Zenaya did not answer right away.
The question hung between them like something fragile and dangerous.
"Would you like to tame it?"
Her lips pressed into a thin line. The owl stood quietly beside Cain, its enormous body casting a shadow across the broken ground, its golden eyes half-lidded as if bored by the conversation. It did not look fierce at the moment. It did not look terrifying. It looked… available.
Zenaya exhaled slowly.
"No," she said at last. "I refuse."
Cain blinked. "Refuse?"
She nodded, folding her arms across her chest as if building a wall between herself and the temptation in front of her. "I have no talent for taming. I have tried more times than I care to admit. I know my limits."
Cain tilted his head again, that faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"You did not try this one," he said lightly.
