"Come on, come on, dinner's ready,"
said Hexia, ringing a small bell as she crouched on the grass, watching five little birds just out of the thermal box. These five little ones were covered in fluffy grey down, wobbling on their feet, occasionally falling onto the grass before climbing back up. Following the girl's call, they came before her and chirped.
Hexia opened her palm to reveal the glistening pale yellow 'grains of rice' - an advanced technical blend of bird feed with all the various nutrients the little birds needed, quite comprehensive.
The five little ones pecked at the food in Hexia's palm, scrambling for the tasty morsels. Occasionally they would flutter their tiny wings and let out little cries.
The birds' beaks were not sharp; their pecking induced a ticklish sensation in Hexia's palm. She endured it, stroking the five little birds with her other hand to familiarize them with her presence.
"Meow~" Not far away, a ginger cat leaped down from a tree and approached Hexia, staring at the five little birds with curiosity.
Facing this unexpected visitor, the Indigo Snake revealed itself, coiling up and blocking the cat's path, watching it warily and sending out warning signals.
Confronted by the suddenly emerging Indigo Snake, the ginger cat sprang aside, then clambered back up the tree, cautiously overlooking the scene below.
As an animal active within Yuanting Academy, most are not ordinary creatures. This ginger cat possessed the strength of Sequence 2 and usually led a laid-back and comfortable life, not as ferocious as a stray cat.
Realizing the snake below was clearly of a higher rank, Sequence 4, the ginger cat grew much more apprehensive and tense. After watching for a short while, it nonchalantly walked away as if it were just passing by.
Hexia noticed this little sideshow but didn't turn her head to look; instead, she continued to tenderly touch the five little ones with her fingertips, sensing their health.
They were all quite good, with no apparent congenital defects.
After the inspection, seeing that they had eaten almost enough, Hexia clenched them in her hand and put them back into the transparent thermal box.
It was still winter in the Northern First District. An occasional excursion was fine for them, but she feared a prolonged stay outside would be too cold for the little ones.
Carrying the thermal box, she headed towards the back mountain of the academy. The ground was covered with fallen leaves, in pale yellow, gardenia yellow, and goose yellow, all layered beautifully over the grass and paths. Occasionally, some rocks and treetops retained snowflakes that hadn't melted, offering a hint of freshness.
In the North First District, surrounded by mountains, even in winter, the cold was not too severe. It was rare to see snow accumulating without melting.
As she walked the path, Hexia occasionally saw students running. Of course, they were not alone; often accompanied by their companions, she saw creatures such as orange long-haired dogs, robust grey rhinos, sleek white impalas, and occasionally even crocodiles and large scorpions.
While Hexia admired the morning scenery between the mountains, a sound made her turn around, followed by a sensation of something patting her calf from time to time.
A large dog with a coat of pale yellow and deep apricot circled around her feet, its wagging tail occasionally touching Hexia's legs. The aforementioned patting sensation had come from this.
"Come back, Sausage, stop embarrassing us," A girl, slightly older than Hexia, stood not too far away calling for the dog, hoping it would return quickly.
However, the dog seemed indifferent to its owner's call, still enthusiastically circling the girl and sometimes sniffing around.
The girl across had to come over. She had deep chestnut hair and wore a coffee-colored coat with black long cotton stockings wrapped around her slender legs.
"I'm sorry for the intrusion; I'll take him away now," she apologized, bending over before grabbing the dog's ear and dragging it away.
Because of the pain from his ear being tugged, the dog had no choice but to back away, emitting a few whining sounds as it did.
"You won't behave, huh? No sausage for you today," The girl patted the dog's face with her hand. At the threat, the dog whimpered, as if begging for forgiveness, and then the girl and the dog walked away.
Watching this scene, Hexia chuckled, and then continued on her way with the thermal box.
Arriving in the deeper parts of the forest, the air grew chillier, with more snow piling up by the roadside, and not a person in sight.
Finally, Hexia stopped on the edge of a cliff. She looked behind her and around, then, holding the thermal box, she leaped down. Her body fluttered across the wide valley like a light feather and landed on the hill across. Then she proceeded, ascending the hillside, until she reached the top of the hill, where she could see the beautiful orange sun in the distance.
Setting down the thermal box with the five little ones inside, Hexia took out a flute and sat on a clean rock. She took a breath and began to play slowly.
The principles between instruments and music are largely interconnected. After learning the violin, Hexia went on to learn the cello, guitar, piano, and now the flute.
The bamboo flute with tassel tail swayed gently in the morning breeze as Hexia blew into it. As she played, faint white hexagonal snowflakes spread across the rocks beneath her.
First there were specks of white stars, then they began to spread, crystalline snowflakes overlapping one another to form fluffy snow.
At first, it was just around her; then it spread to encompass the hill, and further, reaching down the slope. The once leaf-covered forest gradually came under a blanket of white snow, continuing all the way to the base of the mountain.