“What were the conservation efforts?”
“It doesn’t say. There’s an article there, but it’s been corrupted.”
I look at the creature and I can see more similarities in the juvenile examples.
“You said it was altered.” I look down at Kissu. “Altered how?”
Don’t know. Smell Filloum, don’t see Filloum. Too big, too white, too beaky.He snaps his teeth together twice in mock chomps.
I look back up at the screen as pictures cycle through. “Wait.” I put my hand on Risk’s arm. “Go back two.”
The small, round creature is labeled as a Filloum pup. “I’ve seen one of those before.”
“This information would call you a liar.” But he believes me. Shock does too. Because they are also unsettled by the familiarity of it.
“So, what does that mean?” Chrys asks, staring at the screen, paler than I’d like.
“It means we need answers we can’t get on our own.” Risk picks her up and moves her to the cat tree, and Kissu follows.
When I’m sure she’s out of sight, I make the call.
Trench answers on the fourth tone without looking up from whatever gruesome thing he’s working on. “What do you need?”
“Can you get access to a Filloum’s genetic sample?”
“I don’t know what that is. So, maybe? Maybe not.” He lifts something heavy and bloody onto a tray.
“It’s an extinct canid from the south.”
Jessica peeks into view. “I’m sure some research center has it on file.”
She looks me up and down like she expects me to be missing pieces of myself, or worse.
Before she has a chance to ask what I’m sure will be a rude question, I say, “Cool. Once you find it, compare it to the cavrinskh.”
“Why?”
“Because my zurgle told us to.”
Jessica looks at the screen, eyes narrowed. “You have a zurgle?”
“Yep.” I hang up and sit down, my arms tingling as I try to rememberwhyI know what a filloum pup looks like, even though I didn’t know what it was.
Maybe it was something frombeforein the depths of my childhood—a toy? Maybe it was in one of the more obscure nature docs Kimba showed us… one of the ones that compared Earth animals and Isia animals.
Maybe it’s not familiar at all and I need to sleep.
I’ve been doing even less of that lately.
Chrys shivers and hugs Kissu close. “I’m not sure I’m going to be able to go back to sleep for a while. Ghosts and monsters and labs full of gore… that’s a recipe for nightmares.”
Wiffan safe. Kissu knocks his head against her shoulder and she pets him without question.Four protect. Never alone.
“Kissu wants to remind you that you have four of us to keep you safe.”
Shock still stares at the screen, and the question in his thoughts concerns me. I let him ask it. “When did you come into contact with a filloum?”
He looks at Kissu like he might be able to hear his answer too… but he can’t.
