Nova Peak midnight stroll

Swift needed no more than a split second to go from fast asleep to a state of full alert. Whittier and Pasha would have taken their time to stretch and complain and fight, but not her striped little boy. He shuffled forward to kiss her nose, earning a smile in response. It amazed her how quickly they were growing, and how much they already understood. Swift got to his paws and made for the door, responding to 'outside' with gusto. Bazi got to her feet, shot her husband a look, and stepped over her child into the cooling night air.

It was light enough to distinguish between individual tree trunks. Everything had a blue hue, and the two wolves stood out like glow-in-the-dark cut-outs on a dark ceiling.

Bazi took a few short steps in the direction of the nearby river, looking over her shoulder to see if Swift would follow.