章 18: Start of a new life
With a certain goal in mind, the Kuhti cub spread his strong fiery red wings and flapped them. His claws gave off a small scratching noise as they left the wooden surface and he flew forward, leaving the safety of the cabinet.
"Tiuh, tiuh-"
Walking over, the Kuwei and Cotto cub stood side by side and raised their heads to watch as the Kuhti cub left the cabinet's top and flew towards Xie Tao. Their two pairs of black eyes followed their red fluffy friend as he flew high above and they excitingly moved their wings and called out to him, cheering him on.
Due to the Kuhti cub's ample feathers, his body looked very round and in comparison, his wings were much smaller than his body. Seeing those tiny wings trying to hold the rest of his body in the air, was like realizing that helicopters were only powered by giant fans, that if malfunctioned, had no gliding power and would fall right downwards into their doom… Basically, it really made one worry…
However, Xie Tao had read about it and found that most alien races that resembled birds would look like this as cubs. The cub's ample feathers were not something bad, but something good, it showed that his body was developing well and that he was healthy. Moreover, as most cubs learned how to fly at a much younger age than the Kuhti cub had, his build should not be a problem.
When nearing two meters, the Kuhti cub, who had been flying well, unconsciously slowed down and his altitude thereafter started to steadily decline.
To everyone else, it was very obvious that the cub had started to land.
However, it took a few seconds before the Kuhti cub noticed his own behavior. But even then, he felt a bit unsure and nervous. He had never made it past this length…
The cub looked up and saw the youth's open arms that were now not that far from him. Suddenly he once again started to flap his wings faster and rouse to his previous height, he then determined continued forward.
Just a little more, it was not far away, just a little more and-
"Tiuh!"
The Kuhti cub, who had been too motivated, forgot to slow down in time and flew past Xie Tao's hands and instead crashed into his chest. It was a very soft crash and when Xie Tao scooped him up before falling, the cub snuggled into his hands and excitingly moved his wings. He clearly had not been dampened by the crash and was in high spirits.
Xie Tao lightly stroked the excited cub's back feathers and waited for him to calm down a bit and meet his eyes, he then said. "You see, it was completely possible to fly that distance."
The cub's deep black eyes were filled with ignorance and confusion. Although he could comprehend Xie Tao words, he did not understand what he wanted to convene, what the deeper meaning behind it was.
Looking down at the cub in his hands, Xie Tao could read the feelings in his eyes and tried to make it clearer to the cub. "You can now fly and it's all because of you own hard work. Don't limit yourself in the future, how far, fast or accurate you fly is all for yourself to choose. Just believe in yourself and you can do it."
Xie Tao had before pondered on the reason why the Kuhti cub always landed after two meters and he had concluded that it was psychological.
In the beginning, the Kuhti cub had not been able to fly at all, no matter what the caretakers in the other clubs did. But this was probably because he had not been given any genuine support from the people around him, and had instead likely been blamed or ridiculed when he couldn't fly.
Because of this, the cub had not wanted to learn how to fly, because what was the point when he would only be blamed if he tried?
He had put up a wall. This wall consisted of every word they had said to him, of every person that did not believe that he could do it, of every person that did not believe in him. Over time, the wall had become stronger and he, himself, had started to believe it, believe that he couldn't do it. The wall had become something the cub wasn't even aware of…
A hinder that existed only in his mind.
Xie Tao had been aware of this hinder and believed that even after the Kuhti cub had managed to leave the ground, he had still somehow been affected by this subconscious belief.
The cub could already fly, but he must not have felt that he was flying well enough and had therefore unconsciously chosen to stop before he failed.
He had limited himself to a distance he knew was within his abilities and had not dared to try flying further. Xie Tao had therefore deliberately stood farther in order to break this habit of the cub and show him that he could do it as long as he tried.
The two cubs that had cheered on their friend, now flapped their wings and flew into Xie Tao's arms. After finding a comfortable position, they happily chirped and dragged their beaks through the Kuhti cub's feathers, congratulating him.
Seeing this scene, Xie Tao's lips couldn't help but slightly bend upward.
The three cubs seemed to have a very good relationship.
In the beginning, the Kuhti cub had been scared of other cubs, especially those that looked similar to him, but now he could play happily with them. It must really be an amazing new experience for the Kuhti cub to have friends who both accepted and supported him.
The cubs in their club were truly all good children.
Thinking this, Xie Tao raised his right hand and gently touched the three cubs.
When the other two cubs had flown up, Xie Tao had adjusted his way of holding the Kuhti cub and let the three cubs sit on his arm. The three of them were now sitting neatly in a row and Xie Tao addressed the one being spoiled in the middle. "Do you understand what I meant earlier?"
The Kuhti cub looked up and moved his small wings as he answered. "Tiuh!"
He would not limit himself, he would fly, and he would fly better and faster than any other the other cubs!
After finally getting rid of the wall from the past, the small red fluffy Kuhti cub no longer held himself back and his black eyes had become bright and looked particularly energetic.
Hearing his confident answer, Xie Tao nodded and revealed a warm smile.
Feeling a sense of security coming from the youth, the three cubs who had flown into his arms, settled in and unconsciously regarded the place as a small nest. They did not plan on leaving it for the time being.
[T/N: I love how they are like, "This is our home now."… It's really cute and I love it but… Imagine Ya Yi when he finds out → (╯°Д°）╯︵ /(.□ . \) ︵ /(.□ . \) ︵ /(.□ . \) ]
Holding the three fluffy cubs in his arms, Xie Tao once again felt that being a "nanny" might actually be better than a thrilling adventure.
At this time on Orte –
"There are so many nursing clubs in the interstellar. Why did you have to choose a club that is not famous?! It's not only not famous, but has a ranking of 3000. You actually sent the cub to such a club, do you not care about how outsiders view us?" The master of the Waren family unhappily looked at the young woman in front of him. "It's not like our family can't afford a good club, so how could you, with good conscience, choose such a club for the cub?"
Although the Waren family did not hold a lot of power among the Kuhti race, it was still a very rich family. Specializing in business and trade, they were known to most of those in the interstellar who had an interest in that area.
Facing the man's blame, Fuya remained silent.
When she had taken the cub to that club and handed him over to the human youth, her cub, who never spoke in those situations, had actually called out to the youth by his own free will.
Based on this, Fuya believed that she had made the right choice.
It didn't matter if it was famous or not, in that moment she had known that it was the club that would bring her cub most happiness. She did not care that outsiders might talk behind her back or even openly mock her, her cub's wellbeing came first.
Tanner knew that his wife was a very soft person with basically no temper. Usually when he said something, she would take a step back and not argue.
But her silence showed that she refused to budge on this matter.
"…When the time comes for the cub to fly, don't blame me for not warning you." The man looked at her coldly. Seeing as she did not intend to answer, the man said this and then walked out of room.
Hearing the door slam close behind him, Fuya briefly glanced at the white door, she then turned her head to the side and looked out the window. She thoughtfully gazed at the blue sky and took a deep breath to calm her mood.
I had been a month since she sent her cub to the Yunbao branch on Gaia Star and she had often wondered how her cub was doing there. However Gaia Star and Orte were separated by several planets and it was not easy to get there.
During this period she had once contacted them to ask if her cub had adapted to the new environment. After hearing that he had integrated well into the branch, she did not ask further questions.
She was of course very concerned about her cub, but she neither wanted to disturb the employees' work nor make them think that she did not trust them.
However, it had been a month since she saw him, and as a mother who loved her child, Fuya missed him very much.
She could of course watch her cub with a communicator that could project holographic images, but it was not the same as actually seeing him and would only make her miss him more. All she wanted was to hold him in her arms again.
Thinking about her adorably fluffy cub, Fuya went onto the Star Network to look up when the next flight to Gaia Star was. When discovering that the next departing flight was as soon as tomorrow, she became even more determined to go through with it and quickly booked a ticket.
With the latest commercial starship, it took less than half a day to reach Gaia Star. Leaving Orte early in the morning, Fuya arrived in the afternoon.
When she finally made her way to the Yunbao branch, she was very excited at meeting her cub again but she still went to the office first in order to ask for permission. It just so happened that Xia Qi had come to ask Feng Wenxian about the financial expenses for the month, and was therefore able to greet her.
"It is certainly possible for parents to visit their cubs." Xia Qi politely bowed her head and lead the young Kuhti woman to the building where the cub resided.
In the arms of Xie Tao currently laid a satisfied Knox cub who had reclaimed his rightful place. Xie Tao moved the cub a bit in order to free one arm and then used it to throw a ball to the Muka.
Hearing the door open, Xie Tao turned his head to see who it was, his eyes then automatically wandered to the Kuhti cub who was playing with his friends.
Putting a hand on the excited Muka's head, he told him that he needed to go away for a bit, and then walked over to the Kuhti cub who was still unaware of her arrival. Squatting down, Xie Tao touched the cub's soft back and said. "Baby, look who has come to see you."
The Kuhti cub blankly looked up at Xie Tao and then turned around. The moment he saw the young woman standing by the door, he raised his wings and called out to her.
"Tiuh."
Flapping his small wings, the Kuhti cub flew straight into his mother's embrace.
"Tiuh!" Settling down in the center of her palms, the cub raised his head and called out to her in a particular clear voice.
Fuya had instinctively caught the cub who flew into her arms, but she had yet to process what actually happened and only stood stiffly in place, staring at the cub in her hands.
Then, as if accepting that it was not a dream but reality, her body loosened up and her eyes filled with tears. Carefully touching her precious cub, she involuntary let a whimper escape.
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Translator's note:
Aw, it's so… just so… (>﹏<) → (╥﹏╥)
クリエイターの想い 
SlothfulxQuiet
SlothfulxQuiet As you can see, our dear translator is a softie hahaha.
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