The Rain Heron
"A story following an old woman and a young soldier in a war-torn country as they seek a mythical creature called the Rain Heron"-- In the remote frontier of a country devastated by war, Ren survives by hunting, farming, trading, and forgetting the contours of what was once a normal life. Then an army unit, led by a young female soldier, comes to the mountains on government orders in search of a legendary creature called the rain heron: a mythical, dangerous, form-shifting bird with the ability to change the weather. Ren insists that the bird is simply a story, yet the soldier forces her into a hunt for the heron. As a bond between them forms, the two women's lives entwine, unravel, and they are ultimately forced to confront their biggest fears-- and regrets. -- adapted from back cover