It was his father again...
Alcarin's mother Luna was equally loving to all four of her children, playing no favorites by birth or age. And on the whole Bai Shan was too. Except... once, when the little cub was fooling around and play-wrestling with Soli like they usually did, Alcarin had turned to catch his father's eyes on him, a look of agonizingly helpless worry hidden in their silver depths. Then the panda-lion had looked away, and the next instant the amiable grin that he most often wore around the family he doted on was back. Soli took advantage of her brother's distraction to get a firm hold on his gold-striped tail, and soon they were at it again, Alcarin having dismissed it as nothing more than his imagination.
But today... it had happened again. Why? Was he still just imagining it? So when he'd been struck with the sudden urge to check out this funny-shaped rock Hibana had mentioned seeing, he'd decided just to sneak off and go see it, whatever his parents might say. Besides, it wasn't too far away.
He thought.
Actually, come to think of it, hadn't he passed that big clump of grass just a short while ago?
