When he wasn't thinking about it, Gabriel mostly didn't notice his wings were gone. It had taken a while, but he'd adjusted to the balance and the smallness and the absence. And then something would remind him and, for a moment, he'd be filled with a sense of loss so sharp it was almost physical.

So he didn't answer for a moment except for a sharp inhale. Then, his voice pitched for a cheerfulness it didn't quite hit: "Well, look on the bright side. If we'd had them we'd have been squished in the Cave like freaking sardines."