Dancing in Pairs (Part One)

Deep within the Vastaya Deep Forest lies a tribe called Lotlan, inhabited by a wondrous Birdman race. ♤🎃 ♥😳

The Birdman race are the most numerous and complex of all the Vastaya races, because they are not as homogeneous as the Werewolf race, Sheepman race, or Simian ape race, but rather comprise many different groups.

Some branches are relatively young, while others have existed since ancient times; the Raven branch is one of them.

Birdman race generally yearn for a free and happy life, with the exception of ravens, who have had an important mission for countless years: to protect Vastaya Xerath.

There are many legends about Vastaya Xerath. Some say she is a tree, some say she is a god, and some say she is the forest itself.

In short, this secret is known only to the Ravens, who have never told anyone, and those with ill intentions who attempt to approach Vastaya Xerath are dealt with by the Ravens from afar.

To prevent their secrets from being leaked, the Raven race is very small, usually numbering no more than ten people. Under the protection of the Vastaya Xerath, their race has not degenerated, even though their numbers are small.

The story begins a decade or so ago, when two raven warriors fell in battle against a human mage, and the chieftain decided to replenish the ranks.

Due to the turmoil in the outside world, the power of Vastaya Xerath was affected, and the Raven Clan was also impacted. Of the five newborns, only one survived.

Unlike its predecessors, this newborn raven was entirely black, but rather purple, and it glowed red in the sunlight, so its mother named it Kasumi.

No one expected that Xia would become the last newborn member of the Raven Clan, and from then on, no more offspring were born into this clan.

Of course, as a warrior who protects the Vastaya Xerath, Xayah is definitely outstanding.

Because of the Raven Clan's mission, her mother often sent her to other branches of the tribe to find a sweetheart. However, Xia always refused, citing her young age. Eventually, she couldn't resist her mother's nagging and went out anyway.

Xia passed through the Glazed Sparrow tribe, the Green-headed Oriole tribe, the Red Mountain Pheasant tribe... These tribes had no shortage of handsome men, but none of them caught her eye. These men were all good at singing and dancing, but they were not qualified warriors.

Later, she met a strong member of the Golden Heron family. He had beautiful golden feathers and a firm, well-proportioned physique.

"Maybe this guy isn't so bad."

Xia followed cautiously at a short distance behind, needing to find out if this man could be her partner.

Unlike other birds that dress up beautifully to attract attention, the Golden Heron chatted with their friends.

Xia pretended to pass by and eavesdropped on their conversation, learning that the Golden Heron had single-handedly driven away a squad of human soldiers!

This was exactly the kind of warrior she needed! So she stopped and struck up a conversation with the Golden Heron:

You said you drove away a squad of human soldiers?

"Yes, little girl, have you fallen in love with me?"

"If what you're saying is true, I think so."

"Then come to my house, I'll give you an unforgettable night."

Golden Heron skillfully took Xia's hand, clearly a seasoned player in love, but he immediately turned pale with fright.

The Raven Clan, as guardians of Vastaya Xerath, have a special pattern tattooed on the back of their hands.

Throughout the Lotlan tribe, this symbol represents a high status. People may not recognize members of the Raven Clan, but they will definitely recognize this symbol.

"Raven... Warrior... I'm sorry!"

After speaking, the Golden Heron fled in panic, and its friends were also frightened and left the place, leaving only a bewildered Xia behind.

"What's wrong with the Raven Warriors? Are they really that scary? They're not as scary as human warriors, are they?"

Xia couldn't understand what was going on, but there was no doubt that she wouldn't be able to go home with the Golden Heron and spend a wonderful night together.

When she got home, she told her mother about it and learned that the Raven Clan held a dominant position in Lotlan, and no one could defy the Ravens' will.

The reason the male Golden Heron was so afraid was probably because he had done something wrong, or because he was a womanizer and could no longer be a libertine after marrying Xia.

He thought he had met a true warrior, but in the end they still couldn't be together. Perhaps his claim of single-handedly driving away a squad of human soldiers was just bragging to his friends.

And so, Xayah embarked on her search for a mate once again. Finding a true warrior in Lotlan was too difficult, after all, the bird people took pride in their songs and beauty.

If it weren't for the raven clan's cumbersome rules, she would rather find a werewolf or a lynx; Kasumi had thought this more than once.

A few days later, she met her ideal man again in the Golden Dove clan, which was quite far away. He was the kind of person who made her heart flutter at first sight.

This Golden Dove wasn't particularly handsome, but he was very cheerful and behaved appropriately, unlike those frivolous members of the opposite sex.

After a brief exchange, Xia discovered that he wasn't a soldier, but he really wanted to be one.

That's acceptable. If he works hard, Xia can teach him the martial arts of the Raven Clan.

Golden Dove showed great interest upon hearing that Xia was a warrior of the Raven Clan, as he longed to become the guardian of Vastaya Forest, and so he returned home with her.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Despite Golden Dove's hard work, he was simply too stupid. After more than ten days of diligent study, he still couldn't learn how to throw a feather. By the time he became a soldier, Xia would probably be old.

Summer slowly passed, and Xia hadn't met many men who stirred her heart. However, based on several less-than-perfect encounters, she summarized her criteria for choosing a partner:

Warrior.

This is ranked first because the raven needs to protect Vastaya Xerath, and her mate and offspring should be warriors.

Loyalty.

Lotlan birdmen are generally loyal in love, but this loyalty is limited to the process of raising offspring. Once the children grow up, they will most likely separate, while Xia wants a partner with whom she can spend her whole life.

Beauty.

Most bird people love beauty, but Xia doesn't expect beauty from makeup, dressing up, or singing and dancing. Instead, she expects a serious attitude and a resolute face.

Bold.

This is a new one that Xia recently added because she found that people would avoid her after recognizing her, and she didn't want her future spouse to constantly avoid her.

Xia originally had many other requirements, such as the golden feathers that she was most attracted to, someone slightly taller than her, and not being too fat, etc. In the end, she gave up these conditions, otherwise she might have lived a lonely life.

Every autumn, the Lotlan hold a grand song and dance party, and Xia attended it as well; she couldn't miss this day of the whole clan's gathering.

This proved to be the right choice, because she finally met her destined prince.