Niu Lai

Niu Lai, a newborn calf, struggles to stand up. As he struggles, he passes out and has a dream encounter with a nearby skylark, who he agrees to work with. He goes on to learn the various aspects of life along with his mother and the skylark, passing challenges such as being bitten by a snake or crossing a river. One day, he encounters Bao La, an orphaned leopard, who he befriends and feeds with milk against the opinion of his mother and the herd. A roaming pack of wolves attempts to attack the herd; Bao La distracts them, but the herd takes the decision to migrate, forcing Niu Lai to say farewell to the leopard. The herd faces a difficult crossing of the desert. Although they get a brief respite upon reaching the grassland beyond the desert, it is only short-lived as the wolves followed the herd. Niu Lai and his mother are saved by Bao La, who also secretly followed them. They take refuge in a hidden valley with the rest of the herd but once again do not find peace as other wolves prey on the herd. Niu Lai's mother, weakened by all the travels, decides to sacrifice herself to help her son and Bao La get away. After a flash-forward, Niu Lai and Bao La are now adults and have grown strong enough to confront wolves; Niu Lai leads the herd in place of his father. During a fight with two wolves, they hear a loud noise, which chases the wolves away. They discover it belongs to a man-made machine rampaging through the land. Niu Lai resolves to confront it and sacrifice himself to prevent it from discovering the herd. As he prepares to fight the machine, he is again transported to a dream encounter with the skylark. As they reflect on their journey, Niu Lai hears a voice telling him to wake up. It is revealed that the whole events were a dream as Niu Lai lay passed out on the ground. The skylark prompts him to stand up, which he finally manages. He runs after the flying skylark, and finds the hidden valley from his dream, where he meets the herd and his father.

Plot from Niu LaiCC BY-SA 4.0