One of them didn’t give the Listener the opportunity to find the words to soothe the savage Beast. It was too late to stop the claws from ripping through The First’s sinewy heartstrings. The Listener was forced to mop up the mess and cinch the wound. It will heal all crooked.

The second, who turned into the Beast, had no idea what they did was wrong. Perhaps the change into the Beast removed all logical thought. Perhaps the Beast did not grasp the effects those actions would have.

The Listener said the words. They had to be said, no matter what wound was inflicted. There already was enough damage. Sometimes the healing process is as painful as the injury.

The First was angry and hurt. The attack was unprovoked. The Second simply had chewed so long on the bones of regret and anger and suspicion, twisting reality into descending spirals to the depths of madness, that the turn was inevitable.

Unfortunately, that meant the Second did not trust the Listener to be unbiased.

Now there is good reason for bias.