From what I know, humans and black eyed creatures seem to have similar cultivation levels. Especially at the Qi Expulsion level, Mama seems almost exactly like a human, and she's even able to use human techniques. If I were to guess what human equivalent I'm at, I would say probably Qi Manipulation somewhere, which should mean that I don't have too far to go before I'm able to transform into a human as well! With this thought in mind, I ask Mama how she got so strong.

"Well, fighting helped hone my skills, but if you are talking about improving your qi, other than waiting and letting it improve naturally, I have only ever increased it two other ways. The first way was eating. I have twice found objects that increased my strength immediately after I ate them. The first one I found was after I got seriously injured, and took shelter in a cave. Afraid I would attract attention if I stayed at the entrance, I went farther into the cave. As I traveled deeper, I started smelling something almost irresistible. I followed the scent until I finally happened upon an object that looked like a rock." pausing, Mama looks like she suddenly remembers something.

"So Mama also tastes strange objects she finds on the ground?" I ask sarcastically, grinning.

Coughing awkwardly, she continues, "Rather than a rock, it was some sort of fruit that looked like a rock. Not only did it improve my strength greatly, it also healed many of the wounds I had. The second one I found was beside a large crack in the earth filled with red liquid."

"It might have been lava, was it hot?"

"It must have been lava then. Beside that crack filled with lava, there was a plant with an orange fruit growing on it. It smelled very good to me, so I ate it as well. But that time, other than making me stronger, eating the fruit caused my fur color to change as well."

"Is that so. So finding them is up to luck huh?" I lament.

"The second way was when I soaked in tonic. It only increased my qi at first though, and since then it has not had that effect on me."

I think back to the fog that comes from dead creatures, which seems to make me stronger every time I absorb it.

"Mama, have you ever seen anything come out of creatures after you kill them?"

"Blood." she says seriously.

We're nearly at the summit of the mountain!

As we get closer to the top, I start seeing more and more wingets. I even start seeing black eyed wingets. This is the first time I have ever seen any black eyed creature that's covered with more than one color.

"Mama, have you ever seen a black eyed creature with multiple colors before, like those wingets?"

Mama nods her head, "I have seen many. Sometimes, I will see normal forest creatures that have black eyes."

As Mama finishes talking, we finally reach the top of the mountain. The top of the mountain is huge, relatively flat, and practically covered in wingets.

Suddenly Mama steps in front of me and looks up. Following her line of sight, all I can see is a massive shadow swooping towards the mountain. As it lands, I'm able to make out its features. I assume it's a winget, as it has the customary mosquito-like beak, but that's about where the similarities end. Its feathers are all black, but they emit a golden sheen when light touches them. It stands around ten feet tall, and surprisingly, rather than the two legs of a normal winget, this one stands on three!

After landing, it starts slowly walking towards us.

"What are you doing on my mountain?" the golden winget asks in a deep voice.

"We only wish to pass through. We are not looking for trouble." replies Mama.

The golden winget squints its eyes and starts scrutinizing Mama. Seeing it hesitate, Mama frowns and releases her aura. Almost immediately, the golden winget backs off and kneels down.

"I have offended you! I offer you my life, but please, spare my people!" the golden winget begs, proceeding to bow down.

"I do not want your life, nor do I want the lives of your people. Rather, who are your people?"

"All atop this mountain are my people."

Mama looks at the massive winget plastered to the ground, "Stand up. It is not my intention to attack you or your people, so you have no need to worry."

"Thank you, I will never forget this kindness you have shown!"

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Mama sighs, "There was no kindness. You have done nothing to offend me, so there is no reason to apologize. Hurry and stand up, you are making me uncomfortable."

The huge winget stands up slowly, "Would you allow me to accommodate you and your pet for the day as you rest?"

"Pffft hehe, ahahaha!" I can't help bursting out in laughter.

The golden winget looks at me quizzically, and Mama sighs and tells him, "That is my daughter."

Bang!

"I have offended you!" shouts the golden winget, bowing down again.

"You have not offended me! Quickly accommodate us or whatever it is you want to do, and stop bowing."

The golden winget stands up again and looks at Mama like she's a saint.

"You are the kindest, most forgiving being I have ever encountered! One day I will repay your kindness for sure!"

I see veins bulging on Mama's forehead, "There was no kindness! I am neither kind nor forgiving, and there is nothing to repay! Just take us to wherever and stop apologizing!"

"Yes! Miss and her daughter, please follow me!" says the golden winget happily.

I'm barely able to hold back my laughter.

'I've never seen Mama this angry before!'

Reaching the golden winget's abode, it turns out to be a cave. The top of the cave is low enough that he has to bend his neck to get in. As we walk in, I realize there is basically no furnishing to speak of. There are a couple rocks that look like you could sit on surrounding a large rock that's probably used as a table, but nothing fancy.

"Sit here please." the golden winget gestures to a couple rocks and proceeds to head deeper into the cave.

Sitting down on a rock, I ask Mama, "So, what do you think about him?"

"He is annoying." Mama gives a simple answer, scowling a little.

"I like him, I think he's funny and he seems nice!"

Mama frowns and folds her arms. After a few minutes of waiting, I can hear the golden winget coming back. As he comes into view, I see him holding rock salt in two of his feet, hopping towards us on the third.

I nearly burst out laughing at the sight.

"He is an idiot..." mumbles Mama.

When he reaches the table, he drops the rock salt on the table and sits down opposite to us.

"It's not much, but this is the only food I have. I'm sorry."

"You do not need to apologize so much." grumbles Mama.

The rock salt is pretty bland by itself, but it's barely palatable. Looking sideways, I see that Mama seems like she wants to say something. Finally she opens her mouth.

"On the way up the mountain, I killed some of your kind. I apologize if any of them were your people."

The golden winget replies, "Oh it's okay, I just protect the species, I don't have any attachment to any individuals. They grow up and die so quickly, I seem to grow more detached with each successive generation..." he shakes his head sadly.

"Do you not have any family? Any children?" asks Mama.

The golden winget sighs, "My family died long ago, and I have never had children."

I poke Mama in the side and whisper, "He's single!"

Mama whispers, "What do you mean single? Of course he is only one."

I smile, "Yep, only one, he doesn't have anybody with him. How sad! If only he could meet someone special! They could be a family, live together, and raise cute little-"

Mama covers my mouth and blushes a little, "I do not feel anything for him, and besides, we are different species!"

Looking over at the golden winget, I see him turn his head away.

'Hehe, so he heard. I've never tried matchmaking before, but I seem to be doing good so far!'

"Um, Mister Winget, what's your name?" I ask in my most innocent voice.

"What is a 'name'?" he responds, tilting his head.

"Gnnkfff-!!"

I turn around and desperately try to cover my mouth, but laughter still comes out in the form of muffled grunts.

'They're perfect for each other!'

"Is your daughter okay?" asks the worried golden winget.

"She is fine, do not mind her."

After I settle down, I say, "A name is what you are called. Mama named me Lyna."

He nods his head. After thinking for a while, he smiles at me and says, "Then I will be called Mister Winget, as you have already called me that."

Mama stares at him blankly.

"Ah, no, when I said Mifdebff-"

Suddenly, Mama covers my mouth and glowers at me, whispering, "Leave it at that. I know what you are trying to do, and it is not working."

And so I decide to stop matchmaking.

The next morning, Mama says it's time to leave. Mister Winget insists on sending us off, so he walks with us to the other side of the mountaintop. Arriving near the edge, I walk over to Mister Winget.

"This is for you. Thank you for letting us rest in your house!" I hold out a silver wire necklace with a silver ring on it. Previously I transferred everything over to the shield necklace, so that I could give him this.

"I cannot accept that." he shakes his head.

"I insist. Here, drop some blood on it."

The golden winget looks at Mama, and she nods her head. He proceeds to scratch one of his toes with his beak, drawing blood. Touching the ring with his toe, a blank expression appears on his face.

"Here!" I hurriedly hold up the necklace, gesturing him to hold his head down.

As he holds bends down, the necklace easily slips over his head, resting around his neck.

Taking the opportunity as his head is near mine, I whisper in his ear as quietly as I can, as to not alert Mama, "Soak your body in the liquid."

Mama said it would be dangerous to descend the mountain on foot, so she decided to fly us down. Apparently it mostly takes effort to fly when ascending. If she just glides us down, it's much easier.

And so, as we glide down, I think of what I did last night. I remembered how soaking in tonic had helped Mama get stronger, so I decided to give some to Mister Winget. But since Mama might disagree if she knew, when they were both sleeping, I secretly went outside and put some in a handmade stone bowl. I then put the bowl in the storage ring and pretended to give him the storage ring as a gift, but the gift was actually the tonic!

"Did you give him some tonic?"

"What, huh?!"

"Haha, did you think I would not notice you sneaking outside in the middle of the night?" she ruffles the hair on my head. "Do not worry, you are not in trouble. The tonic belongs to you, so of course you can give some to someone else. I also feel that Mister Winget was a good person, so I will not object if you wish to give him some. It is just..."

Getting a little nervous, I ask, "Just...?"

Mama puts me on her shoulder, detaches her shield necklace, takes one of the storage rings off, and puts it on one of her fingers. She then takes the translating star off of its necklace and puts it on the shield necklace, putting the now empty necklace in a storage ring.

"There, we are matching again." she smiles.