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lightning. I expect you both to be on your best off-the-leash behavior.” I grinned. “Hmm … perhaps we should invest in shock collars for the two of you. Nah, better not. It would be
way
too tempting for me.”
    They both snorted but soon settled down and had about five plates of dinner each.
    After we ate, Kishan started a fire to keep animals away, and I shared the story of the lion and the mouse but changed it to a tiger with a porcupine quill. This led to a conversation about hunting and the brothers’ greatest kill stories, during which I squirmed and tried to ignore them.
    As we watched the sunset, Kishan put his arm around me and described the changes he could feel in the jungle as day turned to night. It was fascinating but also frightening to know just how many creatures began to move through the trees at sundown.
    Later that sweltering evening, I climbed into my tiny tent and lay down on top of my bedroll, twisting the lighter blanket around me mummy-style.
    Ren ducked his head in to check on me and laughed. “Do you always do that?”
    “Only when camping.”
    “You know bugs can still get in there.”
    “Don’t say that. I like to live in ignorance.”
    I heard his soft laugh as he knotted the ties for me.
    After I’d spent a restless hour tossing back and forth, Kishan appeared at my tent door. “Can’t sleep?”
    I leaned up on my elbow. “I’d really prefer to have a tiger near me. It helps me sleep in the jungle.”
    Kishan sighed. His golden eyes shone in the moonlight. “Alright, scoot over.”
    I happily shifted to made room for Kishan. He switched into a black tiger and pressed his body up against my back. I’d just settled down when I felt a wet nose on my cheek. Ren had squeezed his giant body into the miniscule space between the tent wall and me and lay down— half on top of me.
    “
Ren!
I can’t breathe. And my arm is trapped under you.”
    He rolled over and licked my shoulder. I pushed his heavy body and twisted away.
    Exasperated, I said, “Divine Scarf, can you make the tent big enough for all of us, please?”
    I felt the tent shake lightly and heard the whisper of threads as they shifted. A short time later, I was pressed comfortably between both my tigers. I rolled to one side, kissed Kishan on top of his furry head, and petted his neck. “Goodnight, Kishan.”
    Then I rolled to the other side and came face-to-face with my blueeyed white tiger. I patted his head and said goodnight before closing my eyes. Soon I felt fur tickling my nose. Ren’s head was pressed up against my face. I knew what he wanted.
    “Fine.” I kissed his head too. “Goodnight, Ren. Go to sleep.”
    He started purring and closed his eyes. I closed mine too and smiled into the darkness.

3
Phet
    The next morning, we decided to set out early. The temperature had dropped overnight, and the jungle was relatively cool and fragrant. I took a deep breath, stretched, and inhaled the spicy, sweet smell of the olibanum trees. After breakfast, Kishan headed off into the jungle to dress in the new clothes he’d created with the Divine Scarf.
    Ren stirred the cold black ashes of our fire with a long stick. I stood a good enough distance away so my presence didn’t bother him. This new “being friends” thing was awkward. I wasn’t really sure how to talk to him. This is who Ren was before me. I wanted him to be like
my
Ren. In many ways he was. But how can you be the same person with a chunk of your life missing?
    Ren was still charming, kind, and sweet. He still loved all the same things, except he wasn’t as self-assured. Kishan had always been the follower and Ren the leader, but their roles were now reversed. Kishan was confident; he had direction. Ren had been left behind, like he no longer had a place in this century.
    Ren didn’t seem to know who he was anymore or how he fit into this world. It was startling for me to realize that his sense of belonging was gone. He didn’t seem to want to write