In autumn's breath, the leaves deserted the lofty branches like sails riding air waves with confident grace. And the early morning mist drifted around the tangled heads of the trees in phantasmal veils.
Under their footsteps, dewy and crisp leaves were a nature-spun vivid carpet of gold, brown and scarlet.
Li Ji and Jian sucked in the deepest breath of the damp loamy air. The air was cold today, with gusts that penetrated their sheepskin jackets and drawing the heat from their skin, leaving Li Ji even paler.
And while the fall and winter would bring harshness, it would be nothing in comparison to the harshness of their existence.
However, on this day each breath of the fresh air filled them with a sense of life that almost made them want to shout out aloud, just to hear their voices echoed amidst the trees, "I am alive!"
