The carrier chain tore through Varn's hands.
He caught it again before the first wet link vanished through the drain. Iron wrapped his sleeve, climbed his forearm, and dragged him onto one knee.
Green panes vanished behind one passing darkness.
Water climbed through the open throat in a smooth, powerful bulge. It had no foam on its surface. Loose bronze, torn cloth, and one of Pava's empty bowls slid toward it as if the floor had tilted.
The unnamed male called a warning over the chick.
His higher rest shuddered. He shifted on the warmed stone with his brood fold closed, moving the outer foot first and the chick only after his body had found another place to stand.
The chick slipped against his inner ankle during the shuffle. The male froze with one foot lifted and his whole breast curved over the small body. Pava put her palm against the stone beside him, giving him an edge to feel without touching his feathers.
