Chapter 55: Chapter Fifty-Four Qiongen

Without hesitation, he threw himself into that eagle, naturally.

The sky is blue and the earth vast.

He slid along the mountain rock, crossed over high mountains, waded across the slowly flowing streams, saw Athos, Leila, and others stationed with their horses; it leapt past, slid through the thorny thicket, surged upward, gracefully brushed over the peak's rocky hill, and slid toward him toward the fish-beam wood of a color he could not define.

He saw himself.

He leapt down and perched on his own arm.

He opened his eyes; the surrounding crows scattered in an uproar, leaving only one tilting its head to look at his male eagle.

He wanted to smile at it, but the male eagle rose again and flew away.

It felt more real and more satisfying than in the dream.

"I've entered it," he said excitedly to Ke Lei De, "The world through its eyes is completely different from ours—for example, the mountain is not this color..."

"Qiongen..." he said hesitantly.

Qiongen followed his gaze, looking at the short flute in his hand, or rather the broken flute would be more appropriate.

It was gradually losing its color, weathering bit by bit; in a moment it was like a burnt branch, leaving ash that drifted away with the mountain wind into the valley.

The broken part lying on the ground remained shattered; Qiongen carefully picked it up, held it in his hands, and then buried it together with the Children of the Forest.

"Qiongen, do you think it's enough?"

"Perhaps. However, this eagle's size is one notch smaller than that of Varamyr or Orell's eagle; it may not be a match for them."

"But this eagle looks brave."

"Indeed."

"Do you think you could enter another eagle's body, or just any bird? What about other animals?"

"I think it's impossible."

"Why?"

"That eagle might have grown up in Winter City, possibly having seen us." He gave a wry smile, "It likes cured beef."

"How do you know?"

"I..." Qiongen didn't know how to express this feeling, "Cured beef is a method my sister created; if it had never been to Winter City, how could it like it?"

"It stole your meat to serve you; that's fair." He brushed off the dust on his hands, stepped onto the hill, "Let's hurry; tonight we'll celebrate in the old man's hall."

Having said that, he went around the soldier pine and jumped down from that rock.

Qiongen glanced again at the Heart Tree; its leaves swayed with the mountain wind, the crows hopped back onto the branches, squawking at him.

He felt the leaves beckoning to him.

The carving on the Heart Tree was dignified and silent.

It must have seen many people come and go, and just as many leave.

He followed Ke Lei De away.

They returned by the original route, crossing the stream's deep gullies, passing through the thorn‑filled forest, trudging down the slope; what had been a distant stretch now felt much closer on the way back.

All along the way he was immersed in an indescribable sense of history.

Soon they emerged from the vines hanging down the side of Giant Stone Mountain.

Athos saw them come out and shouted, "How so fast! Did he drive you out?"

Leila, Bei Long, and the other warriors all surrounded them, all with the same question.

"He's already dead," Ke Lei De said.

"Then wasn't this a wasted trip?" Athos complained angrily, throwing down the piece of wood in his hand.

To prevent Athos from continuing to shout, Qiongen quickly gave everyone a rundown of what had happened, thereby calming them down.

"Haha, Qiongen, let me see your eagle?" Athos turned from anger to joy.

"I feel it's a bit far," Qiongen was saying, then in an instant he felt he had entered the eagle, "uh..."

After making that tremulous sound, he felt his consciousness begin to leave his body; following the sensation of the leap, he located this group of people, and as he jumped down he actually forgot how to steady himself, and began to tumble on the ground before everyone's eyes.

Athos laughed loudly.

Qiongen also felt embarrassed; he quickly steadied himself in the bird's body, gave a flap of his wings, flew onto Athos's shoulder, swayed a few times there, and then steadied.

Athos winced in pain, was a little afraid, but actually managed to hold still without moving.

"Is that you, Qiongen?" Athos asked, turning his face to him.

"Chirp..." he naturally could not speak.

"Wow, amazing, amazing!"

"Can you still feel your own body, or are you only in the eagle's body?" Leila asked.

"Chirp..." inside the bird's body.

He flew up again.

"Inside the bird's body. When I'm inside its body, I can feel my own body, but I can't speak with my own body; there's something in between." After a while he replied, "But I think, with some training, it will be fine."

"It looks like this mission was completed quickly and well," Leila said.

"What a pity. I just laid out the blanket and set up the small tent." Athos akimbo, "Should I make a cage for your eagle?"

"No need..."

"Hurry up and pack, we're returning to Ha Ke Lai." Leila walked away, went to her horse, and began packing her things.

On the way back, Qiongen often involuntarily entered the eagle's body, frequently unable to answer those around him; in the end they gave up trying to talk to him.

When the gray clouds began to cover the sky and light snow fell, the eagle voluntarily landed on Qiongen's shoulder, swaying with the horse's steps. Qiongen felt that to steady its form it exerted great effort, its talons seeming to have hooked into the flesh of his shoulder.

"Qiongen, falconers usually use an eagle harness to protect their bodies. Returning to the clan, I'll ask for you," Ke Lei De said.

Qiongen couldn't stand it, he drove it away; he didn't expect that the instant it took flight would actually make his shoulder hurt more. He felt the eagle was deliberately flying so violently.

"Ke Lei De," Qiongen said while rubbing his shoulder, "Although this eagle is brave enough, its size is too small; it may not be a match for the enemy. We also need to recruit falconers, hoping that when the time comes we can jointly hunt down the enemy."

How much do you need?

The more, the better.

It's a bit difficult, but I'll try to get Haklay to coordinate." Cred sighed.

Since that's the case, I'll also ask the old man to coordinate." Athos said.

Cred glanced at Athos.

When I was young, I wanted to hold a yellow hawk, but in the end I could only keep a few hunting hounds. Qiongen, I've heard that using hawks for entertainment is for great nobles, while using hawks to hunt in the forests is for small clans.

Is that so?" Qiongen didn't understand. "Isn't Haklay a great noble?

Qiongen, Feylint isn't even a great noble, let alone Haklay. Moreover, raising a hawk takes so much effort—I don't think Cred can even afford to keep so many of his own children." Athos interjected, "Five of them!"

Shut up, you stinking wretch!" Belon glared.

Have I been lying? If you want to feed your younger siblings, you have to work harder! Hmph!" Athos replied without fear.

Cred glared at Athos.

Winterfell has no dedicated falconers, but the castle does have dedicated falcons.

Do you have any difficulties?" Qiongen asked.

Although I am Haklay's son, I have already split from my brothers and am no different from the other ordinary herders of the clan. I'm not saying this because I hold any grudge against Haklay or Rickard. The forest clans' lives are harsh, and winter is already upon us...

He patted the blanket draped over himself, shaking off a layer of fine snow.

Qiongen, never mind helping the Wall for now—you need to get your sister to take in the forest folk: elders, youths, even women. The winter market can't hold that many people; we don't know how long the food we've gathered for winter will last, but if winter drags on, people will surely starve. Better to starve than to follow your sister into battle and die fighting!

You speak nicely. Will you willingly starve? Before you starve, you'll have already come to loot Feylint." Athos said.

Cut the nonsense!" Lyanna shouted at him. "Can Feylint feed everyone?

Clyde, I've promised grain and furs in my sister's name. As long as—" Qiongen gradually felt a bleak sorrow in the snow.

Qiongen, we all know what the promise entails, but a promise is just a promise. When winter comes, even if your sister had more gold, giving them more still couldn't buy enough food to feed all these northerners.

Qiongen had never experienced hunger or lack of clothing while in Winterfell, and he had never even realized how destitute the northern clans were. They are far worse off than Winterfell.

The same goes for the wildlings or freemen beyond the Wall; moreover, they have no stored food to last even half a winter, and in their view, the provisions needed for this winter are all stored in the granaries of the castles south of the Wall.

This contradiction cannot be reconciled, and besides, behind them are the Others. Conflict is inevitable.

Qiongen, humans multiply, learn, and grow faster than the children of the forest, which lets us defeat them—this is the gods' revenge on the forest children, but it is also the gods' curse on humanity. It gives us wisdom and the power of compassion, so it torments us with winter and limited lands, watching us triumph only to turn on ourselves, with kin starving, sick, or freezing to death beside us, without end. This has persisted for thousands of years, perhaps longer, and may continue for thousands more, perhaps even longer.

Cred, what are you saying!" Athos shouted.

Qiongen himself couldn't help but look doubtful.

Fuyin doesn't believe in the old gods, nor the southern seven gods. He believes in no god at all, so he chose to leave his kin and self-exile. He believes that the gods are deceiving living beings behind the scenes.

Why?" Is it related to food?

Qiongen felt Cred had sunk completely into sorrow. He hadn't cried in front of Fuyin; now he...?

If the spirits weren't deceiving them, the children of the forest could still live happily forever in the mountains and forests.

They are few in birth, long-lived, need not worry about food, and can spend their lives singing in the trees or beneath their roots.

Even if ice and snow covered the land for decades, they could still survive via underground mushrooms and warm hot springs, unharmed.

When winter ends and the ice thaws, they can return to the earth. Moreover, they can always communicate through the fish‑weir wood scattered everywhere, conversing with all surrounding living beings. No conflict, no strife.

You say, could a person, a living being, have a happier way of life than this?

After death, they can still return to eternity via the fish‑weir wood; even death is full of comfort.

He revealed a deep envy.

If Fuyin believes in no god, why does he think it's the gods..." Qiongen thought, noting the contradiction.

It's not the same meaning, Qiongen." Lyanna said.

Cred nodded slowly.

The gods envy the forest children, using humans to bring them disaster. But humanity itself bears a far heavier curse than the forest children.

Is that what you just said?" Qiongen asked.

Limited land, suspicion, jealousy, and other innate traits—these shouldn't be blamed on the gods. The gods gave humanity far greater reproductive power than the forest children, but the harsh environment makes us struggle forever: we either die in endless cycles of conflict, battle, and war, or we slowly suffer, wail, and perish in ice and disease, generation after generation, without cease, utterly ruthless.

Is that what Fuyin said?

He accepts this reasoning. He accepts that it is the gods' shackles placed on humanity, that it is the gods' prank. He says he can feel it, but is powerless.

A prank?" Qiongen thought.

Hey, it's clearly just that you can't raise your own kids and yet you blame this and that—how shameless!" Athos said impatiently, raising his voice.

Belon's face flushed with anger, but he didn't know how to vent it.

Let's first survive, then look for a chance to break the shackles." Qiongen felt Cred had sunk into sorrow, glanced resentfully at Athos, and offered words of guidance.

But such words are like snowflakes drifting past one's ear—trivial, and even their essence remains cold.

You're right, Qiongen." He gave a grim smile. "Perhaps someday someone will be able to break the shackles." Then he sighed, "I hope your sister can buy plenty of grain.

Most important is to defeat the King Beyond the Wall, Mance Rayder. Qiongen." Lyanna said.

Hey, second most important is to beat that, that, the lord of the Dreadfort." Athos said.

Qiongen laughed. "I only take care of the most important." The rest I'll leave to her.

I'll take care of both." Athos laughed loudly. "The weather's cold, so we must dig our roots deeper into the earth. So much Feylint— I can handle it too!

Amid the drifting snow and ice, Athos' passion was like hot liquor.

Little Belon, which are you in charge of?" Athos goaded him. "Or go home and walk the dog?

What's the big deal? I too..." Belon looked at his father, saw him nod, and happily laughed, "I'll take charge of everything just the same!