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Whinnahael winced in pain as she wrapped a bandage tightly around the wound on her arm. Every part of her body hurt, she was covered in bruises and scratches, and her left eye was throbbing. To top it off she was exhausted, and she knew that there was no way to get any rest, not for some hours yet. Even if she could relax, the roar of the engines would almost certainly make sleep impossible.

The cargo bay of the airship she had managed to sneak aboard was hot and cramped, but at least the ship was moving. The Captain had refused to allow her above decks until the ship was far away from Flenille airspace, and considering the battle on the docks that had preceded the launch, Whinnahael certainly couldn't blame him.

The Flenille boy-cub that Whinnahael had been sent to retrieve sat cross-legged in front of her, watching her with quiet detachment, as if the fight on the road and the docks hadn't even happened. In three days he hadn't spoken a single word, not when she had retrieved him from his captors, nor during the panicked ride across the islands, or even during the battle they had fought with the Flenille Royal Guard on the docks. He had simply followed behind Whinnahael, following his orders without question.

"Dammit" Whinnahael growled to herself as she tied off the bandage, "What a bloody pain...

"Are you going to kill me?" the boy asked, in a voice so empty of emotion he may as well have been asking the most banal question about the weather.

The words froze Whinnahael's blood. "Wh-what did you say?"

The young Flenille's ears were pressed flat against his head and a look of utter, abject defeat on his face. He had nothing left, no life, no energy, no hope.

He asked again, "Are you going to kill me?"

It took a moment for Whinnahael to find her voice, "W-why would you ask that?"

"Because that's what they told me," The boy replied, "They said that if someone took me, they'd kill me."

Whinnahael could do nothing but stare, her voice stolen by the sorrow in the eyes of the Flenille boy-cub in front of her. The frustration and annoyance at this mission that had gone wrong in every conceivable way, was utterly wiped away.

As the boy stared back at her tears began to form at the corners of his eyes. "Please don't." He whimpered, his voice so quiet that Whinnahael could barely hear him. "Please don't kill me. I... I don't want to die..."

"I... I'm not going to..." Whinnahael started to reach out, but the boy pulled away, terror in his eyes. Whinnahael noted his eyes darting to the casting rod at her belt, clearly frightened that she intended to use it on him.

Sighing deeply, Master Raiden removed her Casting Rod from her belt. She paused for a moment, fighting every instinct she had ever been taught, before tossing the rod away. It bounced across the deck with a loud clang and rolled away into the shadows.

The boy watched it go, before turning questioningly back to Whinnahael.

"It's okay, come here." Whinnahael said, raising her arms.

Hesitantly, but obediently, the boy climbed to his feet and stepped forwards. Before he could retreat, Whinnahael pulled him into a tight embrace. He tensed, and Whinnahel hissed as she felt his claws dig into her back, but still she held him tightly.

After a few moments he relaxed in her arms."What's your name?" She whispered, stroking the boy's head.

"I-I don't have one." he whimpered.

"You don't have one?"

"They never gave me one. They said I didn't need one."

"I see..."

Whinnahael released her grip and the boy stepped back.

"You know, I had a son once, a long time ago." Whinnahael whispered, taking the young Flenille's hands in hers, "His name was Shani."

"Sh-Shani?"

"That's right." Whinnaheal smiled, tears forming at the corner of her eyes and streaming down her cheeks, "He was very special, very gentle, and very kind."

"I... I like it."

"Good, because I'd like you to have that name."

"My name is... Shani?"

"That's right." Whinnahael said, leaning forwards and wiping the tears away from Shani's eyes with her sleeve, "And I promise you, little one, I will never, ever hurt you."

"Really?" The cautious hope in Shani's voice nearly broke Whinnahael's heart.

"Yes." She said, gripping his hands tight, "And I'm going to make you strong, so strong that no one will ever be able to hurt you again."

All at once Shani leapt forward into Whinnahaels arms and began to sob, his little hands bunching her robes as he cried desperately into her shoulder.

"It's okay." Whinnahael whispered, gently stroking Shani's ears, "It's okay little one. It's okay. I've got you, and I promise, I will always protect you."

===

The mess hall of the Suncaster Academy was finally growing quiet as the hustle and bustle of dinner faded. Academy staff hurried to clear away the dishes as the last few Suncasters finished their meals or indulged in cups of tea or coffee while the crimson light of the setting suns shone through the western windows.

Whinnahael sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, staring down at her cup of coffee. "I just don't know what to do with him." she muttered, "Nothing I do seems right."

Across the table from her, Brightmaster Cax Orion smiled in sympathy, "I'm led to believe that parenthood is difficult enough when the parents and the children are of the same species. I can see why this situation would be more... complex."

"You're telling me." Whinnahael sighed again and rested her head on the table, "He's attached to me, that much is obvious, but I can't seem to keep up with him. He has more energy in a day than I have in a week..."

"Mmmmm."

"And he's so... I don't want to say clingy but... he's emotional."

"You have taken on quite the task."

"I don't know how he manages to get himself into so much trouble. Last week he managed to get himself trapped up on the library roof, Mistral knows how he did it, he can't tell me without crying, and once he was up there he realized that he was afraid of heights! I had to get Master Rayne and Master Kertz to help me up to him, and it took all three of us to pull him off the weather vane!"

"I had wondered why it was so difficult to get him down. Still, it was a rather humourous sight." Orion replied, lightly sipping his tea.

"And you should have seen the scratches he left in the metal with those claws of his! They were deep enough to stick your fingers in!" Whinnahael sighed and rolled her head back and forth, "And of course Master Atraedius is furious at me for interfering in his plans. He had some grand ambition for the boy, and now those lay in ruin."

"Nothing new there though."

"And then there's Master Yelgrin..."

"Ah yes... I heard about that. How is he?"

"Better. He'll have quite the scar, but thankfully Shani's teeth missed any tendons."

"That's a relief at least."

"Yeah."

"What did he do exactly?"

"He bit him and then hid for a day and a half. I thought he'd run away, until I found him under a pile of laundry. Thank heaven for that uncontrollable tail of his... stick out from underneath a pair of my knickers."

"No, I mean Master Yelgrin, what was he doing?"

Whinnahael looked up at Orion, "He caught Shani playing with his precious insect collection. I understand that he was upset, but he shouldn't have something like that anyways. Suncasters are supposed to be about protecting life of all shapes and sizes, not sticking it to some gaudy velvet hunk of junk."

Orion raised an eyebrow. "Indeed..."

"Anyways, he caught Shani playing with it and laid into him. Apparently Shani damaged a butterfly or some such nonsense and Yelgrin smacked him twice before Shani bit him."

"Fair enough."

"Of course Shani claims it was just on instinct, and he feels terrible. Yelgrin on the other hand..." Whinnahael's gaze darkened and anger crept into her voice, "He should have known better. And as far as I'm concerned he's lucky all Shani did was bite him. If I'd seen him beating my apprentice he'd have lost a hand. Still... I confined Shani to his room for the day."

"Do I sense your motherly instincts kicking in?"

"Damn straight." Whinnahael growled, "Dammit Orion... You should have seen him on the ship back! He was so skinny I could carry him under one arm, he was covered in fleas and he stunk to high heaven! He was shaking like a leaf, and he refused to come anywhere near me while I had my casting rod."

Orion's eyes widened at the implication of Whinnahaels words. He knew that Whinnahael was never separate from her casting rod; she even slept with it in hand. Even for a Suncaster, Whinnahael's reluctance to part with her weapon was legendary. For her to put it aside for anyone...

"He did have a rough life prior to you rescuing him." Orion said after a few moments, "I suppose that is to be expected when dealing with a lucent male among the Flenille. Any family that controlled him would have the ability to reliably pass down the Suncaster code. It would make them very formidable."

"You know the first thing he said to me was: 'Are you going to kill me' ! He still flinches every time I try to touch him!"

"Hmmmm."

"I gave him a mint the other day and he looked at me with so much love in his eyes... Like this tiny little candy was the most precious thing in the world." Whinnahael's hands curled into fists "And I brought him to a place I told him was safe, I promised him he would never be hurt again, and what happens? Playing with some insect gets him hit by a man I taught him to respect! And Master Atradius is no better, he just wants to use the poor boy! It isn't bloody right!"

Orion raised his eyebrows slightly as he noticed the table beneath Whinnahael's fists begin to smoke But thankfully Whinnahael's rage was short-lived. With a heavy sigh she leaned back in her chair, "What have I done... the boy needs a professional, not me."

"Pup."

"What?"

"Flenille children, they're called pups. Well the males are called pups, young females are called kits apparently. "

Whinnahael raised an eyebrow, "How do you know that?"

Orion reached into his robes and withdrew a small booklet, "Simple, I consulted a professional." Orion slid the book across the table towards Whinnahael, "It's early for your birthday, but I suspected you might need some help."

Whinnahael picked up the book and read the title aloud, "Madame Collingwood's Condensed Guide to Raising Anthrogenic Children'?"

"She runs an orphanage specializing in anthrogenics, down on Copper Street, near the fish market."

"I've heard of it, we recently acquired a lucent Nanuwa from that place, didn't we?"

Orion nodded, "Indeed. Ix was her name I believe, a consummate troublemaker if what I have heard is to be believed. Either way, she's the authority on this sort of thing, so I got you the abridged version."

"So basically: 'How to raise a Flenille for Fools'." Whinnahael sighed again, "Maybe he'd be better off with Madame Collingwood..."

Whinnahael jumped slightly as Orion placed his hand over hers.

"You know that's not true." Orion said gently, squeezing her hand, his massive palm easily covering her entire hand, "I can hear it in your voice, you only want what is best for him. And I think you know, in your heart of hearts, that you are what he needs."

Despite herself, Whinnahael felt her heart skip a beat at the words.

"So take some time, read the book." Orion continued.

"I don't know..."

"Yes you do."

Whinnahael sighed and looked down at the tiny leather-bound book in her hand, "Well... it can't hurt."

===

The sun was setting as Whinnahael returned to her chambers, a basket of food for Shani under her arm. But as soon as she opened the door, she froze at the sight that greeted her.

Shani was in the middle of the room, covered only in his own fur, his initiate robes spread from one end of the room to the other. He was on his back on the plush carpets in the middle of the apartment with one of Whinnahael's pillows in his teeth, held in his back paws.

As Whinnahael opened the door, it startled Shani, who kicked with his back feet. There was an explosion of thousands of tiny feathers as Shani's powerful hind legs and razor sharp claws immediately reduced the pillow to shreds. By the time the feathers settled, Shani was sitting cross legged on the rug, ears down and a guilty look on his face, the red satin pillow cover still in his mouth. A single feather gently settled on Shani's head as he stared up at Whinnahael.

Whinnahale opened her mouth, but no words came out. She was angry, certainly, but the look in Shani's eyes stopped her.

"What are you doing?" She asked finally.

Hesitantly Shani let go of the pillow case in his mouth. "You were gone a long time." he replied softly,, "And it... smelled like you."

"But you knew I was coming back!" Whinnahael said, stepping into the room and brushing a floating feather away from her nose.

"I... I guess so..."

"And your robes... I know you don't like them but you have to wear some clothing!"

Shani's ears dropped even more, "I'm sorry..."

Whinnahael sighed and stepped forwards, kneeling down in front of Shani. With a sigh she reached forwards and gently pulled on his cheek, "It's alright. Pick up the feathers and then you can eat."

As Whinnahael spoke, Shani's stomach growled loudly. Sighing again, Whinnahael smiled and pulled the feather off of Shani's head, "Or... you can eat now and we'll both pick up the feathers."

Hesitantly, Shani reached forwards and plucked a feather from Whinnahaels hair as well. Despite herself, Whinnahael snorted, and then burst into laughter. As she laughed Shani leaned forwards and wrapped his arms around Whinnahael, holding her tight and burying his nose in her hair.

"I really missed you." Shani mumbled softly.

"Okay, okay." Whinnahael said, gently patting Shani's back as she chuckled, "Come on, you don't want your food to get cold."

"Sorry about the pillow..."

"Don't worry, there are always more pillows."

===

Later on, as the academy began to drift off into slumber, Whinnahael sat in a chair beside Shani's bed, reading from a Suncaster text. The young Flenille watched her quietly, his big orange eyes staring into hers.

Like all Flenille, Shani didn't like to be covered up, and so in lieu of blankets, had his arms and legs wrapped around a large fluffy pillow. In their native land, multiple generations of Flenille would sleep together on a single mattress, with the young and elderly in the middle and the adults at the perimeter.

The pillow was covered in patches of fabric where Whinnahael had patched tears from Shani's razor sharp claws. The young Flenille was often tormented with nightmares and Whinnahael would be greeted with a hurricane of feathers and stuffing when she came to comfort him.

"And from the light that is the life of this world, we are taught that it is the defense of life that is our most important task, the core thesis from which all of our actions are derived." Whinnahael read aloud, "And thus we arrive at the second key tenant of the Suncaster order, 'Safeguard thy life and the lives of others, as they are the beacons that shall lead others to true light."

A loud yawn interrupted Whinnahaels' reading. As she looked up from the book she could see that Shani was struggling to keep his eyes open.

"That's all for tonight." She said, closing the text and placing it on the floor beside Shani's bed.

"But I'm not..." Shani yawned heavily, still fighting to keep his eyes open, "Not.... tired..."

Whinnahael smiled and reached forwards, scratching Shani between his large ears. "I know. Just rest your eyes for a little while."

Shani purred quietly and dug his nose into his pillow.

As Whinnahael stood up to leave, Shani whispered, "I'm sorry..."

"For what?" Whinnahael asked, pushing the thought of her favorite satin pillow out of her mind.

"For biting Master Yelgrin." Shani mumbled, "I didn't mean to hurt him..."

"Of course you didn't." Whinnahale replied quickly, kneeling down next to Shani's bed and meeting his eyes, which were glistening with tears.

As Shani started to whimper, she quickly brushed the tears away, "No no no, don't cry, it's okay."

"But I hurt him..." Shani whimpered, "And I got you in trouble. I'm sorry..."

"Trouble?" Whinnaheal replied with a smile, "This is nothing. You wouldn't believe some of the trouble I've gotten myself into. This doesn't even rank in the top one hundred."

Shani sniffed loudly and his lip quivered, but he didn't cry. "R-really"

"Not even close." she leaned forwards and whispered, "One of these days, if you promise not to tell anyone, I might even tell you about some of them."

"L-like the goat incident."

Immediately Whinnahael scowled, "How did you hear about that?"

"From Master Rudolph."

Whinnahael's eyes narrowed, "I am going to skin him..."

"Are you mad?" Shani asked, his lip quivering again.

"No, no, no, not at you." Whinnahael replied quickly. After a moment she asked, "Rudolph didn't tell you what happened... right?"

"N-no..."

Whinnahael sighed, "Good."

"Can you please stay?" Shani asked after a moment.

"Now and forever sweet one." Whinnahael replied, gently tugging his cheek again, "Now no more crying, and go to sleep."

Returning to her chair, Whinnahael watched as Shani's eyes grew heavy and finally slid closed. He snuggled closer to his pillow and within moments was fast asleep. Once she was certain Shani was completely asleep, Whinnahael quietly stepped out of his room and into her own.

After changing into her nightgown she picked up a lamp, lit it with a spark from her finger, and placed it on her nightside table. She froze when she thought she heard Shani yelp in the next room, but there was only silence. After listening for a moment to make certain that Shani was still asleep, she opened the book and began to read.

"Chapter one... so you have decided to adopt a Flenille"

===

As the night wore on, Whinnahael read her book, the flickering light of the gas lamp sending shadows dancing across the stone walls.

"As the child gets older, they will begin to shed. They will in fact shed their entire coat five of six times a year, more if they are well fed or suffering from stress ." Whinnahael mumbled to herself.

With a sigh she ran her hand across her sheet, coming up with a small handful of light brown fur. "Well they could have told me about that a bit earlier."

"Dear Mistral, Shani's well fed AND stressed," she thought to herself.

"Still," she muttered, tossing the fur aside and returning to the book. "That sneezey old windbag Master Pergrin hasn't been by since Shani showed up. I suppose having a layer of fur atop everything isn't entirely a bad thing."

As Whinnahael returned to her reading, she felt sleep pulling at her. The Words on the page began to blur in her eyes, but she forced herself to keep reading.

All of a sudden, a low moaning and yelping began to drift from Shani's room. Normally Whinnahael would have heard the noise instantly, but she was so engrossed in her book that it wasn't until Shani let out a plaintive cry that she looked up. Moments later there was another yelp and a loud cry of terror.

In a flurry of sheets, Whinnahael lunged out of bed and bolted across the room to Shani's door. She threw open the door so hard that the latch was torn clear off the wall.

Shani wasn't on his bed anymore, he was huddled in the corner of his room, curled into a ball and calling Whinnahael's name. He was still asleep, caught in a nightmare, his teeth bared and his claws fully extended. Despite Whinnahael's multiple repair jobs, and attempts to reinforce it with soft leather, Shani's pillow had been reduced to shreds. There were even claw marks in the rock wall, as if Shani had tried to claw his way out of the room.

Whinnahael bolted across the room "Shani! I'm here, I'm here!"

As she drew close, Shani struck out at Whinnahael instinctively. She dodged his razor sharp claws with swept Shani into a tight embrace.

"Shhhhh, it's okay, you're okay." She crooned, gently scratching him between the ears, "Wake up, it's okay."

Shani's eyes flew open and he gasped for breath, his little form shaking like a leaf as his brain tried to figure out where he was and what was happening.

"Mother!" he gasped, "Mother..."

Whinnahael froze at the word. Her heart skipped a beat and that word, a word she had long since promised herself would never apply to her again, tore through her like a knife. But Shani's shivering quickly brought her back to reality.

"It's alright." She said, holding Shani tightly, careful to keep an eye on his claws, "I'm here. You're going to be okay."

"They said that I had to go back!" Shani whimpered, shaking so hard that it made Whinnahael's teeth chatter, "They came for me!"

"It was just a dream. No one is coming for you."

"But they said they would! They'll always come for me! They're going to take me back! They're coming to take me!"

"Shani!" Whinnaheal pulled back and looked Shani straight in his huge orange eyes. "It was just a dream." She whispered, "You're at the Academy, you are safe, no one is ever, ever going to come for you here."

"I don't want to go back!" Shani wailed. He buried his face in Whinnahael's shoulder and began to sob uncontrollably. "Please, please don't send me back. I'll be good, I promise, just don't send me back!"

Beside the sadness and love, a black rage filled Whinnahael' heart as she held the crying cub in her arms. Her breathing came in shuddering gasps and her teeth clenched so hard that they hurt. Instincts buried deep inside her compelled her to lash out, to attack, but there was no target, no threat. How dare they, how dare they do this to a child, to any child, to her child.

Carefully allowing the anger to pass over her, Whinnahael held Shani's close to her, rocking gently back and forth.

"It's alright little one." She said, squeezing him gently.

It took some time, but eventually the terror wore off and Shani calmed down, returning Whinnahaels embrace. He even began to purr a little as Whinnahael scratched him between his ears.

"I was so scared..."

"I know. But there's nothing to fear now."

"They're going to come." Shani whimpered again, "They said they would always come."

"Don't be silly." Whinnahael said back. She pulled away and looked at Shani in the eyes again, "You know I am never, ever going to let those people take you back. They will never, EVER get their hands on you again."

"But-"

"I'll incinerate them." Whinnahael said, more rage in her voice than she intended, "If anyone tries to take you away I will turn them to ashes."

"But what if you aren't there?"

Whinnahale paused. She wanted to say that she would always be there, the words clawed at her throat, but she stopped herself from speaking them. She had a sense that this moment was vital, it was important, and it took every scrap of willpower she possessed to force her way past her instincts and focus on the boy.

"On the ship here, I made you a promise. Do you remember what it was?" she asked.

"That you'd protect me."

"Yes, but I made you another. Do you remember."

"That you'd... make me strong."

"And I will."

"But I'm not strong." Shani whimpered.

"Child, it took three of us to pull you off a weather vane, you are plenty strong. You just need to harness that strength, control it, and I will help you with that. But you have to want that as well." Whinnahael lifted Shani's chin so he was looking at her.

"Do you want to be strong?" She asked.

After a moment, Shani nodded, "Yes." he said, "I want to be like you."

"Well the first step is getting some sleep. Come on."

As Whinnahael stood she looked back to Shani's bed. The pillow was clearly a lost cause, the sheets would require extensive repairs, and a large wet spot was visible where Shani had been sleeping.

"Two pillows in one day." Whinnahael muttered, "The two of us will single handedly exhaust the Academy's supply of cushions at this rate."

"I'm sorry." Shani mumbled, his ears pressing flat against his head.

With a sigh, Whinnahael took Shani's hand, "Come on, you can sleep with me."

Shani's eyes grew wide, "But what if I hurt you?!"

"This is part of being strong. You need to learn to Master your fear, even if it is just a dream."

"But I..."

"You won't hurt me." Whinnahael said, gently pulling Shani's to his feet, "I know you won't."

Shani looked at his feet, "I.... I..." he looked back up at Whinnahael, something new burning in his eyes, "I won't hurt you. I promise."

"Good boy. Now come on."

Moments later, Whinnahael was back in her bed, with Shani curled up in front of her. As Shani relaxed, he noticed the book that Whinnahael had been reading, "Madame Collingwoods Guide to Raising Anthrogenic Children."

"What's that?" he asked.

"Nothing!" Whinnahael answered quickly, shoving the book under her pillow. Even as she did she knew that it was a lost cause. Now that he had seen it, Shani's natural curiosity would draw him to it like a leaf on a current.

"Everything they touch is either a puzzle, a toy or both." Whinnahael recited as she met Shani's curious gaze.

"Come on." She uged, turning down the lamp to a dull glow and settling against her pillow, "It's time to get some rest. You have a big day tomorrow."

"I do?"

Whinnahael nodded, "Tomorrow, we're going to find your Sunstone and make you a casting rod."

"But... Master Atradius said-."

"Forget Master Atradius, you are here at the Academy, that means you are to be trained as a Suncaster."

Besides... I'd like to see him try and stop me." Whinnahael muttered to herself.

With a loud yawn, Shani settled against Whinahael, his eyes sliding closed. "A suncaster..." He murmured to himself.

As Whinnahael also began to drift off, Shani wrapped his arms around her. With a smile she returned his embrace, holding him gently.

"I know... I know you aren't my real mother." Shani whispered.

Whinnahael sighed to herself, "I know."

"But that doesn't matter to me." Shani's grip tightened slightly, "You're my mother now."

A smile crossed Whinnahaels' face as she closed her eyes, "I know. And you are my Shani... You will always be... my Shani."

Within moments, both were asleep. And for the first time in his life, Shani's dreams were of the future to come.

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