When Sagwa found a black cat in the dark, it surprised both of them. "Okay..." she said hesitantly, and sat beside Wu-Ming. "I'm sorry."
He squinted into the dark, trying to see with his one good eye. And Sagwa examined his narrow eyes, wondering if he was even capable of a positive emotion.
"Why are you following me?" he grumped, and realized only then what it was like to be on the other end of a question.
Sagwa looked at the grumpy companion she had deliberately paired with. "Getting into a caravan while it's moving is difficult."
"Not really."
"Right there, that is why I'm following you."
Finally, he turned his squinting eyes to her.
"I've heard a lot about you. That you're fast. And brave. I'm fast, too," she ventured. "And I think we'd make a good team for the search." She hesitated, then looked away with a subtle shake of her head. "Searches," she amended, speaking so softly that Wu-Ming's ear rotated to catch the word. She huffed a sigh and looked down at the moonlit dirt. "And after what you said, knowing what you did... Well, I guess you're nicer than I thought."
He scoffed, then got to all fours. "Not really," he repeated, and started to walk away. She stood up and bounded after him.
"You didn't give up on him. Did she?"
The excellent conversationalist was quiet. She fell in step beside him, sighing in frustration. "It doesn't make sense. She would come running for any member of the pack. So when did she stop seeing her own flesh and blood as a member of the pack? I can't believe she would give up on him," she rambled on, as Wu-Ming's eyes narrowed with irritation. Suddenly he stepped in front of her, to effectively stop her in both a physical and verbal sense. She blinked up at him, trying to hide the fear he made her feel.
"She did go running."
"And then she came running back."
"Stop following me," came the helpful response. "It's time your brother did something."
She looked defiantly at him, and he stifled a sigh at the question he saw forming in her eyes. Couldn't they all just leave him alone? But her question was so impersonal and cold, it took him off-guard. "If you want to be alone, why have you stayed so long?"
"'Cause I didn't think you'd show up," he growled. "I was hoping this would be the last place you'd be."
"Uh, well, it was actually the first place I ever was. Again, sorry to disappoint."
"So, what, you have a tough time moving on?"
Sagwa hesitated, thinking about the beauty and the familiarity of the palace. "It was supposed to be our home, for as long as it was theirs. Those humans were our family, too. For generations."
"They don't have a tough time moving on. Neither does Sheegwa."
"What do you―"
"I found her in an old house. Collapsing in on itself. She wanted to stay."
Sagwa's eyes narrowed at the news. Turning around, she made her way back towards the alley. From where she stood, the moonlight afforded her a clear glimpse of trouble; and she unthinkingly broke into a run to reach her sister, laying on her wounded side. Her breaths were heavy, but she grabbed Sagwa's extended paw and struggled to her feet. "Are you okay?"
"You need to find Baba. Tell him Yeh-Yeh went into the water. Probably got washed away."
"What makes you think that?"
Sheegwa's voice was quieter than the breaths she took. "Cold trail."
"I'll tell him your theory. You need to get behind the gate."
"Why?"
"It's true, sometimes there's nothing anyone could have done. This doesn't need to be one of those times."
Sheegwa turned and limped towards the comfort of the walls, and Sagwa turned to scan the dark hinterlands for Wu-Ming, but he had taken the opportunity to lose her. "Looks like you're on your own," she murmured.
"I wanted to be."
"There were many things you wanted," Sagwa breathed, as she left her standing there. As she searched for Fan, her father, or her grandfather―suddenly she understood, not why Fan had run away, but why he had picked that moment.
Standing there by herself, she scoffed and spoke to the empty night. "Clever."
"What was?"
Fu-Fu's voice came from up above, and she looked up, smiling suddenly. "Not important. Not if you're willing to help us. Again."
"Of course! You know I'd do anything for you guys!"
Sagwa looked towards the water. "Can you fly over the sea and make sure Yeh-Yeh's not...in it?"
She flinched as Fu-Fu departed so quickly, he caused a shower of loose foliage. Sagwa sat on the cold, hard ground and waited for his return; realizing that between Song's kidnapping and Fan's absence, nobody had spoken to him. They had all been too concerned about losing her, and of course nobody had known what the boy had been thinking. Had he left because he felt unloved? The sheer notion coupled with worry for her beloved Yeh-Yeh and brought her to tears.
"Yao-Lin!"
"Yeh-Yeh!" Dongwa shouted, and watched as Hun-Hun stumbled away from him, towards a bush. Averting his eyes from the unpleasant sound of vomiting, he had just yelled Fan's name when he spotted a bat hovering over the water. Suddenly the bat rotated and began flying towards them; and Dongwa strained to see the sudden flash of moonlight bouncing off his glasses.
Fu-Fu landed beside him. "I beg your pardon," he exclaimed, "But did I just hear you calling for your nephew?"
"Yeah, he ran away."
"My, you are unlucky," Fu-Fu grumbled.
"What were you doing just now?"
"Oh, Sagwa asked me to look for your grandfather taking a swim..."
"A swim?"
"The scent," Hun-Hun realized.
"What?"
"The creature!" she clarified, and turning her eyes to the water, she examined the direction of the current.
"I'll wait for him on the other side," Fu-Fu offered, "I can't see anything down there. I just have to check in with Sagwa first."
"Thanks, Fu-Fu."
"Think nothing of it. What's an eye in the sky for?" he asked, and flapped away.
Dongwa nervously turned his eyes back into the darkness surrounding them. "Fan!" he called, and grimaced as Hun-Hun once again made a beeline for the bush. "Uh, Hun-Hun. Maybe you should just go back to the alley. Rest, eat. Keep Sheegwa company. And, you know. Not slow me down."
"Wow. At least will you walk me there?"
His eyes flitted down to the ancient collar decorating her neck, and he pushed aside his impatience. "Of course I will."
Together, they headed back at a snail's pace, leaning heavily on each other for support—physical and otherwise.
