Sky quickly became more than a pet — he became a shadow, a guardian, and
a strange echo of her heart. Within days, he began mimicking her voice with
uncanny precision, repeating commands, medicinal terms, even snatches of
her thoughts murmured in sleep.
The soldiers grew used to seeing Li Xian with the great blue-and-gold bird
perched on her shoulder or fluttering beside her in the tents. Some joked he
was her bodyguard; others believed he was a spirit watching over her.
Sky learned the rhythm of the camp. When injured men groaned in pain, he
would squawk, "Water! Water!" or mimic her soothing voice — "Hold still,
breathe."
Once, when a new recruit panicked at the sight of his own wound, Sky
flapped over and squawked, "Don't faint, fool!" The camp burst into laughter
— including the patient.
But not everyone laughed.
One stormy evening, as Li Xian prepared fresh poultices by the fire, she saw
a man sitting at the edge of the camp.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, and silent as the rain. His dark blue-black
hair was tied back in a war braid. A long scar ran from the left side of his
brow to his cheek, stopping just before the corner of his mouth.
He wore no insignia, no ribbons — but men moved around him with subtle
fear.
General Yuwen passed by and said, "That's **Ren Xu. The Man of War. He
doesn't speak much, but when he fights, mountains move."
Ren Xu was said to have come from the western frontier, where he lost an
entire battalion and returned alone.
Li Xian approached him quietly. She offered him tea. He didn't look at her,
but Sky — without command — flew down and landed beside him.
The great warrior blinked. Sky tilted his head.
Then softly, the bird said, "Lonely."
Ren Xu didn't flinch. But his gaze dropped to the fire.
From that night on, he sat closer to the healer's tent. Never speaking. But
always nearby.
Li Xian never pressed him.
She spent evenings beside Sky, who now curled at her side like a dog,
preening her hair with his beak. She began writing small poems and tying
them to Sky's leg, letting him fly between tents to deliver messages to
soldiers who were too ashamed to come for treatment.
The bird brought comfort where words could not.
She whispered to him one night, "You were caged once. Like I was. But now
we fly together."
Sky nuzzled her cheek and replied, "Fly