Deep within the ancient wilderness, dense forests loom silent and shadowed, saturated with heavy Yin energies. Poisonous creatures skitter in the underbrush, and the low thunder of beasts shaking the woods echoes across the air. The stench of savage predators lingers, filling men with dread to the core of their bones.
“Aaaauuuugh…” A titanic roar surged from deep within the mountain range, rumbling like thunder, causing great boulders to tumble forth and echoes to roll back and forth in cascading intensity. Trees swayed violently, tossing forth clouds of leaves under its forceful impact—a colossal savage beast roamed in the distance.
A group of pale children had already journeyed a fair distance from Shi Village—they had sneaked out in spite of their elders—entering this elder wilderness known as Lao Lin. Thank the Heavens they had not entered the real lairs of ferocious beasts yet.
“Da Zhuang Ge, the mountains are too perilous and we’re still just babes. We cannot advance further,” one of them trembled, caution in his whisper.
Having grown alongside such a treacherous forest, their village’s natural wisdom made danger instinct to these young hearts. Even the previous generation knew that treading its depths carried fatal consequences.
There were over a dozen of them, with Shi Da Zhuang as their leader: thickset eyebrows shadowed over round eyes, giant limbs built of muscle akin his own namesake’s stature, nearly reaching men’s heights—he had lifted thousand jin copper tripod in feats before.
He turned his question to someone else nearby. “Xi Hou, how further is it?”
Xi Hou, better known as Shi Zhong Hou, was reed-thin with an uncanny, wiry muscularity, sharp instincts sharpened from survival within ancient forests, who replied briskly:
“Uncle Lin Hu and others mentioned the gorge wasn’t very far from home—straight in this direction. We should reach soon!”.
“Shi Hao, what say you?” Da Zhuang asked again, shifting view towards little Hao, previously a shadow behind big-boys, until he had matched Da Zhuang hoisting metal weight overhead: from that moment forth became regarded as monstrous even amidst adult minds—an emergent core within the group he previously tagged along after unknowing minds.
“This is getting perilously close now,” replied little Shi Hao in a clear, honest whisper; black and white gleamed bright in his wide eyes: innocence in warning.
“But it really isn’t so far from here!” argued Da Zhuang back.
At that half a dozen other children began nodding, stirred with intrigue.
“If you guys insist moving ahead, then count me along,” little Shi Hao piped softly—his childish tone unable to obscure resolve underlying.
The group progressed once again through this primeval maze. After crossing a mile’s distance trees thinnened around them while scattered massive craggy stones grew steadily under their feet—accompanied by ominous energies permeating closer, like unseen beasts closing fast.
These broken rocky terrains spread widely forming a petrifying silent “stone forest”, eerily quiet. Scattered bones of gargantuan beasts—whitened, bleached, horrifying lay across earth like ghosts awaiting vengeance; bleached teeths, splintered ribcage.
Glancing around anxiously, “This should be it,” Shi Zhong Hou said hushed: “Uncle Lin Hu said its nest lies deep within.” Da Zhuang nodded with solemnity.
“These carcasses may bear witness to savage meals of past,” he warned, whispering with careful hush: though it might be absent midday—great peril if sighted!
Trained instinct and survival honed over savage childhood—these kids knew how to hide quick, squeeze into narrow rocky gaps with agile precision no lesser than forest’s young predators—silent as phantoms, fast as hunting leopards.
After some scouting and catching the direction of drifting wind, they traded cautious nods.
Climbing, leaping into deepest core of stone labyrinth, over bones—colossal remains belonging both to mighty bird and land-bound monsters torn asunder.
Some bones five-meters long. Others skulls broad as millstones—one of which bore claw punctures soaked red from old blood: death had claimed dominion here.
“If this creature makes its lair here and breeds offspring, then our village passage here can only meet death head to head!” one whispered urgently.
“Uncle Lin said our grownups have studied its daily cycle carefully,” another added softly.
Their murmured conversations barely concealed the racing beat of young hearts, excitement rising with velocity alongside them surging forward—an avian den of terrible bloodline heritage.
A looming rocky escarpment emerged like final gatepost to all life beyond—lifeless still silence clung to the barren rocks, as upon their vertical face lay a massive bird nest. A fortress made limb by limb, black wood interwoven tightly into a dark dome of menace—an unsettling construction, spanning nearly the cliff’s breadth: more than double a village hut’s vastness.
Even more bone fragments scattered about the cliff. Some the massive limbs of grown elephants, splinters larger than grown men, soaked in residual malice with dried crimson.
“It must’ve torn apart even Luan Elephants.” muttered with wide-eyes: “That’s a deadly beast.”
“We should focus first!” Da Zhuang intervened stepping toward the nest. An unsettling presence emanated as the youths neared—blood stained red marked where countless feasted corpses spilled over its rim over ages.
The air reeked of slaughter.
But there—clearly missing—the predator’s lair lay silent. But nestled amid this killing ground, nestled into its bed of golden grass within this death palace were the treasures they chased:
Eggs.
Gleaming smooth as jade orbs under sun, the eggs, enormous in size—one spanning an adult’s forearm—three nestled there within their golden cradle, shimmering veins running like lightning across each eggshell-surface alive in sunrays.
“It really lays here!” one child shrieked in hushed awe.
“Could they possibly carry its legacy… we should bring them village!” Zhong Hou whispered, breath ragged with anticipation.
Soft gold-grass padding. A royal cradle for young born of blood-hung beasts.
“Hold, watch,” barked Da Zhuang—then another voice interrupted.
With an ear-splitting CRASSSSHH! A stone came flying. The throw echoed across the silent stone walls of death.
Everyone tensed!
The culprit was Shi Meng—a youth nicknamed Er Meng.
A hulking child built from wild energy; known for wrestling with mature buffalo, his feats at strength rivaled nearly Shi Yuun and Da Zhuang himself. One toss against a mountain, almost equaled the strength of men with his throws on bronze tripods.
A silence followed the crash—the nest, the escarpmont remained still.
“You clumsy dolt,” chastised several kids.
“That startled!” Da Zhung shot an eyebrow at Er Meng while muttering half amused, half annoyed.
“Just checking if It’s around. Looks quiet—we can move.”
“Wait Er Meng!” little Hao interrupted again—already gripping a stone nearly twice his tiny limb size: launched with startling force.
A THUD.
The stone clacked against base walls, but still—it echoed in lifeless silence. No stirring.
“We’re good!” ordered Big Zhuang.
Cautiously but driven by raw instinct, as primal beasts would surge together into battle, they advanced.
Reaching foot of nest:
Scouts perched atop massive rocks. Eyes alert scanning skies beyond the cliff top’s height while some began climbing, determined scaling the sheer rock to glimpse into this monster’s cradle.
“Wait! Let me look around first!” Shi Hao piped up—determination gleaming despite small physique: but laughed aside.
“You’re still nursing, baby—stay back and keep watch!”
Giggles erupted.
The smallest child had only weaned recently—jovial poking was standard, a rite of affection meant not cruel jest. He pouted: nose scrunched.
“I hunt real flesh already; only sipping its thick broth now and then…”
“Fine fine—let’s be quick,” Da Zhuang allowed after seeing his fierce pouting face.
But instead they blinked at an agile blur already scaling stone—monkey-like blur.
“You show-offs wait behind—I run faster!” Shi Hao yelled while climbing.
Without letting anyone argue further, the child scaled like forest-born, swift beyond reckoning despite the heights—a child among giants, chasing destiny.
His older friends exchanged glances.
“He might slip,” mumbled Er Meng—concerned.
They all moved forward, clambered after the boy’s lead.
Furrows, cracks, protruding rock ledges became handholds and footholds with natural finesse, honed by survival skills in this savage wild where beast-hunger knew no rest.
It had been a struggle even for seasoned men—but with nature-honed dexterity they scrambled skyward.
“Hmph…we made it!”
Shi Hao panted atop—joined soon after the heads of his elder peers peeking over.
Gigantic nest dominated horizon from the top.
Even closer—blood-coat remains still clumped about, glistened crimson under afternoon sun, adding grotesque realism to myth.
“Such size for eggs, it truly nests now!” Xi Hou said, stunned.
Within that golden bedding—the young adventurers stared wide-eyed as awe battled against greed inside of them:
These were the treasures. The reason they crept through death’s threshold itself—what their ears had accidentally overheard in adult hushed voices:
The legacy of an invincible bloodline that even tore down great mountain beasts.
“This beast doesn’t lay waste on anything but giants,” muttered Meng again in quiet admiration, standing awestruck.
But Da Zhuang refocussed minds swiftly: the eggs mustn’t hatch in danger.
He stepped forward to examine.
The nest’s edge—stained from generations eating carcass-flesh raw, dark red soaked its edge, steeped in bloodlines and death—a brutal altar.
“This nest is empty,” he confirmed with finality. Hope surged bright!
“The beast is really gone.”
“Look—it’s got a few eggs!” The children gasped.
“Let’s take these back. They’re big as water-basin, and gleaming brighter each moment—hatching them back in our village will provide hunting power beyond even adult’s reckoning!” Zhong Hou was practically vibrating with exhilarated joy.
The golden linings held three massive treasures—gleaming emerald orbs with iridescent shimmer under direct light—beauties with natural markings flowing elegantly atop their surface.
Each an emerald-green jewel born of a savage line.
Eggs larger than even any water jar. Lacking nothing in mystique—they radiated silent majesty, like divine marbles crafted not in human hands but cosmic order itself!
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