The wind whipped through the loose strands of Kana's hair, flipping them every which way and getting them in her eyes and mouth. The woven string she had used to tie her hair back threatened to break loose, and her tunic twisted itself between and around her legs. Ever since Kana had passed the timberline the wind had been relentless and was beginning to wear her down.
The wind wasn't the only thing dampening her spirits, though. After two years of searching, dead ends, and false rumors, she was beginning to believe she would never find it. If it weren't for her Ma she might have quit six months ago. But the image of her Mother clothed in white, her grief-stricken face hauntingly lit by the pyre, stuck in her mind, driving her forward when she would have given up. She had to find it. She owed it to Ma.
Kana adjusted the straps on her pack and trudged onward, climbing higher. If her information was correct, she would find it just over the next rise. But she seriously doubted it. She was getting used to the sour taste of disappointment. She should have known her search would have taken longer than she originally thought; she was chasing a legend, after all.
A flash of pink caught her eye, and the sight of wildflowers left a pang in her chest. Senya had loved pink wildflowers the most. Her delighted laugh would have echoed over the mountainside at the sight of it. But Kana would have had no reason to be here if her little sister had been around to enjoy the view. Swallowing the lump that had formed in the back of her throat, Kana tore her attention away from the wildflowers, focusing only on the large boulder blocking her path.
Kana made sure her leg wrappings and shoes were secure, then hoisted herself up on top of the boulder, her fingers finding tiny cracks and rugged ledges to use as handholds. Once on top, she dusted herself off, then looked up.
Her heart nearly stopped. A dark figure hovered over the horizon, growing larger as it flew closer. A tiny sprout of hope sprung up inside her.
Could it be?
As it came closer, Kana found herself holding her breath. Gradually she could see that the figure was large--possibly as large as a lion. Its wingspan stretched the length of a felled sequoia, and its wing beats caused gusts of wind that shredded leaves off the trees below it. The creature looked old and careworn, with blackened, crumbling feathers that floated to the ground below.
"The Bird of Time," Kana breathed in awe. It was older and much more decrepit than the descriptions she had heard, but no other creature besides a dragon would be this large, and dragons didn't have feathers. It had to be the Bird of Time.
The Bird of Time let out a mournful screech that pierced Kana's ears and echoed over the mountain range. Soon it was close enough that Kana could feel the gusts of wind beneath its wings, although it was still a good ways off. The realization struck her that she could be blown away if it got much closer. But she couldn't run, not if she wanted to stop it. After all, she hadn't searched for two years to find it just to observe as it passed by.
But how was she to stop it? It was even larger than she had imagined. If she tried roping it she would simply be dragged along. She didn't want to hurt it, either. All she wanted was to convince it to go back two and a half years. Back to the place, where Time was when Senya was alive.
In a rush, Kana shrugged her pack off her shoulders and rummaged through it, searching for the brightest colored cloth she owned. She was fairly sure she still had the bright orange shawl Ma had given her before she left, but it had been so long since she dug it out that it was probably all the way at the bottom of her pack.
Her fingers brushed against the finely-woven linen, and she dragged it out of the pack. She stood and held it above her head, but before she could wave it, another, closer wing beat sent a gust of wind so strong that the cloth was torn from her grasp. It sailed away on the wind, swerving and spiraling down the side of the mountain.
The shock of what had just happened made Kana freeze, her hand still poised above her head. She looked up at Time, flying almost overhead. The gigantic bird turned slightly, exposing its underbelly to Kana. Her breath caught at what she saw--the Bird of Time had no legs. Time could not stop for anyone.
She would have been overcome by despair if a flash in Time's beak hadn't caught her eye. Smoke began billowing from its beak and, moments later, its beak erupted in flame. The fire spread from beak to tail so quickly that Kana could barely see the transition. Soon all of Time was in flames, a roaring fire with wings and a tail. The heat scorched Kana's skin until she had to cover her face with her arms to protect it from the blazing heat.
Still flying, completely in flames, the Bird of Time reared back its head and let out a deafening cry. In an instant, it shed the flames, which burned up completely beneath it before reaching the ground. The heat gone, Kana lowered her arms, and her breath caught at what she saw.
Time was a completely new bird. Gone was the blackened, frail creature; replacing it was a majestic creature with a glorious plume of brilliant red and gold. The downdraft from its wings became stronger, nearly throwing Kana off her feet. Stunned by the transformation, she dropped to her knees, not moving until Time was completely out of her sight.
Dusk came before she finally regained her senses enough to gather her things and descend from her spot atop the boulder. As she trudged down the mountainside, Kana began to make sense of what she had seen. She realized that her quest had been a fool's errand. Time not only did not stop; it did not go back. It could only fly forward, continuing on in its eternal course.
She was surprised to realize that despite failing her original quest, she did not feel as dejected as she would have thought. For she had realized that while Time could not stop or go back, it did, however, die and renew itself. Senya may be gone, but Time--and life--had not stopped. Perhaps it was time for Kana to renew herself, just as Time had. It was, after all, a new Era of Time.