Early summer brushed over the waters around Jinao Island. The wind moved like a child waking from a nap, gliding softly across the sea. Waves fell against the reefs one after another, as though knocking on an ancient drum. A faint layer of spiritual energy floated in the air, thin enough to seem imaginary yet real enough that one could not help taking a deeper breath.
Snow and Red had just finished their day of cultivation and stepped out from the Turtle Spirit Saintess's dwelling. Three years had slipped by quietly, like clouds drifting with the breeze. As they walked along the stone steps near the shore, their hearts carried a calm that had not been there when they first arrived.
Snow suddenly stopped. Her ears stood straight.
"Did you hear that."
Red inhaled lightly, his brow shifting. "I smell something. Burnt feathers."
They followed the scent past the pine forest until they reached a moss covered boulder. Lying beside it was a white crane. Its feathers shone like morning dew, but its clumsy movements made one hesitate to call it graceful. One wing was stuck in a hollow of a tree trunk, its long legs kicking in the air, and several charred feathers lay scattered on the ground.
Red watched for a moment, then asked, "How did you manage to set yourself on fire."
The crane lifted its head, its eyes hazy. "I was practicing fire. It grew too strong and burned me."
Red rubbed his forehead. "A natural born simpleton."
Snow instead found the scene amusing. She stepped forward and eased the crane's wing free. When the crane stood, it was taller than the two of them. Its long neck bent slightly as if trying to hide whatever dignity it had left.
"I am not a simpleton. I only have trouble with directions. And my fire is unstable." The crane sounded painfully sincere.
"What is your name." Snow asked.
The crane thought for a moment. "Others call me Dull Crane."
Red laughed so hard he crouched down. "The name is as honest as it gets."
Just then, a gust of sea wind swept through. The crane's feathers fluffed up in chaos like an old quilt shaken open and whatever pride it still held drifted off with the wind. Standing there, it looked almost pitiable.
"Can I go with you. I do not want to live alone here anymore."
Red was ready to refuse, but Snow's eyes brightened. She took out her hypnosis staff and, while the crane was still confused, tapped it gently between the eyes.
The spell settled like a thin mist. After a few breaths, the crane's eyes narrowed into soft slits. It stood obedient and still, like a young bird caught in gentle hands. "I am willing to follow my master."
Red stared. "You really mean to take it in. Its mind seems a little dangerous."
Snow stroked the crane's head with a hint of pride. "It might be slow, but its spiritual roots are fine. With us at least it will not die by its own hand."
The crane murmured softly. "Master. I will do my best not to burn myself."
Red sighed. "All right. We will consider it another companion."
The sun sank toward the sea, stretching their shadows across the ground. Snow with her upright ears, Red with his gently curled tail, and a tall, muddle headed crane walked side by side along the path leading deeper into Jinao Island.
None of them knew that this absent minded crane would one day become a quiet yet decisive piece in a battle that shaped the fate of gods.