Page 99

Finally, the day of the Eldest Cub's birthday arrived. Tao Qiu used the excuse that she needed to read quietly to persuade the children to go to the bottom of the valley to play before she started making the "cake".

Strictly speaking, it's a food platter tower.

Tao Qiu drew a sketch herself, planning to use a leavened egg pancake as the base, layer several layers of meat that Eldest Cub likes to eat on the pancake, then surround the edge with fruit, and use black pear leaves to cut out a small black bird in the middle, and use shredded radish to spell out the words "Happy Birthday Tao Mo" below the little black bird.

He was very satisfied with his design. As for whether he could actually make it, who cares? He'd just start doing it first.

Tao Qiu was working hard in the cave, while the three baby birds were having a great time playing at the bottom of the valley.

As temperatures continue to rise, the baby birds, unconcerned about getting their feathers wet, love to soak in the water with Tao Qiu.

The pond that Tao Qiu initially dug was too big for the baby birds and not suitable for them, so he dug a smaller one next to the pond according to the size of the babies so that they could bathe in it. He carefully paved the ground and built the edges with stones, and planted a few small flowers next to the pond.

After the three chicks came down, they first played hide-and-seek in the tree to improve their eyesight and hunting skills. When they got hot, they went to take a bath and even imitated Tao Qiu by splashing water with their wings to have a water fight.

Tired from all the commotion, the second and Third Cub wanted to go to the grass to eat fruit, Eldest Cub said he wanted to soak a little longer.

The second Third Cub cubs didn't think much of it. They turned their backs to the Eldest Cub, ate fruit, chatted, and waited for their feathers to dry.

The Eldest Cub lay by the pool, listening to his sisters' chattering. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier; he didn't even know when he had fallen asleep.

These days, he not only eats and sleeps more, but also seems to be more sensitive to heat than his father and sisters. His fan is always on the highest setting and for the longest time, but no matter how much it blows, he still feels unbearably hot.

It wasn't the heat from the outside, but rather the heat inside his body, like boiling soup, bubbling and gurgling, which required drinking lots of cold water and blowing on cool air to bring it down even a little.

He didn't think it was a big problem, so he didn't tell his father, afraid that his father would cut himself to feed him blood.

The temperature has been high lately, and he didn't seem to be feeling hot, so his father noticed anything amiss and kept it a secret until today.

Even though he was soaking in the water, he felt that his body temperature hadn't dropped much at all, so he didn't want to get out.

In his sleep, Eldest Cub's vision was filled with darkness. He seemed to be trapped in a cocoon, his whole body bound and squeezed, and even the air was getting thinner and thinner, making it hard for him to breathe.

If we don't escape, we might die.

If I die, I'll never see my father again.

The will to survive urged the Eldest Cub to grit its teeth, forcefully pry open the calluses with its hands, and kick with all its might with its feet.

I don't know how much time passed, but Eldest Cub was covered in sweat and almost exhausted.

But he never once considered giving up.

Just then, a tearing sound, like flesh being ripped apart, came from somewhere. The force binding him loosened, and light shone down from above.

The Eldest Cub instinctively raised his hand to shield his eyes from the blinding light.

The arm in front of him was slender, with delicate, fair skin, and a plump, childlike feel. The five fingers were slightly spread apart, like newly sprouted bamboo shoots, short, small, tender, and soft. Even the fingernails revealed an innocent cuteness.

Drowsiness washed over Eldest Cub again, and before she even had time to notice that her paws seemed to have changed, she drifted off into a sweet dream.

Tao Qiu scooped the flatbread out of the pan, the sound of flapping wings and two sharp bird calls came from outside the cave.

The two cubs, Erzai and Third Cub, with their fur still damp from the sun, stumbled in and flew straight at Tao Qiu.

"Chirp! Chirp!"

--Dad! Brother!

Tao Qiu quickly went to catch the two baby birds.

"What happened? What's wrong with the Eldest Cub?"

Second child. "Chirp chirp!"

My brother is missing!

The Third Cub: "Chirp! Chirp chirp!"

--Someone! A tiny person!

Tao Qiu was completely confused by the two of them: what little person and what brother had disappeared.

Seeing the two baby birds' panicked expressions, Tao Qiu knew they were probably wondering what was going on. Without hesitation, she grabbed the two sisters and ran out of the cave, flying towards the pond at the bottom of the valley.

When Tao Qiu stood under the pear tree and looked at the black-haired little boy sleeping soundly in the small pond, she felt as if the world had suddenly become quiet.

He could no longer see or hear anything else; all he could see was the chubby baby in the pool. He could clearly see the baby's clenched fists, the chest rising and falling with each breath, and the eyelashes trembling slightly.

The child's face bore a striking resemblance to Tao Qiu, clearly indicating his identity.

Tao Qiu knelt down by the pool, staring blankly at the Eldest Cub who had turned into a small doll. Her mind completely went blank; she had absolutely no idea what to do next.

The second and Third Cub hadn't fully recovered yet. They were happily eating fruit when they turned to call their brother to come ashore, as soaking in the water for too long wasn't good for his health.

But to their surprise, instead of Brother Blackbird in the pool, a tiny figure they had never seen before appeared.

This was too much of a shock for the two chicks. They never even considered that the little person might be their brother in disguise. They only thought that their brother was missing, which is why they rushed off to find their father in a panic.

They calmed down a bit and, looking at the little boy who looked so much like his father, vaguely understood something.

The little one, as if afraid of breaking the eerie silence, whispered, "Chirp chirp?"

--Is this my older brother?

The Third Cub also lowered its voice, chirping softly.

--That should be true.

After saying those two sentences, the two baby birds fell silent.

The father and his two daughters stared intently at the Eldest Cub for a long time, until Tao Qiu was covered in sweat and her legs ached from kneeling, before she finally freed one hand to lift the Eldest Cub out of the water.

A one-year-old child is already quite big, not to mention that the Eldest Cub is developing quite well, tall and heavy.

To make it easier for Tao Qiu to hold the Eldest Cub, the second and Third Cub jumped out of his arms. After all, they could fly too, so they didn't need their father to hold them.

Back in the cave, Tao Qiu used a towel to dry Eldest Cub's body, put him on the bed, and covered his belly with a sheet.

Throughout this process, Eldest Cub slept soundly without even frowning. If it weren't for the fact that his body was warm and he was still breathing, Tao Qiu would have thought he was a fake doll.

Tao Qiu, holding her second and Third Cub children, went to the side to talk.

Tao Qiu said, "It seems you have also inherited my ability, and can now transform from bird form to human form. This is a good thing; it will be beneficial for both survival and daily life."

As he spoke, he used a small comb to preen the feathers of the two baby birds.

The little one looked at Tao Qiu with bright, sparkling eyes. "Chirp chirp?"

Can my sister and I become human too?

Tao Qiu smiled and said, "If my brother can do it, you can too."

The two little ones cheered, "Chirp chirp!"

--Very good!

There was also expectation in Third Cub's eyes.

They wanted to become human, not only because it would make survival easier, as their father said, but also because they wanted to follow in his footsteps.

The Eldest Cub didn't wake up until night, so Tao Qiu could only share the egg pancakes with the second and Third Cub children, and make more for the Eldest Cub when he woke up the next day.

They are sleeping in the cave tonight.

Because of the hot weather, the baby birds stopped nestling in Tao Qiu's arms after the start of summer and instead slept next to him.

Today, the Eldest Cub transformed into human form, and Tao Qiu, the second child, and the Third Cub were all very concerned about him, so they surrounded him in the middle to let him sleep.

It wasn't until almost noon the next morning that the Eldest Cub slowly woke up.

He groggily opened his eyes, his vision gradually clearing, and then he saw three heads above him, and three pairs of bright, piercing eyes.

"Ugh!" The Eldest Cub was startled and suddenly sat up.

He wanted to ask why his father and sisters were staring at him while he slept, but when he opened his mouth, instead of a clear bird song, a muffled "ah ah" sound came out of his throat.

The Eldest Cub froze, finally realizing that he seemed different from before.

He looked down at the familiar yet unfamiliar body and limbs, his mind going completely blank.

Tao Qiu brought a mirror and placed it in front of Eldest Cub's face, smiling as she said, "Still haven't realized it? Come on, you've turned into a human!"

The second cub chirped excitedly.

--Brother, you can turn into a human just like Dad! That's amazing!

The Third Cub laughed, "Chirp, chirp."

--But he's still a little cub, not as tall as his father.

The Eldest Cub saw a human boy in the mirror with black hair, green eyes, and a face as white and round as a boiled egg.

He stared wide-eyed, and the boy in the mirror stared wide-eyed too; he pursed his lips, and the boy in the mirror pursed his lips too.

He raised his hand and pinched his own cheek.

"Hmm..."

Pain!

Tears welled up in the Eldest Cub's eyes, and a red mark appeared on his fair face.

Okay, now he can confirm that the person in the mirror is him.

"Ouch, baby, you're so hard on yourself." Tao Qiu gently stroked the Eldest Cub's flushed face.

Children's skin is delicate; even a light touch can leave a mark, let alone when the Eldest Cub pinched so hard.

He moved too fast; Tao Qiu didn't have time to stop him.

After the pain subsided and he fully regained consciousness, the Eldest Cub's lips curled up, and his eyes shone brightly.

He can also transform into human form!

"Ahhh..." The Eldest Cub wanted to speak, but he didn't know how to pronounce human sounds, so he could only utter these meaningless syllables.

But Tao Qiu could still tell from his expression that he was excited and happy.

Tao Qiu picked him up and said with a smile, "Daddy understands, Daddy understands! You're happy, aren't you? Daddy is happy too, our Momo has become even more amazing!"

The Eldest Cub wrapped his arms around Tao Qiu's neck and buried his face in the crook of his shoulder.