Dawn arrived on Golden Rooster Ridge with the lingering chill of unmelted snow. When the mountain wind swept through, shards of ice shook free from the pine branches and tinkled onto the ground. Snow was already awake, lining up the injured birds they had rescued the day before. She inspected them one by one with the seriousness of a teacher reviewing her young disciples.
"First learn not to fear. Then learn to fly."She gently patted a trembling sparrow fledgling and spread its wings. They were thin enough for the light to pass through, yet she held them with utmost care.
Not far away, Red was arranging formations along the cliff. He lit circle after circle of fire. Each ring tightened under his spell, closing like a flower folding into itself.
"If they fail to fly across, their bottoms will get roasted."Red kept a stern expression, though his voice carried a mischievous note.
The fledglings fluttered in panic as the heat rolled toward them, feathers flying everywhere. But with each frantic attempt, they managed to lift a little higher than before.
Kunxuan stood under a pine tree with his arms folded, watching the chaos with a lazy sway of his tail feathers. Snow suddenly shoved a half bald fluff ball into his arms.
"Elder brother Kun, your turn to be a teacher."Her tone was completely solemn.
Kunxuan looked down. It was a crane chick. Its thin neck curved like a ribbon, and its eyes shone as clear as glass beads. It gazed up at him, its pupils reflecting faint five colored light.
"Want to fly?"Kunxuan asked.
The crane chick nodded.
"Afraid of heights?"
The chick shook its head hard.
Kunxuan's lips curved slightly. "Good."
In the next instant, he lifted his hand and tossed the chick straight off the cliff.
Snow screamed in shock. "Kunxuan!"
She was about to sprint forward when Red grabbed her from behind. "Wait. Look."
Wind roared below the cliff. A sharp cry cut through the air. The crane chick's wings suddenly unfolded, and a thin sheen of five colored glow spread across them. It shot upward like a streak of light bursting from an abyss and rose back to Kunxuan's shoulder with steady beats.
The chick tapped his hair gently with its beak.
Kunxuan said calmly, "My disciple."
Snow stared at him for a long moment before exhaling in relief. "You train disciples like you are fighting a war."
Kunxuan raised a brow. "Birds are not afraid of heights. They are afraid of their own hesitation. If the heart is steady, even the sky is not high."
Throughout the day, more and more shadows moved between the cliffs. Old feathers dropped away and fresh ones unfurled in the wind. Fire circles tightened again and again, and the fledglings crossed them again and again. Snow melted under the sunlight, giving the cliff face a glossy sheen.
By evening, the ridge glowed under the warm colors of the setting sun. Countless small birds circled above the three of them. In the firelight their feathers sparkled, like a reverse meteor shower rising from the earth instead of falling from the sky.
Snow looked up with bright eyes. "They are not scared anymore."
Red wiped sweat from his brow and hoisted his pack. "Then it is time for us to move on."
Kunxuan picked up the last bird that had been practicing. With a gentle motion, he released it into the sky. The little bird rose higher and higher until it disappeared into the red clouds.
"Let us go," Kunxuan said. "Time to help bigger creatures stop being afraid."
The three of them descended along the ridge. Snow sparkled at their feet while the flock above circled and chirped, sending them off.
This was their first step toward the deeper reaches of the Eastern Sea, and the first moment they moved with the seamless bond of true brothers in the path.