You took all our hearts
With your smile,
And left a legacy untold
You conquered life and fear,
So you see there was no room for you to grow old

As soon as Ethan pulled up to the house, he could tell something was wrong. The lawn hadn't been mowed for sometime, and the front door was partially open. His brows creased in worry as he parked the truck and got out. As soon as opened the passenger door for Bonnie, he headed cautiously towards the house, "Charlene? Charlene, are you there? Aralyn?"

A very thin hybrid came padding towards the two, her once silky black fur in shambles, matted, and filled with burs. Starlit Eyes whimpered slightly, pacing towards the house before coming back to stand in front of Ethan.

Now you are free
Free to roam in the skies
Now and then visit me
With your starlit eyes

Bonnie stepped out of the truck and looked around. Something was wrong and she knew it. Keeping her eyes on the house, she opened the trailer to let Sophia out. The mule came rushing out, looking at Starlit Eyes. "I think the humans need help with something." She told the dog. Amber came up beside her. "All I can tell is that they're looking for something." The hybrid added.

Bonnie stood next to Ethan, staring at the house with a vacant expression on her face. "I think it's empty..." She said quietly.

Starlit whimpered still, ears back as she looked to Amber, "They're all starving in there. I- I don't know where my Master went." Usually confident and dominant, Starlit was a skeleton of her former self. "I hope they are looking for her. She's so old..." The hybrid worried, having spent the past week and a half searching in vain for her master.

Ethan was silent, listening intently while his eyes darted about suspiciously. "It seems that way." The man said after a long pause, though his words sounded distracted. He caught the faintest odor of decay from inside, making his heart quicken and his stomach curl. He wasn't particularly close to either Aralyn or Charlene, but he dreaded reporting any bad news back to Ben. Taking a deep breath, he stepped inside and flicked in a light.

"LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT!" A harsh voice screamed, nearly giving Ethan a heart attack. Reacting instinctively, he whipped out his pistol and pointed it in the direction of the voice. He gave a nervous laugh when he saw the owner of the voice - a hyanchith macaw. "LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT!" The indgo bird railed again, bobbing his head and flapping his wings as he clung to the side of his wire cage. It was one of the many phrases he knew, and associated with people letting him out of his cage. "Come on, just let me out! I'm starving in here! Starlit, where did you go?" The parot complained, in his own language. He was desperately thin, and beginning to loose a lot of feathers.

Ethan looked around in dismay, seeing the other pets and wounded wildlife left without food or water; some of them already dead, which accounted for the foul smell.

"Something bad has definitely happened. I know they wouldn't just leave the animals like this." Ethan said in dismay, beginning to search around for any evidence of foul play.

Sophia lowered her head to Starlit's height. "We can help you find them. I think that's what Bonnie's doing anyway." She said softly. She lifted her head again and sniffed the air. She smelled no humans besides Ethan and Bonnie.

Bonnie walked closer to the house, holding her rifle tightly. She almost jumped out of her skin when she heard the voice. "Who's there?" She yelled back, turning around to see the bird. "Stupid parrot..." She mumbled, coming close to hyperventilating.

She closed her eyes as she walked past the dead animals. "Maybe Amber can track them down. She's not a bloodhound, but she's better than nothing. She'll just have to get their scent."

Starlit looked up to the mule, offering a brief smile, "I hope they find her. She's never been away this long before." The ebony hybrid informed, worry again consuming her tone.

Picking carefully through random items, Ethan nodded to Bonnie's suggestion, "It's worth a shot. They must have been gone for at least a week, given the condition of these animals." He thought outloud, glancing to a cage holding three rats; one of which was dead. The other two were on the verge. "It reeks in here." He complained, bringing a hand to his nose as he moved towards Charlene's room. He didn't feel quite right going into an elder lady's room, and much less to search through her closet. But he had to find clothing that would best carry her scent if Amber were going to track her.

"Bad man! Bad man!" Another voice startled Ethan, this one coming from a crow. The sleek, black bird had been perched on the floor, having been stuck in the room since her disappearance. He was a pet, who bullet-wounded wing prevented him from flying very far, and thus unable to live in the wild any longer. "Penny please!" He cawed out next, beady eyes looking at the shiny gun.

Ethan growled under his breath and tossed a pillow at the bird in his anger at being startled for the second time.

"This ought to do." The man said, taking out a t-shirt and handing it to Bonnie. "I'm not sure about Aralyn's clothes, but if we can find Charlene, she'll hopefully lead to the girl."

Bonnie took the shirt from Ethan and held it out for Amber to smell. The hybrid sniffed it, then looked up at Bonnie. "Go find her." Bonnie said to the dog. Amber put her nose to the ground and sniffed around the house, eventually walking out the door.

Bonnie looked at Ethan, then followed the dog.

Sophia looked at Amber, then back at Starlit. "You can come, if you want." She said before following the dog.

"Hey, hey!" The crow called out, fighting his way from under the pillow, "Wait, I'm hungry!" He complained, hopping after Ethan and Bonnie as the left the room.

Ignoring the caws of the crow, Ethan followed after Amber and Bonnie. "You know anyone who can look after these animals until everything is sorted out?" The man asked as the followed the dog. He was an avid hunter and regularly fought animals at the Pit, but he always took care of his own pets well, and practiced good husbandry.

Starlit nodded, following after Sophia and Amber. They didn't get far before the scent suddenly vanished, mingling with the odor of the lady's vehicle. The old ruby-red car was easy enough to trace, since it used a distinctive brand of oil, which it leaked and burned. On top of that, it was leaking driving fluid, offering an obvious scent trail for the canines to follow.

Bonnie looked at Ethan. "Andrea can take care of them." She replied, pulling her cellphone out of her pocket. "I'll get her over here." She phoned home and waited for her sister to pick up. Then she started speaking. "I need you to take care of some animals at 1605 South Main Street. I might not be here when you arrive." After a few seconds of listening, she closed the phone and put it back into her pocket. "She'll be here soon." She said to Ethan.

Amber continued to follow the trail, with Bonnie and Sophia following.

Andrea had just arrived at the farm. She walked into the house and fed the birds, then went outside to assess the other animals.