, back when Po left my kitchen to become a kung fu warrior, I was afraid I would lose my business. I was completely stunned when, from one day to the next, he suddenly found himself living in the Jade Palace. For the first time in 20 years, Po had not been in my kitchen. But later I realized that the more people wanted to see the Dragon Warrior, the more people would come to my restaurant. In fact, he even contributed to the operation with his reputation. For example, with the new Dragon Warrior-sized dumpling dish and my idea for tofu. So, we pepped up the store together."
Pong made a beak. "And what was that speech about our father yesterday?"
Mr. Ping sighed. "I don't want to make father unhappy. But I'd be even more sorry if we both made each other miserable." He looked down and turned away sadly. "But if you want to drive, then you can drive."
Pong frowned after him. "Tell me, are you already planning a new noodle dish?"
Mr. Ping paused. "Well, I have to settle in with my latest new dish yet, which I redesigned."
"Oh yes, the new dumpling soup was a little spongy. You'd have to make the dumpling dough a bit more stable."
Mr. Ping looked at his brother in surprise. "You tasted my soup?"
"Yes, the pot stood there and then I took a spoon. I also want to know what you secretly cobble together in the kitchen. It's not really my taste, but I have to say that you're still very good at cooking."
Mr. Ping raised the corners of his beak. "Thanks. Hey, should we sit down and cook something together? At least for the kung fu festival. I mean, the festival is coming up and I wanted to make some spring rolls. Do you have an idea what we could add?"
Pong frowned. "I could use the recipe for a dip I heard from Vietnam. Have you ever thought about making sweet dumplings? Or rice with sugar?"
Mr. Ping looked like he was about to vote against again, but then he seemed to think it over. "And if we add it with some cookies to smear the sweet stuff on, then we've got a perfect combination." He patted his brother on the shoulder. "Let's go into the kitchen."
Pong jumped up. "Absolutely!"
Together, the two ganders ran into the house while Dao, who was still standing at the window, followed them with his eyes. Then he thoughtfully leaned against the wall of his room and stared at the ceiling.
Shen hadn't exactly had the best night. As soon as he woke up in the morning, he couldn't get back to sleep. In contrast to Yin-Yu, who was still sound asleep next to him.
After a while, the white peacock could not stand being in bed any longer and got up, leaving the room as quietly as possible. He went to the boys' room, where Sheng also had his bed. However, when Shen peeked into the room, he immediately noticed that Sheng's bed was unused. Then he remembered how Yin-Yu had told him that his son would sleep at the Jade Palace. Thoughtfully, the white ruler closed the door again and went into the kitchen. He had little appetite and he didn't know what to do now, but he didn't want to just sit around either. So, he quickly put something in his mouth and left the house. The streets were still empty, which was fine with him. He disliked being among common people. But Shen had barely moved a few meters from the front door when he heard a familiar girl's voice behind him.
"Papa, where are you going?"
In surprise, Shen turned to his little daughter. "Why did you get up already?"
Shenmi rubbed her foot on the floor in embarrassment. "I don't know. I couldn't sleep."
Shen raised his eyebrows. "And what about your sister? Has she got up yet?"
Shenmi made a throwing wing movement. "Oh, she's a late riser, you know that. If she doesn't have to get up early, she sleeps late. - Where are you going? Can I come with you?"
Shen bit his lower lip. He didn't want her to see how he might get into arguments with others again. Either he would counter Dao's sarcasm, or Sheng, who certainly hadn't forgotten yesterday's discussion.
"I don't know where I'm going yet," he finally answered. "And as long as I don't know, you stay here and wait for your mother. You can come later."
He stroked her little head. But Shenmi wasn't happy about this sentence.
"Why can't I come with you now? We could look for something together."
Shen looked down a little. "Not today. But later, I'll pick you up and then we can do something together."
Shenmi tilted her head a little disappointed, but her big sister had often hinted to her that adults sometimes think a little differently than children.
"Do you promise?" she asked.
Shen nodded. "I promise. Now please go into the house."
Shenmi did as her father asked, but she gave him a hug before running up the stairs. Shen looked after her in wonder for a while. Then he thought how relieved he was that he had children like that. His thoughts wandered grimly to Xiang's unborn child and he hoped he wouldn't get into trouble with it in the future.
Po hadn't had the best sleep either. No sooner had the gong sounded in the Jade Palace than he was on his feet on time. He wolfed down his food in a way like his five friends had never experienced before and then immediately he wanted to go down into the valley. His friends offered to come along. But before they could run down the stairs, they were stopped by Shifu in the gate.
"Po!"
The panda had to stop so abruptly that he almost tripped over Master Shifu. "Oh, good morning, master," the panda greeted enthusiastically. "I'm sorry, master. But I have to go urgently! It's because of an urgent matter."
"I know Po."
The panda looked at his master in amazement. "You already know? But where from?"
Shifu's gaze wandered to Crane. The bird ducked his head in embarrassment.
"He teased it out of me," the feathered master defended himself.
Po gave him an understanding nod. You couldn't hide anything from Master Shifu if he wanted to know something.
"But this isn't going to be a serious matter, is it?" Po asked insecurely.
At that moment, Master Storming Ox and Master Croc also appeared.
"Oh, good morning," Po greeted, raising a paw and waving.
But Master Ox didn't look like he had had a good morning. On the contrary. Rather, he gave the impression of having gotten up on the wrong side of bed.
Po tapped his index fingers together, intimidated. "Anything wrong?"
"Where is Sheng?" Master Ox wanted to know.
"Uh Sheng?"
"Yes, he hasn't been in the rooms."
Po looked over at his five friends for help, but even they had no idea where he might have been. Finally, Po had no choice but to shrug. "Well, no idea. Nobody has seen him since last night. I assume he was still talking to his father."
Shifu's eyebrows drew together. "Look for him."
Po felt relieved from this questioning and went to the gate. "Okay, let's do it." He saluted and was about to jump out when he paused again. "Uh, you don't want to ban them now, do you?"
The masters were silent.
Po jumped up. "Hey, that's not fair! Just because Shen and I had a row doesn't mean the two of them have to spoon up the spoiled noodle soup. Or do you want to make a whole heap of dumplings out of a small noodle?"
Shifu gently twirled his long mustache. "Are you sure that Shen agrees with that?"
Po winced and wanted to protest again when he felt Tigress's paw on his shoulder.
"Po, I think the masters just want to be delicate about this whole thing," she reassured him.
The panda thought for a moment. "But it's not sure yet. Maybe Sheng will find another girlfriend. We're all just exaggerating!" Po smiled mischievously and backed towards the stairs. "Why don't we just sit down together in a cozy yoga group and meditate away the whole thing? Hey, the kung fu festival is coming! We should all be happy about that!"
"It's good that you mention it, Po," Shifu caught the panda's last sentence. "Because we will come down to the valley later. Make sure you have both Sheng and Dao with you. Not that we have to look for you later."
Po's jaw dropped briefly. "Why also Dao? I thought, we settled everything with him."
"Not really," Master Ox joined the conversation again. "What is his role in making claims to the throne?"
Po frowned helplessly. "Mm, okay, well, but he didn't give me the impression that he was going to go back to Gongmen City instead of Shen... He literally fled from the palace... That his father had died in the meantime was a real shock to him. And he keeps blaming Shen."
"It's good that you mention it," Master Ox agreed. "Because we'll get to that today."
Po pressed his lips together. Why was he such a chatterbox today? Finally, he thought it best to end the discussion as soon as possible. "Don't worry, they'll be there. Guaranteed." With that, he hastily withdrew under the skeptical gazes of the masters. His friends followed him after they had bowed to the masters. It wasn't until the six kung fu friends were halfway down the stairs that Po slowed his pace and was now jogging rather than running.
His friends stopped and looked at him in surprise.
"Something wrong, Po?" Viper asked concerned.
"No, I just... somehow, I imagined my first festival as a kung fu champion differently."
When they finally reached the valley, Tigress figured it was best to track down Sheng and Dao first before there was any more trouble with the masters. Po agreed. However, when they got to the house where Dao was staying, they found only an empty room.
Po frowned. "Uh, where can he be?" A terrible suspicion crept over the panda. Or had the peacock stayed away all night?
"So, he'd been here," Viper remarked with her good sense of smell. "Even a short while ago."
"Maybe he's going for a morning walk," Mantis suggested.
Po looked questioningly at Tigress. Then he shrugged. "Okay, we'll find him somewhere. We can check on Sheng on the way."
It surprised Shenmi to see the Dragon Warrior and his friends standing in front of the door after hearing the knock on the apartment door.
"Po!" Cheerfully, the white peacock girl jumped up into the panda's arms. Po caught her with a smile.
"Hey, up so early?"
"Papa is already gone," Shenmi added, which in turn caused Po's renewed uncertainty.
"So, why?"
Shenmi shrugged. "I don't know. He said, he wouldn't know where he wanted to go."
Po exchanged a quick look with his friends. Then he nodded when he noticed that Shenmi looked at him uncertainly from the side. "Okay." He put the girl back on the floor. "Is your brother Sheng there? We still wanted to talk to him."
"He's not here either," Shenmi explained.
Po's jaw dropped again. "Not here? But where is he then?"
"I don't know. Nobody tells me anything."
Po wasn't comfortable in his fur, but then immediately he put on a broad grin again. "Okay, well, he'll show up somewhere. Until then. See you!"
He pushed his friends outside while Shenmi waved after them.
"Was that Po?" she suddenly heard her older sister's voice behind her. Xia was still in her pajamas and rubbed her still sleepy face.
"Yes," Shenmi confirmed. "They wanted to speak to papa and Sheng, but I told them they weren't there."
Xia raised her eyebrows. "Sheng isn't there? Didn't he go back to the palace?"
Shenmi was getting tired of all the questions. "I have no idea," and shrugged vigorously.
Meanwhile, Po was back on the street with his friends. The panda crossed his arms helplessly. "Where are they all? Does that have any meaning?"
The Furious Five looked at each other questioningly.
"Better we go find them," Monkey suggested. "Shifu still looked really annoyed today. I wouldn't want to risk teasing him any further if something happened somewhere else."
"Even just before the kung fu festival," Mantid added.
"Let's spread out," Tigress decided. "Would that be okay with you, Po?"
The panda nodded and held up both thumbs. "It's an excellent plan. They can't have disappeared." Although he secretly hoped that they wouldn't catch them in a skirmish.
"Alright, Crane, you fly," Tigress instructed Crane.
"I could crawl back to Dao's apartment and pick up his trail," Viper offered. "That shouldn't be a problem for me."
"Why you Dao?" Po asked, frowning. "We're standing in front of the other's apartment. Why don't you pick up their trail? Maybe Shen went to look for Sheng."
"But there are two tracks," Viper objected. "I can't share myself."
"Leave her, Po," Tigress objected. "In the meantime, Mantis and I will search the northern part of the village and you and Monkey can take over the southern part. If someone has found the other one, we will meet again here."
"Okay," Po gave up and formed the second search team with Monkey.
Tigress and Mantis parted ways, and Viper also went her own way.
"Hey!" Po exclaimed in surprise and stopped abruptly.
Monkey paused. "What's the matter, Po? Did you find any of the three?"
"No, but look there." The panda pointed to a wooden bench on which King Wang had made himself comfortable. The Hun king had folded his hooves over his stomach and seemed to be dozing.
"Morning, Wang!" Po greeted.
The ox looked up. "Oh, morning."
"Did you stay the night here?" Po asked.
"You could put it that way," Wang replied and stretched extensively.
"But why here?" Monkey wanted to know.
Wang nodded forward to a specific house. "I had made up my mind to keep an eye on Xiang. He seemed too nervous to me. He even got up in the middle of the last night and wandered aimlessly."
Po and Monkey looked over at the house.
"Oh, they live up there?" Po wondered. "Okay, but... do you think he's planning something... well, sneaky?"
King Wang let out a snort. "I don't know. This peacock is a mystery to me sometimes. I wonder how his wife puts up with him. Although he seems to get along better with Dao."
Panda and monkey looked up in surprise. "Huh? What makes you think that?"
Wang shook his head. "Well, I only saw from afar that they talked to each other in the night. The conversation didn't last long, but at least there was no argument."
Po frowned thoughtfully, like he had for the umpteenth time that morning. Somehow it all struck him as rather strange.
When Wang had nothing further to report, he and Monkey decided to continue their search.
"I just don't understand what this is all about," Po murmured to himself. "Hopefully, there won't be another catastrophe before the festival." He swallowed hard and didn't want to imagine how Shifu would torture him for that.
Liu blinked. She was still very tired from last night, but gradually she became more awake. Her first glance was at Xiang, who was lying peacefully beside her. At least, he hadn't had any more nightmares. Slightly relieved, she slid away from him to check on the egg. But no sooner had she turned than a bolt of lightning shot through her.
The shell had a very, very small crack.
"Xiang!" She shook his shoulder vigorously. "Wake up, wake up! The baby is coming!"
Xiang wasn't immediately awake and barely understood what Liu was shouting at him. The peahen had already jumped out of the bed and moved to the opposite side of the bed where she could get a better look at the egg while standing. Excitedly, she waved Xiang over. "Come on. Don't you want to look at your child?"
A little unsure, Xiang slid over the edge of the bed and hobbled over to her. Both watched as a small hole appeared in the shell. Liu became very excited and kept wondering if it would be a boy or a girl. Xiang shared her anticipation only to a limited extent and would have preferred to leave the room.
Following Dao's trail hadn't been a problem for Viper. Still fresh, it led the snake to a cluster of magnolia trees. Viper stopped when she spotted the white peacock among the falling bright pink petals. He had his katana again and was swinging it around.
"He moves like in a dance," Viper thought.
The blossoms of the magnolia buzzed around Dao with his swings in the air, which he performed with his katana, which reminded Viper a little of the dance performances she used to do since she was a child.
Viper didn't want to bother him and would have liked to watch him longer, but then she accidentally bumped into a rock while crawling backwards. Immediately, Dao jumped up and landed hard on the ground in front of her, holding the tip of his katana in front of her face.
"What do you want here?" he asked sharply.
Viper gave him an apologetic nod. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to disturb you. But we've been asked to look for you. The masters wanted to talk to you."
Dao narrowed his eyes. "Why?"
Viper twitched her upper body muscles. "I think, they'll tell you that. We don't know it."
They held eye contact for a moment. Then Dao pulled back with a snort. Viper dared to move a bit in his direction, not taking her eyes off his katana in the wing. Dao seemed surprised at her behavior.
"Aren't you afraid of me?" he asked.
Viper looked at him with narrowed eyes. "My father was once protector of this valley. I'm used to any kind of company. Even those who are still a blank paper."
Dao turned to her with a somber expression. "Even though I have a brother who once wanted to destroy you? Or have you forgotten that?"
"I know what your brother did," Viper admitted. "And also what he was up to."
Her scales rippled a little at the thought of how she was once held captive with her friends on Shen's warship, and how he had prepared her for her impending death. Viper didn't even want to think about what would have happened if Po hadn't survived Shen's cannon shot.
"But I never judged him," she quickly objected.
Dao seemed less convinced. "Is that because you made the decision on your own, or because of your friend the Dragon Warrior?"
Viper brooded again. Why didn't she harbor a grudge against Shen? Or was it...
"Well, but so much has happened," she finally said.
"What? Just because he's taking care of small children now?" Dao pronounced this sentence a bit derogatory. "But what about when they grow up? Will he still be as tame as a dove then?"
Viper inclined her head at the comparison. "Maybe you should get to know him better first." She smiled at him.
Dao looked at her in silence for a moment, then he averted his eyes from her bitterly.
Viper sighed softly. "Would you like to stay here a little longer?"
Dao waved his sword thoughtfully. "I don't know. Basically, I don't even know what to do in the future."
Viper looked at him pitifully. "You could try to start over."
"And where?"
The snake didn't immediately have an answer to that. "Well, I don't know either. Perhaps the masters know a solution."
"Hey, Dao, there you are!" Po's voice suddenly called over to them. "I was afraid you..." The panda swallowed the last part of the sentence, but Dao knew what he wanted to say.
"What? That I'm fighting with my brother again?"
"Uh, not really," Po said sheepishly, looking over at Monkey for help. "It's just that Master Shifu is a very strict...er...very tidy organizer and needs to know exactly who's doing what at the kung fu festival."
"What is required of me?" Dao asked in a peeved tone. "That I should stay quiet and good in my room?"
Po shrugged. "Uh, no idea. Better we ask them."
With that, he grabbed Dao's sleeve and pulled him along. "Come on. Then we will have it all behind us."
Thoughtfully, Liana strolled through the village. She hadn't seen Sheng since last night. As she made her way to the royal family's guest apartment, something caught her eye in a back alley. She knew those long feathers. She left the main street and entered the alley. Sheng sat behind a few wooden boxes and leaned against a house wall.
"Sheng? Are you alright?" She bent over the piebald peacock. To her relief, he blinked.
"Mm, oh... Morning, Liana," he greeted, still quite sleepy, rubbing his face hastily.
"What are you doing here? Don't tell me you stayed here all night."
"Probably yes. I must have fallen asleep."
Liana sighed heavily. "Is it about last night?"
"Mmm? Oh, not really." Hastily, the peacock rose and smoothed his robe. "I just had to think a lot."
Liana bit her lower lip. "To be honest, me too."
Sheng looked at her in surprise and immediately he felt a stomachache. "How so?"
"Well, like how we behave when the festival is over."
"Oh." Sheng had almost forgotten about that. But sooner or later he would return to Yin Yan City again, and Liana to southern China again. The peacock pressed the lips of his beak together. He liked Liana very much, but did he want to risk an eternal discord with his father?
"Then you think it best that we make this quick and painless before it gets complicated?" he said quickly, again hoping she hadn't heard him.
Liana raised her eyebrows. "Did your father say so?"
"No, it's just... I'm just saying we're from different backgrounds. Not that I have anything against your family, but how is it going to be with us then?" Sheng would have preferred to avoid this question, but if he didn't address it now, then when? He had racked his brains about it all night and finally he wanted clarity.
The goose girl tilted her head slightly. "Do you really want to marry me one day?"
Sheng blushed under his feathers. "I... I... know... mh. We… we've only known each other for a few days…" He felt his mouth went dry again, which made it very difficult for him to speak.
Liana seemed to notice his trepidation and gently she touched the tips of her finger feathers. "Well, I've been thinking about it..."
Sheng thought he would faint at any moment. But how embarrassing would that be if she thought he was a slacker? Especially, he was a kung fu runner-up.
"... and I would think twice about it..."
"Okay, it was a crazy thing," Sheng cut her off and wanted to pass her, but at the next moment, he felt his arm grabbed.
"No," Liana pushed him back again. "It's just that I just don't want to commit myself just yet. You know, to be honest, you're the first one for..."
Sheng looked at her expectantly. "What?"
"I would just get to know you better."
Sheng unintentionally narrowed his eyes. "Is there a specific reason for that?" Thinking of the argument his father had mentioned. Did she only like him because he wasn't poor?
He winced violently when she took both of his wings in hers. "That's exactly what I want to find out. Just to clarify the question, why do we want to be together?"
Sheng would have liked to have answered that immediately with: Because I like you. But how was he supposed to know that she felt exactly the same?
"We could write to each other regularly," Liana suggested.
Sheng swallowed hard. "Would you then like to meet me again sometime?"
She smiled. "Or cooking together in the kitchen?"
"Uh?" Sheng blushed again. "The one from last time had almost worked well."
Neither of them had noticed that they had been watched for quite a while. Shen had followed Liana after spotting her on the street. Now he was crouching low on a house roof and was looking down at them.
"Shen? What are you doing there?"
The white peacock jumped as Po's voice echoed up to him. Not only the panda stood on the street, but also the monkey, the snake and next to them Dao.
His brother folded his wings. "Does he always act like that?"
"Father?" Now Sheng had become aware and went to the side of the group. "What are you doing up there?"
Shen jumped back down as fast as he could. Then he hastily adjusted his robes and raised his head with dignity. "I have done nothing."
"You were listening," Sheng complained.
Fearing that things might escalate again, Po immediately raised his voice in triumph. "HEY! Well, at least we're complete now! Now we just have to wait for the masters."
Shen raised her eyebrows. "Why?"
"Er... not because of you," Po said defensively. "The masters just wanted to talk to them." He pointed between Sheng and Dao.
"And why?"
"Oh, nothing serious. Just a few formalities… Hey, Crane!"
At that moment, Crane flew over their heads. "Call the others!" Po cried to him. "We have both here."
Crane nodded. "Alright."
And before anyone in the circle could say anything, Po was waving his arms with exaggerated enthusiasm. "Hey, since we're so nice together, how about a cozy round of questions?"
Monkey covered his face with his hand. "Po, I think that was the wrong sentence," he murmured under his breath.
Liu tapped her foot restlessly. Not much had happened since the small hole appeared in the eggshell. Nothing moved inside either.
"It's taking a long time," she murmured nervously. "Or is that normal?"
She looked at Xiang questioningly. He looked away, offended.
"What do I know about it? You laid it."
Liu narrowed her eyes. "And who else is it from?"
"As a mother, you must be familiar with it," the peacock said defensively.
Liu sighed. "Maybe it will help if I peel off the eggshell a little."
Gingerly, the peahen put her finger feather tips to the edge of the pecked hole and gently and carefully lifted the eggshell.
A gander was watering his flowers in the flowerbed next to the house. Suddenly, there was a loud scream of indignation. Startled, the gander dropped the watering can. A heated argument ensued shortly thereafter.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" a male voice roared.
The gander didn't understand the rest. Barely a minute passed that was filled with loud words that sounded like malicious accusations, closely followed by a woman's pleading voice.
Just as the gander was about to pick up his watering can, he dropped it again when a peahen ran past him, completely upset.
There was a gloomy mood at the breakfast table. Shenmi had lost in thought again and Zedong listlessly stirred his bowl. Only Xia and Jian ate their food well.
Yin-Yu looked worriedly at Zedong. "Zedong, don't you want to eat anything?"
"I'm not hungry," the young peacock murmured.
Yin-Yu sighed. She already knew why not.
At that moment, Fantao stormed into the dining room. He just got some dumplings from the table, stuffed them in his mouth and ran back to the door. "Bye!"
"Fantao, where are you going?" his mother called after him.
"Mr. Ping wanted me to paint something for him in the courtyard."
"Can't this wait until after the breakfast?"
"Then there are too many guests," Fantao objected. "Small children could smudge the fresh paint. Until then."
With these words, the peacock boy was already gone.
Fantao had just walked a few meters from the house when he noticed Liu running down the street unusually fast. In the wings, she held what appeared to be something wrapped inside. The peacock boy was about to greet her, but something about Liu's pose struck him as odd. The peahen didn't seem to register anything in her surroundings. She kept her eyes downcast, hugging the bundle tightly. As she walked past him, he thought he heard her cry. He followed her with his eyes and saw her running into the house and up the stairs to their apartment.
Fantao was about to jump after her, but then he thought it best for his mother to do it. He didn't like to see adults cry. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he ran down the street towards the restaurant.
Yin-Yu heard someone running up the stairs.
"Fantao, did you forget something?"
But instead of an answer, all she heard was a loud, gasping gasp.
Worried, the peahen went to the front door. She was startled to see Liu leaning in the door frame, breathing heavily.
"Liu, what's the matter? Is something not right?"
"I... I don't know," Liu managed to choke out. She looked completely confused.
Yin-Yu laid her wings on her shoulders for comfort. "What happened then?"
Only now, she noticed the tears on her cheeks.
But instead of saying anything, Liu opened her wings and showed her something she was holding wrapped in a blanket.
Yin-Yu involuntarily flinched and stared at it in bewilderment. Inside was a little creature. But it was completely powerless and weak. And - it was white.