Astanine sighed. She dropped her gaze to the warm woolly blanket she was supposed to be folding. She finished her chore, watching the sun set behind the horizon, behind the luscious green hills. She heard the distant call of her father, beckoning the in the family's sheep dogs. Astanine reacted to the summons as well, but stopped halfway to her home in the valley.

The wind shifted. It had never come from the south before. A sudden gust that carried debris and sand rushed past her. Astanine shielded her face and eyes from the fragments. She felt the debris rip at her clothing. She heard a distant boom which echoed off the hills.

The wind stopped. Astanine cautiously gazed upwards towards home. Only home wasn't there. Astanine's eyes widened in shock. She backed up slowly, not daring to believe the site she saw. Oh, she sighed. Her home was only buried under the sand! Papa made sure their home was well shielded again the frequent rain storms that plagued the land. Surely it protected against the sand, too!

She started running down the hill, slipping on the unfamiliar sand. Astanine reached her home and frantically began digging. As she dug farther down, her mind began to tell her that home was gone. Papa, mother, the sheep dogs. Even the chickens were gone. However, her heart refused to acknowledge the truth.

The moon reached its zenith, and Astanine's hands oozed blood. The sand clogged her wounds, but scratched as well. It was useless, she knew, to keep trying. But her life could not be gone! These were stories! Houses gone in a dust storm. Stories! Tears flooded her eyes. A dream. What else could it be?

Fuzzy-eyed, Astanine let her body go limp, but she never hit the ground. Dazed, she gazed upwards. A young man held her shoulders, concern in his eyes. He helped her to her feet, taking her wounded hands in his. But his… his weren't human. They were fuzzy, and to Astanine's hurts, it felt good, and she did not complain. Her eyes darted to his handsome young face. Even through her blurred vision, something was wrong. His ears. His nose. But his eyes were as human as hers. His eyes promised comfort to Astanine's bruised body. The man bowed his head and hoisted her into his strong, smooth arms. Astanine looked into his beautiful green eyes and fell into a welcome sleep.

Malkin paced, running a paw through his silky black hair. The girl was still unconscious after three days! Oh well, he thought. She was the key to the Trine. He would wait. He glanced coyly at her limp body on his bed. His bed. He smiled.

A knock at his door distracted Malkin's gaze from the young girl. Sunlight streamed into the room as a tall man entered.

"Still?" asked the man.

"Still," Malkin said, gesturing at the girl.

"I just don't understand her! Why hasn't she awakened?! We need –"

Malkin straightened in his chair. "She was almost dead when I found her! I told you, Jord, someone killed off her family; she was looking for them."

"All the better, it was easier to take her and it will be easier for her to accept her fate. She won't have a choice, now that her family is gone." Jord paced around the room.

Malkin hissed, his feline instincts taking over. "Just leave it, Jord, at least we have her." He sighed, defeated. He was truly worried about the girl. "Isn't that enough for now?"

Jord shoulders relaxed. "Sorry, Malkin, but she needs to wake up. She can't live in a dream world forever."

"I know."

Jord dusted off his pants, turning his back towards Malkin and the girl. With a curt nod, he was out of the door.

Malkin returned his attention to the girl. Her black hair was a mess from when he had rescued her. He really needed to wake her up. He stole a glance at the mirror. She was mortal, but perhaps she could accept his oddities. He licked the back of his paw, trying to prim himself up. His ears were in good, he decided, for the most part. His Siamese features struck him. Malkin wasn't vain, but compared to humans, he was very adorable. He didn't care for humans, but the girl on the bed behind him was different. He watched her dig for her family. Not many would do that. Humans were vain, mortal things. Odd that she was the completion to the Trine. Jord was the other involved in the matter.

What they were looking for, neither Jord nor Malkin knew. All that had been imbedded in their minds was to find the third and unlock something. It was a single-minded destiny for them.