• A white hummingbird with a tattered wing lighted down on a branch just outside a cave and peered in. A brown wolf cub was bent over the body of her mother, rapidly blinking back tears. She heard pawsteps behind her and wheeled around, fur bristling, eyes blazing. She let out a sigh of relief and let her fur lie flat when she saw her sister picking her way into the cave, a large rabbit dangling from her jaws. “Rahari,” said the brown wolf pup, “You frightened me.”
    “Sorry” mumbled Rahari through a mouthful of fur. “Simetra, what happened!” she asked, the rabbit falling from her open mouth and hitting the ground with a soft ‘thud’ as Rahari stopped dead in her tracks, staring down at her mother’s lifeless body.
    “It wasn’t me, I swear” said Simetra, “Mother was pacing and she told me a few things. She said that Father’s name is Tao and that she loves us very much. She began to say something else. She said,” I am a shape-”. Then she collapsed.
    “She wasn’t hit with anything was she?” asked Rahari.
    “No” Simetra replied
    “There weren’t any noises?” asked Rahari, “No flashes of color or anything?”
    “No” said Simetra, starting to get annoyed. “Let’s just hurry up and bury her.”
    “But” said Rahari, tears filling her eyes, “She wouldn’t just leave us. Sure we know how to hunt and fight...and heal...but…she wouldn’t…” her voice died away as it all sank in. Simetra and Rahari left the cave and began to dig a large hole. Only then, did Rahari notice the miniscule bird perched not far from them. “Hello, Sky” mumbled Rahari, as she continued to dig.
    “Sky?” asked Simetra, startled. She looked up. “What business have you here?”
    “The king has sent a message. He is sorry to hear of your mother’s death.” Said Sky, spreading his wings and gliding down to the ground in front of the two pups.
    “As if!” spat Simetra, glaring at Sky. “The only thing the king cares about is spoils. Tell us the real reason you are here.”
    Sky sighed. “Alright” he said, “The king has ordered me to tell you this”
    “What does he want this time?” asked Rahari, a tear rolling down her cheek. She sat down, a small cloud of dust rising around her. Sky turned his head to look at Rahari. Her fur was now a brownish-gray color from all the dirt.
    Sky closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “He has ordered you to leave the lands of Yennol.”
    Simetra gaped. Beside her, Rahari was trembling. Simetra quickly recovered. “No” she said, her voice firm and steady. “I refuse to leave. The king can come and threaten me with death, and I will not leave.”
    Sky nodded.
    “You are old enough to make your own decisions, and if tat is you’re decision, I won’t stop you.”
    Simetra turned to her sister. “Rahari, what about you?” she asked.
    “I’m staying.” Rahari replied. She held her head high, but Simetra could see fear deep within those sapphire depths.
    Sky nodded. “It’s your decision.”
    “But what are you going to tell the king?” asked Simetra, as Sky spread his wings and lifted off from the ground.
    “Nothing” said Sky, circling above the pups, “I’ve resigned. I can’t stand the king’s ways.” And he flew off and disappeared among the trees.
    “Come on” mumbled Rahari. Simetra sighed and the sisters began digging again. Soon, they had dug a deep hole. Simetra and Rahari reentered the cave and their mother’s body out.
    “Wait!” said Simetra suddenly. She had just spotted something lying on the ground by her mother’s neck. Peering closer, she saw a small stone attached to a silver chain around her mother’s neck. “The amulet of Auzure” she breathed. “But why?” she asked herself, “Why didn’t…of course! She wouldn’t want us to know.” Simetra turned to her sister. “The amulet” she said, “One of us is going to have to wear it.”
    “You” said Rahari, “I’d probably lose it, and I couldn’t bear for that to happen.”
    Simetra took a deep breath. “Okay” she said. Slowly, she bent her head down low and gripped the chain in her teeth. Before she knew it, her mother’s head had slipped through the chain and the amulet was dangling from Simetra’s jaws.
    “Here” said Rahari. She took the amulet from her sister and slipped it around Simetra’s neck. Suddenly, the amulet glowed a blinding white and a small, glowing bird emerged from it, swooping through the air, ribbons of light dancing in the air behind it. The bird soared around the two pups then shot upwards towards the sky, disappearing in a ball of light which quickly spread outward, surrounding Simetra and Rahari in blinding bright light. It seemed like hours had passed before the light finally faded, and when it did, the pups simply sat there, stunned, like a couple of chicks that had fallen from the nest. This time, it was Rahari who recovered first. She stood up, walked over to her mother’s body, and dragged the body to the hole’s edge, where she pushed the body into the hole. There was a loud ‘thud’ as the body hit the ground at the bottom of the hole. Simetra got up and walked slowly over to the large pile of dirt beside her mother’s grave. Together, Simetra and Rahari pushed the dirt into the grave. Simetra got up and walked into the cave. Rahari had lain down and was sobbing. Simetra heard muffled sobs and turned her head. A few feet away, tears were coming from an invisible source. It was the family brownie. Simetra walked over to the brownie and sat down. She licked the brownie comfortingly on the shoulder.
    “It’s alright, Uquine.” She said in comforting voice, “It’s over.”