Phoenix Maplewood Nothing but dust in the shadows

"Don't you wanna play with me?" Saena asks into the darkness with a pout, but the only response is Milo's continued wailing and the sounds of movement. Those sounds don't herald the arrival of any pups at the den's mouth and she frowns, indignant, at the faint shapes shuffling around in her line of sight until Casmir's cracking voice draws her attention. She's unable to hide a (fond) smile at how his voice suddenly rose an octave or five, but manages to keep from laughing, at least.

"Thank you, Cas," she says gratefully, shuffling a quarter turn so that she's still got the den entrance relatively cordoned but can face him properly. She doesn't reach for the stoat immediately, however, if only because it might be perceived as rude. Instead, she gestures into the darkness and says, "I can't get any of these shitheads to come out," as if luring out tiny cubs is the hardest trial of all.

No doubt she'll quickly learn to regret thinking so, and will yearn for the days when the pups willingly stayed put. "Maybe you can coax one out," she suggests, deciding it's more than time for her relative to meet his younger cousins (or whatever the hell they are). As she shuffles back to give him space in the event he wants to try, she spots Shreya's approach and turns her head at the same time the elder greets Casmir. "Hey, Shreya," she says warmly, gesturing for the woman to settle with them. "We're playing go fish with the pups." The pups were winning via their noncompliance, sadly.