you?”

Star swallowed a mouthful for which she was quickly losing her appetite, and sighed. “I thought it would make me look pretty. It works on humans.”

Angel raised an eyebrow and drew back. “Well it made you look like...”

“Like a paint set threw up on me, I know,” said Star, starting to break down again. “I just want to look nice like you and Mom are.”

Angel turned her head to hide the smirk growing on one side of her mouth. “Guess you'll have to get used to being ugly,” she replied as if commenting on the weather.

Star's face twisted in obvious pain, and she looked at Angel for the first time in their conversation. “Could you just go away?” she asked.

Angel shrugged and walked away. What a wuss, she thought.

Luna didn't pay much attention to Angel any more that evening, which suited the pup just fine. Although she believed that she and her friends really were helping the butcher, somehow she knew her mother wouldn't understand or approve. And Daddy, of course, would back Mom up. Grown-ups, she thought. Oh, she knew she should respect them, but they did tend to get in the way sometimes.

Although their little discussion had ended for the moment, things were rather empty between Luna and Angel over the next couple of days. It wasn't that they were angry or tense, there was just... nothing. Worse than mere nothing, though a lack of connection between a parent and a child is bad enough by itself. Angel, lacking for attention, went out to be with her friends whenever possible. They didn't dine at the butcher's every day, though they often did, and she was picking up more and more tricks constantly. Luna, meanwhile, was getting more agitated although she did her best to hide it. On the one hand, she found Toby's belief that Angel was just looking for some space to be a convincing one, and so she did her best not to force any unwanted attention on her daughter. But the other part of her, the Mom part, didn't like being so alienated, so unconnected from the offspring she had suffered so much to have. Especially not on days when Angel came home late (which, though Luna didn't know, coincided with the raids on the butcher's). Finally, she decided to confront the pup.

“Where have you been?” she asked when Angel came home one Thursday evening.

Angel scrunched her face. “Uh, with my friends,” she replied in the “I-don't-know-why-you-would-ask-such-a-stupid-question-or-why-I'm-answering-it” tone of voice she had picked up.

Luna did not welcome the pup's tone of voice. “Why are you always late?” she insisted.

Angel looked offended. “Always late? I was early just yesterday.”

“Well you've been late three times this week,” Luna replied, a little put off by this. No mother likes to be talked back to or corrected by her child. “Now what's going on?”

The pup rolled her eyes. “Ease up, Mom. I just lost track of time is all.”

“Ease up?” Luna echoed. “Is that how you talk to me?”

Angel smelled a tirade coming on and rushed to head it off. “Sorry, I just don't see what the problem is.”

Luna's ears were starting to lean back, but the edge in her voice was checked. Part of this was because she realized that one should never lose one's temper with one's children – a tip passed to her on request by several more experienced mothers. The other part was that she was suddenly aware of Star watching the altercation, and remembered also having been advised against rebuking one pup in front of another. With a paw, she scooched Angel into the next room, used mainly by the humans as a dining room. “What I'm trying to say is that we worry about you sometimes. It's our job, your father and me both.”

“There's nothing to worry about, Mom. I was just hanging out with my friends and lost track of time, that's all.”

“How?” asked Luna. “How hard is it to remember, 'Be home by dark?' or 'Don't be gone for more than an hour?'”

Angel fidgeted slightly, unsure what to answer. “Well,” she said slowly, “Maybe it's because none of the others have to be home then.” With an edge to her voice, she added, “They get to be out any time they want.”

“Well, that makes sense,” Luna conceded, not in the least discouraged by Angel's tone, “But your friends aren't you, and they don't have me for a mother. I think it's great that you're out there having a good time, but I want you to be home on time, okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” grumbled Angel as she walked into an unoccupied room to be alone. Old prude, she added mentally, wishing her mother weren't so suspicious of everything.

Luna's demeanor softened. “Is something wrong?” she asked quietly, following her. “I've never known you to be so tense.”

Angel lay down. “I just want some space is all,” she grumbled.

This prompted Luna to jerk back slightly, but she thought better of expressing her surprise at Angel's attitude. “Well, enjoy it then,” she replied calmly. “But if you need to talk, you know where to find me.”

“Yeah, sure Mom.”

As Luna left the room, Angel lay there sulking with her chin on her paws. “They're all a bunch of jerks,” she grumbled.

She wasn't sure how long she was there, wallowing in discontent, before she heard the clicking of toenails coming her way, followed by a throat clearing. “Hey, Angel?” asked a tentative voice.

Angel whipped her head around and saw Star sitting a few feet away. Her eyes narrowed. “What do you want?” she asked. Star seemed to shrink under her stare, her ears sliding down and her body hunching as if she were cringing in anticipation of a cut from a whip or a blow from a club. She was frightened, but so what, thought Angel. Someone had to be top dog, and someone had to be the bottom of the heap.

“I...” Star began nervously. “I wanted to know what's going on with you.”

Angel turned her back. “Mind your own beeswax,” she spat.

Star persisted. “Everyone's wondering why you and Mommy and Daddy aren't getting along so well,” she said.

“They're too bossy,” Arrow answered curtly. “Does that answer your question?”

Apparently it didn't. “Maybe you should just listen to them,” suggested Star. “They like it when I do that.”

Angel snapped her head toward her sister. “No duh,” she spat. “They like it because they like you. As far as they're concerned, you never do anything wrong. It's me they're always getting mad at.”

Star leaned her ears forward. “I don't think so. I mean they let you play with other puppies, but they want me to stay with them. I wish I had other friends like you do.”

Angel was getting ticked. “You know what I wish?” she asked pointedly. “I wish that you would just stop talking to me and leave me alone!”

Star's chin began to quiver. Here eyes teared up, and then she turned tail and ran into the next room.

Angel rolled her eyes and stalked to the corner. “Crypuppy,” she muttered.

Luna came in a few moments later, her face painted with an expression as sour as rancid milk. “Angel, what's this I hear about you picking on your sister?”

“She was bothering me,” Angel answered. “She started it.”

“Well that's no excuse,” her mother said sternly. “If you have a problem, you come and tell me about it, understand?”

Angel kept her back turned. “I told her I wanted to be left alone,” she insisted.

“Well next time, do it nicely,” Luna replied. “I want you to get along with your brothers and sisters.”

“Well they get on my nerves,” insisted Angel. “Sometimes I just want to get away from them.”

Luna was loaded and ready to fire more scolding, but she stopped. How many times had she felt that way about her sisters, Haley and Phoebe? Even into adulthood, there were times she could barely endure their presence, let alone the fact that they were related to her. But the truth was, they were still family. So, taking a deep breath, she replied. “Well, if you're that desperate to get away from them, that's your problem. You'll get your wish when you and they are old enough to go to new homes. But until then, I want you to try to get along, okay?”

Angel nodded sullenly. Deep down she knew she was wrong in a number of ways, but she was too proud to admit it even to herself. “Okay,” she grumbled.

“Now, I want you to come and apologize to Star.”

The pup's ears slid down like leaves wilting in an early frost. “Do I have to?”

“Yes, you do. Now come on, or you're grounded.”

Angel followed her into the living room, where Star still sat, the fur damp below her eyes. She looked up at the two approaching her.

Angel stepped forward, aware without looking of Luna's expectant gaze. She hung her head and lowered her ears in false contrition. “I'm... I'm sorry,” she said.

She felt the probing eyes leave her back. “Star, do you have something to say?”

Star's expression of hurt didn't change, but she said, “I forgive you.”

“That's