The sky was clear as they soared in it. Tang Yin happily twirling with a long braid falling down her back and dancing with her. A fishtail braid, silver embellishments, and flowers decorating it. Her ears had slender silver attachments, making them resemble elf ears, something Yin had internally digested, feeling a bit like a fairy whenever she wore them.

Her mechanical arm moved more slowly than her other as she danced in the sky next to Jiang, whose much larger wings beat rhythmically as he flew in human form next to her.

"Don't tire yourself out all that soon." He said, and she stuck out her tongue before falling in flight next to her. The two of them ended up laughing after a while as they were twirling around each other.

"Be careful, will you?" Jiang said. "It will be a long flight."

She blinked and then nodded. "I will, don't worry." She flew closer to him until the end of her wing touched his.

Their wings touched each other gently, as below them the clouds passed and the forest reached, before they spotted the wall and, from then on, found the deep forest as they flew deeper and deeper.

Yin wondered a moment how Xiao Wu was doing after all those years at Star Dou forest. She also wondered a moment how many humans had set food into the forest before this? Had she been bored, or how was life in the middle of a forest? Having spent most of her life in the city now, or near the sea, she wondered a bit.

The green passed by them until they spotted a small lake in the distance while the sun was already settling at the horizon. "We should take a break for the night," Jiang said, and tilted before lowering. "We are already deep enough in the forest that meeting spirit masters should be highly unlikely."

"Mhh." She said and followed him; at this point, she was tired. With sore wings and back, she landed on the mossy ground close to the sea. Rolling her shoulders and moving her legs, she heard her body creak. "Damn, I am getting old," she muttered and earned a smack on the back of her head.

"Don't be stupid if you are getting old, what am I, a mummy?" he grumbled. "Now help gather firewood and  then let us make ourselves comfortable."

"Sure," she said and then walked into the forest as she blinked as a small bird landed on her shoulder. He was uncommonly friendly, too.

"Hi," She said and then used one of her mechanical fingers to scratch its fluff.

An arm full of wood, and returned to the lakeshore. "Here we go," she said and put the wood down. "How much more do we need?" she asked him.

"We should be fine. You were slow," he said, and she smiled, pointing to her shoulder. "I found a small friend."

"Ah, I see." He said, and stretching out his hand, the small bird jumped onto it, and he smiled before raising his arm and releasing the small bird into the sky. "We will be getting guests later," he said, and then started the fire while Yin got out their stuff from storage. Tend, something to cover the ground with so she would not get wet, and two fluffly sleepbags.

Taking out two pieces of meat, she skewered them on two wooden sticks and then sprinkled a generous amount of salt and pepper on them before placing them over the fire.

"Your cooking skills have not improved at all," Jiang grumbled and took the meat, and then put a few more spices on it before putting it back next to the fire.

"My cooking skills are just fine, good enough to survive." She said, and then leaned against him as they both stared into the fire, enjoying the crackling sound and the heat emanating from it. "I wonder how Xiao Wu is doing." Tang Yin said, musing over the thought of how it might be to live amongst spirit beasts in the middle of a forest.

"I am sure she is doing fine," Jiang said with a mild smile on his lips. "Her brothers will take good care of her."

"Her brothers?"

"Titan Ape and Bull Python, the two of them are the guardians of the lake right in the heart of Star Dou Forest. They are amongst the emperor spirit beasts."

"Emperor spirit beasts?"

"Yeah, the ruelars amongst spirit beasts." He explained. "There is Di Tian, the head of the dragon clan. Emeral Swan, Ice Empress, and a few more; they are called the ten savage beasts."

"You one of them?" She asked, but Jiang shook his head.

"No. I am not even fully part of the dragon clan. I am the gravekeeper, more akin to a supreme pontiff like Bo Saixi than a spirit beast in position." He explained.

"Oh." She said and then threw another piece of wood into the fire. "I still hope she is fine. Do you think we might be able to reach the lake by tomorrow?"

"If the weather stays stable, yes." He looked up into the sky.

"Yay, nice," Yin said when Jiang handed her the meat, and she started eating. It was utterly delicious. "Damn yeah." She muttered. "You are definitely the better cook."

"I would be worried that you left alone cooking," he said when eating, and she huffed at him, swinging her wooden stick at him, daring him to say more.  After finishing their meal, the two ended up looking at him with a calculating expression.

Jiang laughed and then got up, running away in slow steps while she hurried after him, cursing his longer legs.

But both of them ended up giggling and laughing while running around, eventually falling to the ground. "Damn you, don't you dare call my cooking skills bad." She said in between breaths.

"I would never dare." He said, and she ended up with a wing over her. "Never."

She turned her head and grinned as she used her mechanical arm to flip him, including his wing. Until his wings were lying on the ground, and she was on top of him, grinning at him. "I'd say that is better for your health." She said. "I might take offense."

"Mhh. I see, I see." Jiang answered, and then his wing folded around her as he turned his head. "I don't want an audience, though." He growled, and Yin peeked out from beyond the wing.