When Chickadee saw them, her heart could have given out right then. They were huge -- outweighing and outsizing her by more than a small amount. She trembled, taking an abrupt step back away from the two monsters. She felt a tree brush up against her flank as she stepped backwards, and her ears pinned themselves to the back of her skull. Her tail tucked so tightly that it brushed against her underbelly, twitching with fright.

For but a moment, she stood in utter silence and without moving a muscle. She didn't know what to say. Her wide-eyed gaze darted from one male to the other, her mouth working fruitlessly.

Finally, she snapped her jaws shut with a soft click, straightening her posture and lowering her head. She gazed up at the twins through her lashes, trying to suppress her quivering. "You frightened me," she said softly, her voice thin. She took another wary step back, only to remember that a tree blocked her path.

She felt her heart quicken with panic, but she swallowed her fear down. She couldn't let them see how afraid she was. They would eat her up in two bites, and there would be nothing left.

"What do you want?" she asked flatly, barely able to suppress the quiver in her words, looking from one black beast to the other.

---

CHICKADEE
^{you're not alone}