Hu Xiaotian said, "That precious?" He thought to himself, Yet you and your fellow disciple already have three of these precious creatures.
Xia Changming said, "The three Snow Eagles my senior fellow disciple and I have were gifts from our master. To make a Snow Eagle obedient, you must train it from a young age. My lord, you must have heard of keeping a hawk awake to break it?"
Hu Xiaotian nodded. He had heard of this method of training hunting hawks. The trainer kept the hawk from sleeping, wearing it down until it was exhausted. Hawks were fierce by nature, so after capturing one, the trainer denied it sleep for several days straight, grinding away its wildness. Breaking a hawk this way was no easy task; it was a contest of willpower and endurance between both sides.
Xia Changming said, "Snow Eagles are even more wild and unruly than ordinary birds, so you must put in several times the effort and resolve. But once successfully tamed, they remain utterly loyal to their master and follow him even unto death."
Hu Xiaotian said, "Are Snow Eagles the only birds you can ride? Are there other kinds?" He had discovered many strange new species in this era. Perhaps there were even larger birds.
Xia Changming said, "Yes. There is a creature called a Flying Owl, twice the size of a Snow Eagle, with a wingspan of around four zhang. It is fierce and even harder to tame, and extremely rare. They live on small islands out at sea. I have never seen one myself. My master said he had the good fortune to see one in his youth, but Flying Owls have probably died out by now."
Hu Xiaotian sighed. "That is what happens when people neglect wildlife conservation."
Xia Changming