Zanzen whittled away absentmindedly at a block of wood. He paused for a moment and glanced at his mate.

"Eat, Nari." He returned his gaze to his woodwork. "You've been skipping meals too long."

"...Do you think she knows?" Nari asked wistfully at length.

Zanzen faced his mate once more, ears pricked forward to show she had his attention.

"About her younger sibling?" Nari sighed and clutched a nearby egg. It gave a small stir to show signs of life and was still once more. She returned it to its nest and pulled the straw tight about it.

"Shanku's gone, Nari. It's time to move on," Zanzen said coldly. He stared blankly at one of the walls of the cave.

"How? How can I? First my brother, now my own cub! The Elders have robbed me twice!" Nari screamed. Her ears were laid back and her wings were arching dangerously behind her.

"Shanku was my daughter too!" Zanzen snapped back, matching her ears and wings. "I miss her as much as you!" He paused and relaxed his wings. "If I could find her, I'd bring her home. But they ran her too far away. I have never been able to track her."

"Then let's leave! Leave the Elders far behind and return to Hilael his older sister," Nari pleaded as tears began to stream down her cheeks.

"Ah, Nari..." Zanzen's voice broke and he pulled his mate close to him. "You know as well as I that it's a lost cause by now. Even if she could hunt well enough to avoid starving... Even I cannot handle the minocentaurs. There's no way she could still be—"

"Don't even go there!" Nari interrupted and buried her face into his chest. "Our little Shanku can't be. She just can't!" She clung to Zanzen and wept as he held her.

"Maybe she isn't," Zanzen offered tentatively, barely in control of his own emotions. "She does have the lucky black wings, after all." He paused and stared off into space thoughtfully. "Her first time out she came home safely, even though she brought back a minocentaur. Then after that was the gryphon. And then she came home with a dragon..."

"Oh gosh, I hope she doesn't bring a chimera home this time!" Nari exclaimed frightfully.

"Hush, Nari," Zanzen shuddered as his arms tightened around her. "Let's not tempt fate."