"I think the monks forgot the rest of the bed. There isn't even a pillow. Just a... a block of wood covered in silk. Am I expected to sleep like a statue?"
The Twins, Kai and Kun, however, were thrilled. They had already discovered that the wooden floors made excellent sliding tracks if they ran fast enough in their socks.
They were currently trying to see if they could slide all the way into the courtyard without hitting the "Gong of Silence."
Chi Song was the only one who seemed to fit in. He sat by the window, watching the young monks, boys their age and slightly older, performing their afternoon drills in the courtyard below.
He watched their disciplined movements, the way they moved in perfect unison, their breath synchronized with the wind.
"They're strong," Song remarked, his eyes reflecting the cold mountain light. "They don't look like they're playing. They look like they're becoming part of the mountain."
