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That night Fortuny has her hands full dealing with her cubs, Gemfire is crying for comfort whenever she moves even the slightest distance away and Salunia has nightmares, one right after the other. Noctus isn't quite so demanding, but each time his twin cries, he wakes up from all the commotion.

Hopian is also busy, trying to keep the cottage screened off, while Bez cradles Ai close,struggling to reach her however he can, coming up against a dead end so often that by morning he's so down himself that Hopian doesn't dare ask him to take over.

*He can hunt... so it can't be food. He has shelter, sort of and he's stubborn enough it won't be that... loneliness???*

Midmorning there is a knock on the door and when Hopian goes, bleary eyed to answer it he finds himself face to face with Mica and Shar. The latter so bundled up, he can barely see her eyes.

"She demanded I bring her down." says Mica with an apologetic half smile.

"Where is he... He's got to get a grip on himself. He's going to have the whole town going after knives to end it all if he doesn't." demands Shar testily, forcing her way within.

"Kero left? I thought it was Kero who was emanating all over the place. Don't tell me... Oh, Dear Lord... where's the panther?" Shar moans casting about, looking to see who's there and what help might be available.

"He's with him, but brace yourself. Ai"s beginning to affect him as well. I'm sorry, Shar... but we may be having a major crisis on our hands. This doesn't look good." says Hopian leading the way upstairs.

Shar sees Fortuny and the cubs huddling in their bed and tells him to take them up to the temple. "The shields there are the strongest a mind can throw up. You need to get that little healer away from here."

Salunia reforms with a dazed look on her face. What was that?" she cries in alarm.

"That was fun.... but also scary." she decides going to sit down by her Mama. "Whe we here?"

Confused, Salunia looks to her mother for a better explanation.

"What Daddy means is his brother is being the typical adolescent male, so caught up in his own problems he can't see the problems of another." says Fortuny giving her a gentle cleaning, trying to remove the static from her fur.

"He made Aunti Ai cry again, huh?" says Salunia wisely.

Fortuny finally has enough of it. "Go back..." she urges. "Shar could use the help and at least you'll know what's going on. He'll come back when he's good and ready and not one minute eariler. We both know that."

He finds Mica, sitting by the fire, trying to talk some sense into Bez, who is rather livid at Kero. Now that Shar has relieved him of his constant attention on Ai, he's got time to think about the injuries Kero gave her, both physical and emotional.