The warm breeze was gentle, the setting sun painted the evening sky, and the fragrance of flowers drifted with the wind. Time always sped past for lovers. The young man and the girl embraced and kissed in the garden, shared their thoughts with each other, then hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, they watched the red sun sink down. At this moment, their hearts were filled with warm happiness, and even their smiles and eyes sweetened.
A loud eagle’s cry came from not far away, carrying with it a joyous note.
Xiulote paused slightly, then remembered the little golden eagle he had neglected. He turned to Alisa, asking with confusion,
"Alisa, where did little Aviloztli go? I heard its call on my way here from the Royal Palace and followed it to find you..."
"Little Aviloztli is by the fish pond eating fish, together with the little green snake."
Alisa blinked her eyes, smiled cutely. To prevent little Aviloztli from causing trouble, she had sent the little golden eagle to the fish pond in advance.
"Xiulote, I’ll take you to see the little fish!"
Arm in arm, shoulder to shoulder, leaning on each other, the two made their way to the fish pond beside the Royal Palace.
The fish pond wasn’t large but was dug quite deep. The tropical fish were extraordinarily vibrant, and watching their playful swimming had always been a favorite pastime of the nobility of the Alliance. Hundreds of fish shuttled about in the pond, golden, silver, blue, yellow, red... A myriad of colors intertwined underwater like a swimming rainbow.
The little golden eagle was squatting by the pond, holding down a small red fish under its talons, pecking at it now and then. Seeing the two people coming over, it tilted its little head, looked up, and let out a couple of happy cries.
Xiulote smiled, reached out his hand, and quickly flicked the little golden eagle’s head, provoking a disgruntled chirp. The little eagle shook its head, glanced at Alisa, and snuggled up to her for approval. Then, it flapped its wings, gesturing at Xiulote.
Seeing the little golden eagle complaining, Alisa’s eyes curved into a beautiful smile. Xiulote, gazing at the exquisite smile of the girl, felt his heart firmly hooked by those lovely crescent curves of her eyes and brows.
"Naughty brother, don’t bully little Aviloztli!"
Alisa reached out her hand, gently touched Xiulote’s forehead, and gave him a firm flick. Then, she looked at the bewildered young man and smiled playfully.
"Little Aviloztli has even sent me messages, it’s so clever!"
Xiulote rubbed his forehead, subconsciously reaching out his hand, touched Alisa’s tender face, and gently pinched it.
"If I can’t bully little Aviloztli, then I’ll bully you instead!"
The young man grinned, posing as a grinning coyote. The girl shrank her neck, pretending to be an innocent deer. The coyote chased after the deer, finally caught her, and then with a howl, bit onto her tiny face, and followed with a lick.
"Mm, mm... naughty... naughty brother!"
After playfully messing around for a while, the two finally stopped, panting. Xiulote wrapped his arms around the enervated girl, and only then remembered the topic they had momentarily forgotten.
"Alisa, did little Aviloztli successfully deliver back all the letters I wrote?"
"Mhm, they came back!"
Alisa nodded, her pretty face blushing.
"Little Aviloztli can fly seven hundred li in a single day, from the Kingdom of the Lake back to the Capital City. It even brought back a field mouse, having hunted during the journey. The letters it brought back were a bit wet; next time it would be better to seal them waterproof..."
Hearing this, Xiulote’s expression became thoughtful, and he pondered for a moment.
"Seven hundred li in a day’s flight! Golden eagles are so convenient and they don’t fear attacks from birds of prey. When I return to the Kingdom, I’ll raise several more in the Capital City and send them to Capital City as emergency messengers..."
Alisa quietly watched the handsome young man deep in thought. His eyes were like stars, his face as smooth as jade, and as he contemplated, he bore a majestic and resolute demeanor, like a pine standing firm. Unwittingly, the girl pressed against the young man’s chest again, hugging him tightly.
"Xiulote, from now on, I’ll be by your side, there’s no need for the golden eagle to fly such long distances..."
Xiulote snapped back to his senses and hugged the delicate girl in his arms, gently stroking her hair.
"Alright, alright! Alisa, you shall be by my side, and I’ll be by yours..."
Little Aviloztli cocked its head, puzzledly looking at the two masters in front of it. They were hugging each other, and now they were kissing again?... Curious, the little golden eagle watched for a while and shook its head. Then it felt a coldness on its feet, and a deep intimidating sound suddenly came from beside it.
Startled, little Aviloztli fluttered its wings, leaping two meters in an instant. It whirled around warily, only then realizing it was its old rival, the little green snake, which had just crawled up from the bottom of the fish pond.
After not seeing each other for four or five years, referring to it as "little green snake" might no longer be accurate. By then, the green snake had grown to over one and a half meters long, as thick as an arm. When fully extended, it was almost as tall as a person. The green snake swayed its head, measured up its old "timid" pal with its cold vertical pupils, and then looked at Xiulote, whom it hadn’t seen for a long time.
"Hiss, hiss?... Hiss, hiss!"
The green snake looked puzzled for a moment, sniffed vigorously a few times, and then suddenly got excited. It swiftly crawled toward Xiulote, soaking wet, leaving droplets in the grass. Then, with its tail propped up, it shot out, "whoosh," and coiled around Xiulote’s leg.
Xiulote felt a chill on his calf, looked down in surprise. He saw a thick viper tightly coiling around his right leg, then quickly slithering upwards. The fast-moving snake body glided over his body, bringing a cold touch, and a damp sliminess.