"Hey—hey! Don't cry!" Aviel hurriedly withdrew his domain, the oppressive air instantly loosening. "Father just wanted to chat with you and give you some gifts. I wasn't going to hit you."
The moment the pressure disappeared, Linny felt his body regain its agility. With a sharp whoosh, he bolted away, racing straight toward Nina.
Aviel let out a long sigh, hesitating over whether to chase him.
***
Back at the campsite, Nina had already noticed something was wrong.
The egg babies had been rolling around and playing, but after a while they realized Linny hadn't interacted with them at all. Stranger still, they couldn't even sense his presence nearby.
They quickly rolled toward Yinny and Didi: Brother Yinny, Brother Didi, Brother Linny is gone!
The two cubs immediately looked around. Sure enough—no golden blur, no fluttering wings.
They dashed over to Nina, who was busy rolling dumpling wrappers, tugging at her clothes anxiously.
"Mother! Mother! Brother Linny is missing!"
