Ankyra Sound from the darkest stars that force you

Ephraim was, as usual, right on Caiaphas' heels as she traipsed across the grotto, but when she hoisted herself up the small ledge that led into the entry, the boy paused. His ears cut sharp shadows across his neck as they peaked and his tail's instinctive whirring stilled. Though driven only by his own selfishness, the child was unused to being abandoned so summarily. A keening whine rose in his throat as he paced anxiously at the ledge, lifting his torso every so often to paw at the upper surface.

It took longer than it ought to have for him to figure out how to haul himself up over the lip, but he was the first to go; his back paws left the cold floor of the dim grotto, touched the sun-warmed stone of the entryway, and then he was stumbling out into the harsh sunlight. A cold wind raked over the sound but it was no colder than the grotto itself and Ephraim noticed not the temperature, but the feel of it tugging his short fur. He turned to snap idly at a shoulder and then froze in place as he noticed the hunched wolf nearby.

Gargoyle.

With a stressed growl and grumble, Ephraim skittered clumsily closer to his mother with his tiny hackles alertly raised and uttered the only word he knew in a voice that was unsure and cautious: "ma?"