"What do you mean? Explain what you just said," Julian thunders out after a moment of shock. He slaps a hand against the arm of the sofa with enough force to cause it to tremble.
Instead of answering, I innocently point towards a window where the sky is getting noticeably lighter. "It will be dawn soon. What troubles do you think this new day will bring?"
"Winter, you-," he seethes again, but I cut my brother off.
"You're not a bird anymore, but a human boy," I jab at him again with another callback to the familiar fairytale. "Which means you are once again easily identifiable and far more difficult to hide. You, and perhaps me by extension, are being hunted down by this world's version of the Illuminati that you stupidly decided to join-".
"-In order to return to my family-" he interjects defensively.
