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Both babes’ skin were pale and white, both sported a small horn on their forehead that would eventually grow into an exoskeleton, and both cried...a lot.

It only took one babe crying for the other one to join. That crying babe was often Boon, a name Nala selected to afford the weaker one good fortune. And despite being rather active otherwise, Crane never failed to cry with him.

Sitting with Crane, named after the crane-mare he’d killed, in his lap, Idrus used his left hand to pat the child’s cheek.

Nala wasn’t having any luck with Boon. Other than sleep, not much quieted Boon once he broke into cry.

This time there was no slumber and no end in sight to the ruckus.

“Perhaps they are hungry,” Nala said crawling to Idrus. She was sure to keep clear of Crane’s reach.

As anticipated, the stronger baby quieted for a moment, showing his teeth.

“None of that,” Idrus scolded. “She is not food.”

Eyes perpetually closed, Crane broke into a cry once more, a series of clicks that grew to an excruciating pitch.

Boon pressed his face against Nala’s belly again and again, searching.

“Yes, they may be hungry,” he said to Nala. “But where will they get suck?”

“Gava!” Nala cried out. “It’s latched.”

Idrus chuckled. “Stop being foolish.”

Nala turned to show the hole in her robe.

Gasping, Idrus put Crane down and hurried to take hold of Boon’s body.

“Blasted child. Do you not even know a nursing female? There is no food here!” He managed to take Boon off, wiping the blood from the child’s lips.

Both babes began to cry once more.

Nala stared down at her lower torso, fright painted on her face.

“I think he’s taken the flesh with it.”

Idrus sighed. “Worry more about falling asleep tonight next to Crane who won’t be as gentle. Come. We must find them milk.”

Groaning, Nala took Boon back, cradling the pale body as she said, “That was very unkind of you, little one. But I give you credit for the effort. Your father has never shown as much interest in that part of me.”

As Idrus rose to his feet, he paused. “What are you saying?”

Nala’s smile faded as she returned his gaze. “What do you mean?”

“I’m a full grown male, of course I would not take interest in an area meant for nursing.”

Nodding, Nala walked past him. “Hmm’hm.”

Idrus turned and clapped Nala on the backside with his left hand. “Enough joking. If we don’t find milk, I fear for us both at nightfall. Another crane-mare would be good. Since one washed down, maybe a herd wouldn’t be too far from here.”

Because the sloth still slept, recovering from the day before, they had little success in waking it.

Besides that, Crane seemed interested in the beast for the wrong reasons. They walked instead, black dirt and yellow grass under their feet. A world without Earthers meant more animals roamed in the open.

As the suns beat down on them, the noisy babies took on a pinker color. In time they would look purple.

The herd wasn’t that far away. However, catching a crane-mare was no easy task as the crane-bucks were rather lazy and the females had the horns.

“Perhaps we can wait till night and let them feed as the animals sleep,” Nala suggested.

It was dusk now but these two wouldn’t quiet. Idrus decided to catch a crane-mare. He’d hunted them in his youth and remembered while it was no easy task, it was possible.

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A bigger problem showed itself. Chasing the animal would mean leaving Nala alone with both babes. Boon she could always unlatch from her breast if he did something silly like that again. Crane was a worry.

“I will carry this one with me,” Idrus concluded. “It’s best if we catch a crane-mare now instead of waiting for nightfall with only the moon as our guide. Come.”

Babes in hand, they set off. They returned to that slope shortly after with nothing to show for it as the crane-mares scattered.

That failure doomed them to hours of crying until the moon rose high above.

Nala’s plan was a good one though Idrus had his misgivings. He put Crane down beside one of the mares and stood ready to take hold of her horns should she awaken with a start.

Crane couldn’t move about much, though he could roll from here to there.

“Let Boon feed first,” Idrus whispered. “But you must catch Crane.”

Nala’s expression said she disagreed but Idrus wasn’t having it.

“I cannot do it all by myself. He reacts to fear. So stop fearing him! He’s only a child,” Idrus said.

Boon attached to one of the crane-mare’s ten teats.

The animal stirred for a moment but relaxed once more. By the time Boon let go and rolled onto his back as well, Crane had all but circled Idrus.

“Now, Na’am. Get him now.”

Nala looked frightened at first, but she chased the boy and caught hold. A sharp row of teeth greeted her, but she was unafraid for the first time.

“None of that!” Nala growled. Maybe the knowledge that Crane would get proper food soon was enough to ease Nala’s worry.

Crane took longer to latch; in fact, he refused.

In time, Nala had to pry the babe’s mouth open and put a teat in.

The beast howled as it tried to stand.

Using all his might, Idrus pushed it down. Crane-mares were strong, but their legs weren’t as good as other animals, so they often could not stand when the weight of their own body was pushed against them.

This one kept steady.

Idrus sympathized with it, because as Crane was a sloppy eater at first, he could see some discoloring in the milk that spilled; he’d latched with his teeth.

In time Crane calmed and even cooed as he drank. He drank twice as long as Boon but eventually he stopped.

The peaceful expression on his face made Idrus chuckle.

“In that regard you are like your Summoner mother; a good meal keeps you content,” he said, his right hand on the beast as he used his left to pick the child up.

Nala chuckled, holding Boon to her.

Her smile faded in time. “You shouldn’t let the mare go; it’ll be angry for sure.”

“I do not think it has enough energy, to be honest,” Idrus said. “In fact, it might have lost too much blood to put up a fight. Come, let us return to the cave and we’ll come back yet again in the night before they rise.”

When they returned some hours later, Nala weary and miserable despite being one to like an early morning, they found yet another sleeping crane-mare to feed from.

Boon drank a bit more, which was a comfort, but Crane drank even more still. Idrus had to pull him off.

“Enough. That is greedy, even for you.”

The baby slipped for his grip, biting into the flesh of the mare where he landed.

Despite the mare’s cries, the beast didn’t rise. It wailed, incapable of escape even as Crane nibbled into it, wiggling all the while.

Nala made the foolish attempt to get the baby’s legs but Idrus pulled her back.

“No. He means to feed.”

The animal suffered for only a short time before Crane borrowed inside, reaching its hearts.

When it died, Boon cried yet again.

In truth, Idrus had no great knowledge of caring for young. He’d fathered them, watched them hatch, visited a few clutches to see them feeding, and returned to his duties. Leveler young did feed on flesh, but he wasn’t sure if this was too early. This was a female’s forte. A part of him longed to ask Nala for guidance but equally he feared her reaction should she have no natural instinct for such things. Together, they were perhaps ill-equipped parents.

Regardless, he thought to try. What Boon did, Crane did, and perhaps it was best to keep with that agreement.

He took Boon and put him by the carcass.

“Wait! That is not right,” Nala protested.

“Peace,” Idrus said. “It would be a waste to let all this meat go bad. I cannot eat it all, but I can try to get a good portion. You will have to try for the rest.”

Nala, less than keen on eating, nodded in time.

When the babies fell out of the half-eaten animal, messy but smiling, Idrus shook his head and picked them both up.

“I couldn’t possibly have been as awful as these two when I was young.”

Nala cut him a glance and Idrus laughed.

“I assure you, I was a perfect creature and not in any way contrary.”

Boon fell into Nala’s hands easily and curled up. Nala frowned. “His skin is sticky.”

Idrus moved Crane from his left to his right hand. “This one, too.”

They spent the morning in a worry, most of the other crane-mares scattered. Only one other remained and they discovered it was the one from the night before. Dead as well.

By midday both babes were covered by a thick white slime.

“It’s another chrysalis,” Idrus observed. “Once it dries, we’ll see about getting ourselves clean and fed.”

They made it back to the cave without trouble. Nala sat down on Idrus’s left. It took a moment for Idrus to realize why.

The still wet chrysalis in hand, he took Nala into a gentle embrace with his left arm. Now with the damage, the scales failed to grow back, and the texture was gentle against the Summoner’s skin. Today was the first time Idrus was happy for this injury.

Crane’s chrysalis dried first with Boon struggling to get out of his. They both chuckled at the sight of him. He became tangled in most of it before it finally set and he faded from view.

“He’s rather silly, isn’t he?” Nala observed.

“They both are but we’ll have to hope this one won’t keep killing crane-mares. I was impressed at first but the rotting carcasses reek.”

Nala leaned into him. “I wonder how long they will sleep this time.”

Idrus was more concerned about what would happen once the young kings were awake once more.