The next day, Shadow went up the hill at the same time that Phoenix usually went. Of course, Sunny was on the hill, waiting with a few cups of sweet potato pudding. Shadow felt the hair on his neck stand on end. He coughed to make himself known.

  "Phoenix?" Sunny jumped off the rock. "Wait..." she stopped back. "Zappary?"

  "Wrong again." said the eldest triplet.

  "Wait..." Sunny got close and grabbed Shadow's face. "Same round face... same nose... sharp eyes... You're one of Phoenix's brothers aren't you?"

  "And you are very touchy."

  "Wow, you're a dead ringer for him! Dye your hair black and voila!"

  "I wanted to talk."

  "Is everything okay?"

  "You tell me."

  "What?"

  Shadow cleared his throat, "See, I can relate to what your brother did because I am the oldest of our brothers."

  "By twenty minutes."

  "What?"

  "Phoenix told me you're only the oldest by twenty minutes."

  Shadow sighed through his nostrils and coughed again, "As the eldest sibling I want the world for my brothers. If something happened to them, I do not know what I would do. So imagine my anger when I see my little brother lock himself in his room for days."

  "I'm sorry, it's all my fault."

  "What I want to know is what possessed your brother to be so suspicious of Phoenix?"

  "Well, Phoenix doesn't live in the village, and Chao thought he might not be a good person."

  "Do you think that is true?"

  "Of course I don't! He's been nothing but kind to me since the moment I met him!"

  "Hmm, stop seeing him."

  "What? Why?"

  "Do not worry about it."

  "But... I want to see him again." Sunny held up another cloth. "Who else am I gonna share this pudding with?"

  Shadow coughed, "This may be difficult to understand, but I am just trying to look out for you."

  "Yeah, as am I!" yelled Chao as he stormed up the hill. "What in your right mind made you think I wouldn't notice that you snuck away again!?"

  "I did what you told me to do?" feigned Sunny

  "I told you to restock the shelves!"

  "Ohhhh, I thought you said go to the forest."

  "Who are you?" asked Shadow.

  "Who are you?" asked Chao.

  "The one whose brother you ambushed." Shadow huffed.

  "The reason I got a crick in my back now?" asked Chao. "Listen, I dunno what your game is but leave my sister out of it."

  "There is no game, Chao," said Sunny.

  "You better listen to her," said Shadow.

  "Or what?" Chao got up close. "Let me get one thing straight. I don't like your brother. I already don't like you. Something about you both puts me off in a way that makes my skin crawl. So if you're criminals, you better keep away from my sister. If I find out you're magic, you better keep away from my town."

  Shadow got even closer, "Or what?"

  "..."

  Shadow chuckled and lowered his voice, "It is just like you people," His brace clinked as he tapped his foot on the ground. "Empty threats and cowardice behind bravado and stupidity. So what if I was magic? What would you do about it?"

  "I-I–"

  Shadow pulled Chao in, whispering in his ear, "Tell me, what is that you feel? You feel something crawling up your legs don't you?"

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Chao twitched, "What are you–?"

  "Quiet. Your sister is watching."

  Chao looked at Sunny, who was concerned, but heard none of Shadow's words.

  "That is your shadow, wrapping itself around your body like a snake. With the snap of my fingers I could tear you to shreds."

  A bead of sweat drops from Chao's forehead.

  "But I will not do that." Shadow pushes Chao away.

  Chao finally exhaled, "You–! You're–!"

  "Let us agree that I think your kind are terrible, and you think my kind is terrible." Shadow stretched out his hand as he hacked from speaking normally. "I only wish to end this civilly."

  "Fine." Chao shook Shadow's hand.

  "Phoenix is my brother, I know what is best for him."

  "You're like twelve! You don't even know what's best for you!"

  "Excuse me, don't I get a say in this?" asked Sunny.

  "No!" shouted Shadow and Chao.

  "Hey! I may be clueless right now, but I'm not helpless." Sunny proclaimed. "I don't think your brother would appreciate you talking about him like he's some monster either."

  Shadow rolled his eyes, "...You are a stubborn one."

  "So are you. Besides, what makes you think you should speak for Phoenix anyway?" asked Sunny.

  Shadow glared at her, "Because you really hurt him."

  "...What?"

  As Phoenix and Zappary were hanging out back at the cottage, Phoenix looked at the time, "Zap, I'm gonna go see Sunny, I'll be back later."

  "Ummm, wait! Before you go, you wanna play a quick game of poker?" exclaimed Zappary.

  "Maybe later."

  "Craps? Chess? Checkers? Ring toss?"

  "Zap, I gotta go."

  Zappary threw his arms around Phoenix, "How about we talk? We never talk anymore."

  "That's all you do Zap."

  "Wanna go get –tssst!– groceries? I'm starving! Let's get one of those big cheeseblocks we saw down at the market!"

  "We just had lunch." Phoenix took his satchel from a hook and reached for the door, but Zappary panicked and dived down to grab his leg.

  "Zap, what are you doing?" asked Phoenix.

  "Um, I saw some lint on your pants?"

  Phoenix pulled his leg away. "Zap, what's going on?"

  Zappary sighed, Neko and Koma jumping onto his back, "Alright–tssst!–, you're gonna find out sooner –tssst!– or later," he got up. "Shadow went to meet Sunny."

  Phoenix's eyes widened. "He what? Why didn't he tell me?"

  Zappary shrugged. "He went for a good reason, he wanted to see for himself if she's –tssst!– a good person!"

  Phoenix sighed, "He just doesn't trust me at all, does he?"

  Zappary put a hand on Phoenix's shoulder. "Fireball, he's just –tssst!– looking out for you."

  "Then this is the last time I'm gonna let him do that."

  Phoenix walked out and slammed the door closed. The cubs looked up at Zappary with a whimper. The middle brother crouched down with a huff, noticing the freshly burned footprints in the floorboards.

  "I try, and yet no one –tssst!– listens to me."

  Chao pulled Sunny through the woods by the hand, no matter how much she tried to pull away, his grip was firm.

  "Chao!" she cried. "Would you listen for just one second!?"

  "Why!?" asked Chao, sweating bullets. "You're not going back there, end of story!"

  "Then I'm not going back with you until you listen to me!"

  "Fine, what?"

  "I hurt Phoenix by letting you come up here. Until I see him again to apologize, I'm gonna keep coming up here! I don't care if you lock me in the shop or keep me busy, I want to say I'm sorry to him. I know he'll come back!"

  "Are you done with this little tantrum? I know what he is, and what he is, is dangerous. D-A-N-G-E-R. I don't know how many times I have to spell that out for you!"

  "I don't care! He is my friend!"

  "Sunny!"

  "Okay, fine. If you let me go back, just one more time, I'll stay in the store with you. I'll let it go. I'll stock the shelves, mop the floors, dust the cabinets, I'll even chase out the rats!"

  "But you hate rats."

  "I know."

  "And what makes you think he'll come?"

  "I know he will."

  Phoenix ran out to the woods, and when he got there, he found that Shadow was the only one there, finishing A Warrior's Revival.

  "'They charged in the quiet heart of the battlefield, their battle cries akin to mourning.'" quoted Shadow. "Their weapons crossed under the watchful eye of the rising sun, their feet rooted to the ground as neither yielded. They did not fight as warriors, but two souls who shared their hopes and dreams. Though fate had cast them as foes, their souls remained intertwined.' I can see why she likes this book so much. Despite everything, she has good taste."

  "Did you have to throw up a lung to quote that?" Phoenix asked through gritted teeth.

  "That is besides the point."

  "Where's Sunny?"

  "She left."

  "What do you mean she left?"

  "She went home."

  "Did she say anything?"

  "Not really."

  "I don't get you," Phoenix's brow furrowed. "She wouldn't hurt a fly, so what's the problem?"

  "It. Is. Not. Safe."

  "I don't care what you think!"

  "She is a human."

  "She's my friend."

  "How do you know that?"

  "I just do, okay? Stop trying to protect me like you didn't abandon me for two years to fend for myself!"

  Not even Sunny, who was watching from the trees, could think of a good thing to do at that moment. Luckily, Zappary was also watching from the sidelines.

  "Sunny?" Zappary whispered loudly, digging his hand into the ground. "What are you doing?"

  "Shadow thought he scared me off," said Sunny. "I'm not scared of him though."

  Zappary raised his eyebrows.

  "They're really angry at each other." Sunny adds.

  "Uh huh," added Zappary

  "I didn't mean to cause all this trouble."

  "Right," is what he said, what he thought was, "I can't hear a freakin' word she's saying!"

  Phoenix slowed his heart, "You know I'm careful."

  "You know more than anyone how dangerous they can be!"

  "Yeah, because you were there when I dealt with them!

  "Right, because you know exactly how my experience with them has been!" Phoenix balled his hands up.

  Shadow shoved a finger to Phoenix's chest, "And if you still have not learned your lesson, then it is that type of thinking that is going to get us all killed!"

  "That's. Not. True!"

  A thud echoed, and Shadow's glasses were thrown off his face.

  "You wanna play like that?" Shadow wiped his bloodied nose as the youngest brother dropped his satchel.

  "Ummm, maybe you should go," said Zappary, shoving his other hand into the ground.

  "No!" exclaimed Sunny. "I wanna stay–!"

  "I promise you everything will be alright, and you will get a chance to talk to Phoenix, but right now, you need to go."

  She finally turned to him, "Promise?"

  "Okay, see? That I got! Yeah, yeah, I totally promise." Zappary pulled up his pinky and smiled at Sunny.

  "Okay, I trust you." Sunny wrapped her little finger around Zappary's.

  Sunny ran off.

  Shadow regained his footing, "If you wish to play so loosely with your powers, then I see no reason I should do otherwise."

  "You wouldn't." said Phoenix, frost and smoke emerging from his hands.

  "What?" asked Shadow. "Do this?" He flexed his back and out came two ethereal, solid black wings.