“Morning, sunshine! Or to be more accurate, good afternoon!” Missy appeared at the doorway, looking slightly tousled. “Come on, you know it’s a perfectly reasonable hour for me to start asking for food.” Unable to stay grumpy, she lifted him out of his cage and set him down on the counter. Settling down to his long-awaited breakfast, this time supplemented with slices of fresh apple, he glanced up to see Missy perched at the table, watching him. She’d already eaten at the beginning of that week, and the large meal would last her for the rest of the month. Snatcher ate quickly, and when he finished, Missy set out a bowl of water for him to bathe in while she cleaned his cage. When he’d washed up, she let him down and opened the window and let in the sunlight. Outside, the fire-flowers sparked gently.

  He wandered over and put a hand on the glass, looking over the bright garden. Sensing Missy approach, he lowered his head so she could put on his collar. “We’re heading out soon to see Lady and Saffron, preferably without any dragons?” he guessed as her claws fastened it around his neck. Stretching, he watched her study the sun, considering if she had time to finish another piece of art before she visited her friend. She grinned, making up her mind. There was always time for art.

  Missy began setting up her painting supplies. While she gathered her materials, Snatcher saw something and ducked under the counter. The next time Missy turned around, she found him dragging a paintbrush twice his height toward the rest of the materials. She chortled and took it from him.

  Her paintbrush dipped into a jar and came out dripping gold. With perfect control, Missy swept it across the air, where it hung frozen. Snatcher watched in awe. One gold stroke became two, and then a dozen. They were joined by scattered flecks of white stars and silver rivers.

  Missy dipped the brush into the blue jar next, and it came out dry. Pausing, she looked into the jar and turned it over, finding it empty. Glancing back at her unfinished painting, she seemed upset. Quickly, she covered the rest of the jars and then looked down at Snatcher. Pointing at the spot in front of him, she gave a quick little screech, a clear order to stay put. He nodded obediently and she gave a smile, patting his head. Then her wings were open and she was out the door.

  Snatcher looked around the empty house. With nothing better to do, he walked around the unfinished painting and started to wander. The high countertops loomed above, and all was quiet.

  It was only because of the quiet that Snatcher heard the man’s ragged breath before he was jumped. Spinning around, he narrowly avoided a spearpoint in his back. The wild man growled, looking filthy and dangerous, and starved enough to do anything. His eyes were on the pantry, just beyond Snatcher.

  The other man was armed, but he was also exhausted, and Snatcher hadn’t survived his whole life in the wild without picking up any skills. When the man swiped again with his spear, Snatcher caught it at the base and shoved it aside, overpowering his attacker. Suddenly, though, he pulled back, eyes going wide. “Kip?”

  The wild man paused in surprise. Then he blinked. “Snatch?”

  “I thought you were dead!”

  “Well I thought you were dead!” Snatcher helped him get to his feet and pulled him into a crack in the base of the pantry. Kip was still breathing hard, and he had to stop for a moment before continuing. “I can’t believe this. Stars, what happened to you?”

  “I could ask you the same thing! Last time I saw you, you were getting dragged off by sky kraits, mesmerized into a stupor! How did you escape?”

  Kip smiled quickly and let Snatcher hand him some pieces of dried fruit from one of the pantry tins. He devoured them without pause, and then had a few more, and stashed another few in his pouch. “Don’t even remind me about the sky kraits. I thought I was done for.”

  “And what about the others—Pepper and Midge and Jay? Are they…”

  Kip shook his head. “They got Jay right away.” He didn’t sound hurt, but it was only because a lifetime of loss had taught him that tears would do nothing. “The worst part was, he was so mesmerized he couldn’t even scream. He just sat there looking awestruck as they took pieces off of him. We all did.” He sighed quickly and put his hands on his stomach. “They took Midge and Pepper the next evening. I was sure I was going to be next, when suddenly this dragon showed up!”

  “A dragon?”

  “Yeah! The sky kraits scattered, and the dragon was so busy chasing them it didn’t even see me! As soon as the mesmerization wore off, I took off and didn’t stop running until I was back at the winter cave. I’ve been surviving on my own ever since. At least, I was surviving a lot better until the food ran out last week.”

  “Wow. I…I don’t even know what to say.”

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  “I know. Life’s rough, isn’t it?” He grinned, and then suddenly looked stricken. “But what about you? Stars, I can’t even imagine what you’ve been through, being stuck here.”

  Snatcher smiled awkwardly. “It hasn’t been that bad, honestly. I just didn’t realize how much I missed having someone to actually talk with.”

  “Look, I know you always try to put a better spin on things, but this is an angel we’re talking about. Stars, we both have to get out of here before it comes looking for you. You’re lucky it hasn’t chopped up your brain yet!”

  “She’s actually out for the moment, and if she wanted me to have a Behavioral Adjustment, she would’ve definitely done it by now.”

  Kip blinked and sat up a little straighter. “I’m sorry, what?”

  “I’ve been here for two months, Kip. There’s a bit to catch you up on.” He sighed heavily. “After I got separated from you, I ended up hiding out in the fire-flower field. Somewhere along the way I got turned around, and by the time the sun started setting I was desperate to escape. I managed to make it to the edge before getting roasted, but on the way out I got careless and didn’t watch where I was going. My ankle got sprained and I couldn’t run, and I knew that even if the sky kraits didn’t come back to finish me off, something else would surely find me.”

  “And that’s why you chanced the house,” Kip said, putting it together.

  “Yeah. I figured it was shelter, and I might even be able to sneak some food while I healed up enough to forage and hunt on my own again. If I just took a little, the angel might not even notice.” He scratched the back of his neck, too tired to be ashamed. “So I crawled in through a crack and found the pantry and—Kip, you wouldn’t believe how much food there is! It’s enough to feed a whole clan for years!” His eyes lit up, and he quickly averted them. “Anyway, I was snatching as much as I could carry, when suddenly the door opened and this angel was standing there.

  “She was huge and blazing, and I was sure she was going to incinerate me. I dropped the food I’d been holding and limped back, and I guess she must’ve felt bad for me because she trapped me in a jar and flew me to the vet. After getting my leg fixed up, she took me back here, and I’ve been with her ever since. It really hasn’t been as bad as it looks.”

  Kip blinked. And breathed. And blinked again. “Snatcher, I’m not sure what they did to you, but right now I see you wearing a collar and clothes so ridiculously bright that a dragon twelve miles away could see you. It is indeed as bad as it looks, and it may very well be worse.”

  Snatcher touched his neck. “Hey, I only have to wear this ‘cause we’re going out soon, so no one thinks I’m wild. At any rate, I’m not ecstatic about those parts, but it’s not like I’m getting starved or abused. If anything, it’s less dangerous than being out there. At least in here, dragons are kept on a leash.”

  “So it’s paradise, and you only had to give up your freedom to have it?” Kip scoffed. “Let me guess, she also keeps you locked in a cage, right? Is that a small price to pay?”

  Snatcher clenched his fists, flaming with blush. “It’s only at night, Kip. Besides, if you were in her position, I know you wouldn’t want a small animal wandering around the cave and causing mischief. From her point of view, Missy is being pretty reasonable.”

  “Great, so now you’ve given it a name. Next you’ll be trying to tell me it has a personality, beyond being a controlling monster.”

  “Hey, she doesn’t—” Snatcher cut himself off and took a deep breath. “All right, what makes your way so much better?”

  “It’s freedom, Snatcher! I don’t have to explain why it’s better!” Kip exploded. Quickly, he glanced around and lowered his voice. “How could you say a cushy cage is better than freedom?”

  “Well, how is it worse? At least in here, I know I won’t wake up to a sky krait stripping off someone’s skin. You can talk it up as much as you want, Kip, but I’ve lived out there and know how it is. All you really have is the freedom to starve.”

  Kip opened his mouth for another retort, and then closed it. “You’ve changed, Snatch,” he finally said. “I don’t know what’s happened to you, or what you’ve done to yourself, but you’re not the same.”

  Snatcher sat down and put his head in his hands, suddenly feeling sick. “You have to get out of here, Kip. Get out of here before you end up like me.”

  “Come with me,” Kip pleaded. “I can’t fix what they’ve done to you, but I won’t leave you behind.”

  Another wave of nausea washed over Snatcher. He’d had the perfect opportunity to escape the moment Missy had left and he hadn’t even considered it. “I can’t go now. She’ll be back soon and come looking for me. We’ll be caught for sure.”

  “Then tonight. We’ll sneak out, and—”

  “Believe me, I’ve tried. The cage is too high, and there’s nothing in it that’s long enough to climb down on. Even if you risked your skin to sneak in and help, you’d have no way of getting anything up there. There’s no way out for me, and…I guess I’m okay with it.” He gestured at the space around them. “As I said, there’s plenty of food, all the predators are kept on leashes, and Missy treats me well. Life could be a lot worse for me. If anything, I’m worried about you.”

  Kip looked at him sadly. “I’ll be okay. I’m sure I’ll run into some more wanderers at the spring foraging ground, and some clan will let me join. I’m just sad I’ll probably never see you again.”

  “I know.” There were tears in his eyes, and he wished he had something better than food to give his best friend. He clenched his fists. “Even if I can’t come with you, I’ll try to help. You’re all rags and bones, Kip. If you keep going it alone in the state you’re in now, you won’t make it to the end of winter. I—If I’m not at this spot by this time tomorrow, get out of here and don’t worry about me.”

  “Snatcher, what are you going to do?” Kip asked warily.

  “Nothing more stupid than the usual, and nothing you can stop me from anyway.” He forced a grin. “It’s great seeing you alive again, Kip. Enjoy your freedom, okay?”

  “I will.” He gave a pained smile and turned to leave. Suddenly he looked back and gestured at the house around them. ”If this ever happens to me…” He put a hand around his own throat. “Don’t let one of those things control my life.”

  “Never,” Snatcher promised. Kip gave a smile, quicker than the last, and then Snatcher watched his best friend disappear through a crack in the wall.

  When Missy returned, she found Snatcher obediently waiting where she’d left him, as though nothing had happened.