Yòu Lín had asked the question with his usual lack of subtlety, his orange ears perked forward, his eyes wide with the sincere intensity only a fox kit could muster. He had cornered Zhen near the central fire, his tail wagging so hard it was a blur of orange fur.
Zhen, who had been in the middle of eating a honey-drizzled fruit, looked up with purple eyes.
"Why would I choose?" she asked, taking another bite. "I love you both."
"But who do you love MORE?"
"That's not how love works, Yòu Lín. Mama says love isn't a competition."
Yòu Lín's ears drooped. "But I want to be the favorite brother. I'm the most fun. I tell the best jokes. I can do the thing with my ears."
He demonstrated by wiggling his ears independently, a trick that usually made Zhen laugh. This time, she just looked at him with the patient expression she had learned from her mother.
"That's nice, Yòu Lín. But Ruì Xuě is the one who carries me when I'm tired."
