In the middle of the blistering winter a miracle happened. Zuri had been writhing in pain for the past two days but on the second night patches of black fur appeared on her skin and in the morning Zuri had shifted into a beautiful, sleek black panther.
For the next three weeks mama spent most of her time teaching Zuri how to switch back and forth and how to use her new form. On the first day of the first week, Zuri bounded into the evil forest and came back dragging an unknown specie of animal between her jaws. That night for the first time since the winter winds Jamila ate to her fill. It continued for the next two weeks until tragedy struck.
Zuri went into the evil forest and didn't come out, they waited for three days before it finally sunk in that Zuri was dead. After that it was one tragedy after another.
Mama fell ill with grief and one of the triplets caught the plague. Within two days Zia was dead and Mama was swift to follow.
Kia, Nayla, Kira and she mourned their deaths.
During the winters winds Jamila and Kia were forced to learn how to hunt, Kia fashioned hunting knives from the bones of the animals they had eaten. They day before their first hunt the two made their way to the shrine of The Elders, the gods who presided over Ushirô, they spilled their blood over the statues, before making their way to the evil forest.
The winds were terrible and more than once Jamila was nearly blown off her feet. The two clung to each other as they scoured the forest for prey.
Hours passed before they found a rabbit. What looked like a rabbit. It was nearly as big as Kira with pointy claws on it's paws. The two sisters pounced on the animal as it feed on the withered bushes nearby.
They viciously ripped it apart stopping only when they were sure it was dead. That night once again they ate to their fill.