"You were safe here," Everett pointed out, his voice unusually terse. He felt a tiny beak peck at his hand, and he did something similar to what his sister had done, for the same reasons: he set the chick down. It was so small and dainty he hadn't quite felt right holding it, anyway.
He'd never liked fighting with any of his siblings, and he still didn't, but Caitie could be so exasperating. Looking down to make sure he wasn't about to tread on one of the feathered creatures, Ev got up and paced around, exhaling breath in a silent sigh.
"You think she's staying away from us because she found a boyfriend, really?" Everett ran fingers through his hair and paused to look at her, then started pacing again. "Nobody said you had to leave," he told her. "My plan was to go out for a few days, hunt for her and then come back."