Blossoming Path

I woke up with a start, gasping as my eyes flew open, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it would break through my chest.

My bed. I was in my bed. The familiar scent of herbs and woodsmoke clung to the air, and I could see that the sky was pitch black outside.

I sat up, rubbing my eyes. The last thing I remembered... Tianyi. The forest. That strange form with her wings.

"Was it just a nightmare?" I muttered under my breath, running a hand through my hair. Maybe I had been overworked. Too much training, not enough sleep. It wouldn’t have been the first time my mind played tricks on me.

Just as I started to convince myself that I’d imagined it all, something darted toward me with such speed that I barely had time to react. I jerked back, scrambling against the headboard as a scream tore from my throat.

It wasn’t a dream. She stood by my bedside, her wings fluttering rapidly, her too-large eyes wide with concern. That same unsettling, too-perfect smile stretched across her face, frozen there as if she wasn’t entirely sure how to change it.

"I’m... sorry!" she said, her voice quiet but carrying that odd echo, almost too clear for this small room.

I stared at her, heart still racing. She looked at me with those mesmerizing eyes, alien and human at the same time. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. What was I supposed to say? What could I say?

Windy, curled up near the foot of my bed, flicked his tongue out lazily. He gazed at Tianyi for a long moment before turning away with an air of indifference. Typical. He didn’t seem to find her new form worth any more of his attention.