A/N: Gonna pick back up at the end here.

The next few days passed in idle joys.

Dick was getting used to outdoor life; the shirt Morrow had given him was soon covered in dirt and tattered. Rather than return to Morrow's home to find other clothes, he'd given up and discarded the shirt.

The boy already had an acrobatic build, something he'd hidden from the islanders for the three days he'd already stayed. He realized there was no danger in hiding his identity from the others, who surely had no idea who he was anyway.

He took to teaching the others how to do human things; Dick taught them to cook things using a coconut for a pot, or making shelters out of tree branches. He slowly started teaching them to read and even to write; Wally and Gar seemed more interested in the little science experiments Dick performed for them.

Kaldur was happy to mediate and travel between; he seemed more interested in Dick's stories than anything else he offered. Kaldur was amazed at his descriptions of skyscrapers and city streets; he wanted to know about snow and Christmas and Fall. Usually, Dick would start talking about something to him and the others would slowly gather around, even Conner and Artemis who had been slowly drifting from the group.

The only things holding the predators down were Wally and Megan; the leopard often checked on the tigress, though she acted like she was not happy to see him. Meanwhile, Megan had taken note of Conner's drifting and had decided to talk to him.

She was out gathering fruit; Conner was helping reluctantly. Megan offered him half of a coconut.

"I'm not hungry."

She paused and then retracted the gift. "Conner… Is everything alright?"

He did not meet her eyes. "I'm fine."

She hesitated. "Is something going on? It's just… you've been kind of distant lately… At least more distant than usual."

"I'm fine."

She was growing impatient. "Conner, you can tell me. Just let me in."

The wolf suddenly turned on her, snarling, "Leave me alone."

Megan backed away, surprised. She paused, and then took a deep breath and steeled herself. "Conner, tell me what's going on."

"What did I tell you?"

"Why won't you just talk to me?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Because!" The answer sounded more like a growl than a word. The wolf spun around, defensively getting on all fours and snapping at her legs.

Megan cried out and fell back, dropping her makeshift basket of fruit. Her eyes were wide from fear.

The wolf suddenly realized what he'd done, and slowly he stood up. Wordlessly, Conner passed her and picked up her basket, putting the fruit back in. He offered her his hand, but she stood on her own, staring at him.

"Don't… Don't become like the others, Conner. I can't lose you too…" She turned then,

walking away and leaving him alone.

BREAK

The tigress watched as the wolf stood on all fours. She raised her head as he turned towards the moonlight. She jumped over the sleeping bodies, silent and ghostly; her leg had been healing well. The tigress approached the wolf as he disappeared into the moonlight. She climbed after him carefully.

As she stepped out into the night, the wolf suddenly tackled her. They rolled over and he put his claws against her neck. Surprised, he murmured, "Artemis?"

She shoved him off, snarling softly, "I know what you've been doing, Conner; I want in."

The wolf hesitated. "I don't think-"

"You're not going to get rid of me; if you don't let me come with you, all I have to do is call the others."

He paused, and then begrudgingly walked away. She followed, and they melted into shadow.

BREAK

It was the next night when he had the dream.

There was a loud cry in the cave; Gar sat up, panting heavily. Dick was the first to rise, followed by Megan and Kaldur. She wrapped her arms around Gar, whispering, "Shh, it's okay, Gar, shh…"

Dick knelt beside them. "Are you okay?"

Gar nodded; he paused, and then murmured quietly, "I saw… I saw a building, like a skyscraper but smaller. Smaller than Morrow's house, and there were animals… All kinds, with horns and hooves and things… I've never seen before. There were no trees; it was gold and flat. A giant bird flew out of the sky and there was… fire…"

Megan comforted him; Kaldur glanced at Dick, whose face was white as a sheet. The aquatic pulled him aside, murmuring, "What is it?"

"He can't… He can't have dreamed those things…"

"It was merely a dream; it happens occasionally."

"Occasionally?"

"Yes; we believe them to be visions."

Dick stared at Kaldur. "Have you ever had these dreams?"

"Of course; I was in a room, and a man was telling me to write things down. I remember that there were others lined in rows, but that's all that happened in my vision."

"Kaldur, you can't dream about something unless you've experienced it. You can't...

Kaldur frowned. "What are you suggesting?"

Dick met his eyes. "You weren't an animal first. You couldn't have been… You had to start…"

Kaldur's eyes widened. "Human?"

BREAK

The tigress lifted her head, blood staining the corners of her mouth. "Do you smell that?"

"Yes." The wolf watched as light suddenly flooded the nearby path. They had not intended to hunt so close to the mansion, but they had heard nothing from Mallah or the Brain; at least, not until now. The wolf and tigress watched as a shadow blocked out the light. A voice, rough with exhaustion, was murmuring unintelligibly in French, carrying something large and metallic.

As he made his way towards the house, all they understood was, "We will, Monsieur, but rest…"

The hunters exchanged glances, turning and running back to the cave.