Jian (jee-ahn)

Jians were one winged, one-eyed, birds who could not fly unless attached to their mate. Males were born with their wings on the right, females on the left. They were inseparable and trusted each other to survive. Flying was a chore for the jian because it could not be done alone. Most of their days were spent hanging from trees watching whatever happened in low laying areas along the equator with their one big bulbous eye. Nests were close-knit constructions that allowed the jian to easily hop around without the need of linking up with a member of the opposite sex. The couple was put together at birth; forever linked to their partner and never too far away. Tragically, there were sometimes odd numbers of jian born to a family. The odd jian out was often the weakest and quickly died.

Jians flew by linking their legs together in a bond that was hard to break. They then flapped their wings in unison to achieve flight. It took a lot of hard work to get right. Some jian took years to even get  just a little bit off the ground. When they got it right though, the jian couple was a beautiful example of the cooperation required to make a relationship between husband and wife work.