Larksong Grotto Today I Remember

Unsurprisingly, Jhala's voice matched her frame. It was deep and sometimes raspy, but it was a good sound, usually. It gave her appearance an edge when she was patrolling or dealing with other packs, and she rather liked having the upper hand when it came to intimidation. But it rolled off her tongue like honey when she spoke to her babies, and they reacted so well to it. Tapat always mimicked it-- and maybe you couldn't tell because he did such a crappy job copying her, but she knew that's what he was doing. He was silent when she spoke, and when she stopped he'd babble for a few moments, until she'd speak again. It was one of those things-- completely useless to the outside world, but such a victory to a mother.

"What?" she asked the child as he rolled over, rewarding his playfulness by combing though his tummy fur with her teeth, "Are you not gettin' enough attention as is, Tapat Jakob Larksong?" Her tail tapped against the ground, eyes shining brightly. "Silly goose," she teased, nosing him in a gentle tickle.