The little courtyard was utterly quiet. The young hunter ate in his room while the old woman sat alone in the courtyard, grieving.
Like countless other Winged People households, life in the mountains was always fraught with danger and helplessness. They had long grown accustomed to it all, except that she had an even heavier burden to bear.
Mother and son depended on each other for survival. Who knew how much longer this life would continue? Perhaps things would grow livelier once her son married and had children?
As her thoughts wandered, pounding footsteps sounded outside the courtyard, followed by a booming voice. "Xingkong, bad news! The visitors from the Wing Court have reached an agreement with the tribe. They're going to the Ancestral Temple to open the coffin, all for that pearl!"
The door flew open. The young Winged man's hair and beard bristled, his eyes wide with fury, a steel fork gleaming coldly in his hand.
"If they want to open that coffin, they'll have to ask my fork first!"
Several young Winged men who had just returned from hunting rushed about in a flurry, ready to charge straight to the Ancestral Temple, when the old woman called out behind them, "Wait!"
Xingkong stopped and turned, grief and indignation on his face. "Mother, they're going to open my sister's coffin!"
Grief showed on the old woman's face. Having lived sixty years, how could she fail to understand the workings behind this? But this was not the way to stop them. The sons and daughters of the tribe had a resolute streak; even an old woman had her own fierce spirit.
"You can't go like this. There are too few of you. Shanzi, go find Ninth Granduncle and bring out the hunting parties. Dazhuang, find Grandpa Huangtu and have