Kintla Flatlands The fall of the dream machine

He didn't look at her until she said his name. Those uniquely mismatched eyes finally slid in her direction. It was Hamied. He appeared happy to see her and quickly closed the distance between them in a few sprightly bounds. Her silvery tail curved upward in a happy wag and she bumped noses with him when he reached her.

"Yeah, I left a few days after my birthday," she told him, unaware that she'd actually left on his first birthday three days after her own. "What did I tell you about calling me auntie?" she added, pulling a face. "I'm only a few days older than you, nephew," she added, wrinkling her nose even as she lifted a paw and playfully swiped his shoulder. He did look significantly younger, yet the two of them were much more like cousins than aunt and nephew.

"So what are you doing here?" she asked in the next beat, forgetting all about the raccoon. Koontz glanced over his shoulder as if expecting to see somebody else. "Is anybody else with you?"