The Great Eagle on the Utility Pole

It was already very late, and Zheng Qing had to go home.

Although he had graduated from high school and was almost an adult, with a certain degree of freedom, he was still using his parents' money, so he still had to listen to what his father and mother said.

After downing a glass of beer as an apology, he got on his bicycle and headed home.

The night was deep, and the sky was filled with gray clouds that never seemed to disappear. Forget the stars, even the moon rarely showed its face. In this major coal province, over the past decade or so, buildings had kept getting taller, roads had kept getting wider, and the colors on the streets had become more and more vibrant. The only thing that never changed was the small patch of sky above everyone's heads, which remained gray and hazy.

The bicycle wobbled as it turned into a small alley.

This shortcut could bypass three streets, greatly shortening his trip home. The alley was very deep, and few people walked through it at night. The dim yellow light from the streetlamps, which hadn't been cleaned in a long time, added a few more eerie touches to the atmosphere.

"Creak, creak..." The old bicycle let out helpless groans under Zheng Qing's forceful pedaling, sounding especially loud in the quiet alley. Zheng Qing glanced angrily at the broken basket on the front of the bike, thinking that he would definitely find time to fix it when he got back. No matter what, at least it wouldn't keep making noise when he rode it.

"Flap, flap..." The sound of wings flapping came from a nearby telephone pole, followed by a few lazy, clear calls. Clearly, the rattling old bike beneath Zheng Qing had disturbed these little animals' rest.

Feeling a bit apologetic, Zheng Qing turned his gaze to the telephone pole not far behind him, embarrassed by his disturbance of their sweet dreams.

"Squeal!!!" The old bike let out a sharp screech as he braked.

Zheng Qing propped one leg on the ground and twisted his head to look back.

He swore that a huge black figure was standing on the telephone pole, like a person crouching with their back hunched. But those emerald-green eyes were especially distinct in the pitch-black night, very much like the big wolfdog at his grandmother's house.

He blinked, shaking his head, which was still dizzy from the alcohol.

As if sensing Zheng Qing's gaze, those emerald-green eyes shifted slightly, their focus landing on him. Then, in his stunned expression, the figure elegantly extended a pair of enormous wings and flapped them lightly.

Taking a few deep breaths, then exhaling heavily, Zheng Qing rubbed his face, which was a bit swollen from drinking, and finally felt a little more clear-headed.

He looked up again, but those emerald-green eyes had completely disappeared. All he could see was the gray sky and the streetlamp not far away, glowing with a pale, sickly white light.

The dark mouth of the alley in the distance seemed like a wide-open maw, mocking Zheng Qing's eyesight.

Reaching into his chest, he grasped a gray, palm-sized pouch in his hand. By the dim light of the streetlamp, he could vaguely make out the golden patterns on its surface. Above his head, a tuft of ahoge trembled uneasily.

A great eagle.

Zheng Qing recalled it over and over, finally confirming that it must have been a great eagle.

Although he didn't know why an animal that lived in the mountains would appear in the city, thinking back to the old owl he had seen on campus as a child, he felt relieved.

Since even an old owl could leisurely hang on a school tree branch all day, then a great eagle squatting on a telephone pole for a while shouldn't be a big deal. After all, who could say for sure that these creatures from the deep mountains wouldn't take a break to come into the city for some relaxation?

Without the groaning of the old bike, the surroundings fell back into dead silence. The noise from the main street not far away seemed to be miles away, distant and ethereal.

"Ooo..." A soft, eerie cry suddenly rang out in the alley. Zheng Qing immediately felt his hair stand on end, and a cold sweat broke out involuntarily. His previously dizzy head snapped back to clarity. At the same time, a heavy pressure suddenly filled the entire alley, making him hold his breath without thinking.

For a long moment, nothing happened, but that oppressive feeling only grew stronger. Zheng Qing slowly took a breath, and amidst a sudden burst of rattling and clanking, he stomped hard on the pedals a few times. The old bike shot forward, trying to escape this suffocating atmosphere as quickly as possible.

Although he was reluctant, Zheng Qing admitted his cowardice deep down. After all, darkness has always been humanity's eternal nightmare, even in today's world of electric lights. No matter how much lighting technology develops, it can never give people the same sense of security as the sun.

He was still a few dozen meters from the alley's entrance, and he could already clearly see the cars speeding past.

A piercing cry rang out. Before he could react, a huge black figure had already entered his sight. Accompanied by a dull thud and a cloud of dust, another smaller figure slammed heavily into Zheng Qing, rolling into a sand pile by the roadside.

"Thump!" Zheng Qing fell heavily to the ground with his bicycle, but he didn't have time to complain. He scrambled up with a quick roll, and a stack of yellow paper had somehow appeared in his hand, the bright red cinnabar marks on it glowing faintly under the dim streetlamp.

He glanced at the sand pile beside him. A fluffy big tail twitched weakly.

"Ooo~~" The cry from not far away clearly expressed anger.

Zheng Qing, who had just gotten up, quickly looked toward the sound. On top of the telephone pole by the roadside, the great eagle from before had somehow returned, staring at him with displeasure.

From a height of about ten meters, illuminated by the simple streetlamp hanging on the pole, Zheng Qing could clearly see that the great eagle's feathers were bristling, and its entire body seemed several times larger than before. With its wings slightly spread and its head held high, it was clearly up to no good.

"So fierce..." Feeling the great eagle's emerald-green eyes, Zheng Qing muttered a low curse and quietly stepped back two paces, trying to sneak away. But he didn't notice the huge sand pile behind him. As he stepped back, his foot sank ankle-deep into the sand.

"Damn!" Zheng Qing grew even more irritated. How unlucky could he be? Was it just because he was a little late getting home? He had just bent down to take off his shoe and clean out the sand when the sand pile suddenly erupted. Caught off guard, Zheng Qing was showered with sand all over his head and face.

"Fuck!" Anyone pestered by one piece of bad luck after another would feel a surge of anger needing an outlet, especially since the alcohol he had downed not long ago was slowly releasing its power.

Following the sand pile upward, under the streetlamp, a small dog with slightly yellow fur was baring its teeth at the sky. The dog was about a foot tall, with fluffy fur and narrow eyes that were bright and spirited. Its ears were a bit large, like a Pekingese's, but strangely stood up, like a wolfdog's. Looking more closely, Zheng Qing saw that this little dog was clearly pregnant, and many places on its fluffy fur were matted together, faintly stained with blood.

The facts were clear. Zheng Qing easily filled in the plot in his mind.

That great eagle, out for a random stroll, had taken a liking to this pregnant little dog and was planning to have a snack, but the little guy had managed to break free. Seeing the situation clearly, Zheng Qing let out a long breath. The stack of yellow paper in his hand had somehow disappeared.

"Fuck it!" All the pent-up anger, fueled by the alcohol, turned into boundless energy. He reached down, grabbed a piece of broken brick from the ground, turned his head to look at that evil great eagle, and threw it with all his might.

Although his aim with a fastball was never very good, with the target not far away and quite large, the threat was still considerable.

The broken brick flew silently past the telephone pole and, amidst the great eagle's sharp screech, smashed viciously into a window on a nearby building.

"Crash..." The crisp sound of shattering glass drained all of Zheng Qing's pent-up anger, and also startled the great eagle into taking flight.