He Jin

She once briefly had a wet nurse. Thick fur, a soft tail, wrapped her small body securely. Under the full moon, even the desert's sharp wind-blades could not come near her. On the dunes gathered many creatures that looked like her wet nurse. They stretched their necks, howling one after another, proclaiming this place as their territory. With a tender voice, straining with all her might, she joined in, letting out a loud wail. Later, she was taken back to Horsehelm Village by He Youqu. For the first time, she learned that humans need to wear furs, eat warm food; that besides surviving, there are other things one must do. He Jin watched the people of Horsehelm Village go in and out of wells, spending their entire lives seeking the water source marked on a single map. He Youqu taught her to live like a human, taught her the promises between people, the convictions in people's hearts. She learned to be a person. But the wind and sand have always had a great appetite. A sandstorm struck, the well collapsed, and everyone wept together. She was held in a villager's arms as they fled in panic. Sand and stone crashed down heavily, cutting off He Youqu's figure. When she wandered by Jade Gate Pass, she had seen sand devour many things. Big and small, dead and alive. Promises, convictions, person to person... in the end, they still could not withstand the wind and sand. Surely, survival is the most important thing?

One day, He Jin went into the wild to pick Qianghuang flowers. The sound of a wooden arrow cutting through the air rushed toward her face. She dropped to the ground immediately, escaping the fatal blow. A man ran over from not far away, dressed like a hunter. He Jin pulled the wooden arrow out of the sand and handed it to him. Startled by He Jin's gaze, the hunter mumbled: "I thought there were wolves around, so I shot the arrow." "Then, do I look like a wolf?" "Such a fine lady, how could you be a wolf?" "Thank you. Next time, see carefully before you shoot." "I know! I was muddled. Wolves always come in packs, how could there be just one…" Before he finished speaking, the hunter suddenly shuddered. He drew his bow with trembling hands and turned around, only to see a man not far away staring firmly at him, walking slowly closer. So the other wolf had arrived late! The hunter barely had time to glance back and say a hasty farewell to He Jin before fleeing in panic. The wind picked up again. Feeling the threat behind him had disappeared, the hunter looked back. The two figures gradually blurred and faded in the wind and sand, shrinking into a distant dot, never to be found again.