He returned to the Stone Terrace beneath the old pine on the mountaintop and instinctively curled up, trying to coil into a circle as he always had.
His four claws tangled clumsily together. Only then did he remember that he had changed; he was no longer the snake who could coil into a perfect circle.
He felt a little regretful.
Oh well. He bent his body a few times and made do, settling onto his belly.
His enormous head rested on the cool green stone tiles.
A soft flutter of wings landed beside him. Xiao Yu folded her wings and craned her head closer, staring curiously at his four new claws.
She tilted her head this way and that, examining them from every angle and counting under her breath.
"One, two, three, four. Four toes, just as I thought."
There was a note of satisfaction in her voice at having confirmed her guess.
Jin Si turned his head to face Xiao Yu.
Seeing something held in her beak, he looked closely and found that it was folded white paper.
Its corners had been folded with exquisite care. Its outline resembled a little bird with outspread wings, which wobbled and gently flapped as though trying to break free.
Curiosity flickered in his vertical pupils. Where had she picked up this strange little thing?
"What is that?"
Xiao Yu spat the folded paper down beside her claw and pinned it in place.
"I don't know where it flew in from. It might be a messenger paper crane. It kept circling around here, so I caught it."
After a moment's thought, Jin Si's primordial spirit left his body and took the form of a little boy in coarse cloth and straw sandals.
He reached for the paper crane.
His fingers had barely touched