Hideaway Strath look at the fire and think of me

he welcomed her delight with a smile of his own, and mona looked back at the bird. preparing no doubt to launch into some story about how her father — casmir — had loved cardinals, and what he had told her about them, mona shifted her position at the same time she felt nathaniel's warm lick along the downy shell of her ear.
shocked beyond belief, mona stumbled in her small repositioning, her red shoulder jabbing into the plush pelt along that of the militarily built man. the movement was swift and the rochester could be forgiven for considering that mona had flinched against him in response to his touch. face afire beneath its covering of crimson velvet, the girl swallowed hard, letting her gaze apprise the snow between her small forepaws as if it were the most interesting thing in the world to her.
her natural curiosity made her first wonder why he had done it, but mona bit back the words, thrumming with an odd sort of feeling she could not describe. she was being so stupid! going giddy for the first wolf she met since leaving rowan and casmir, save for delight. but of course there was something undeniable about the grim creature with his slow smiles and eyes that he normally wore with a coldness to his feature, something she wanted very much to understand.
mona shot her guardian a shy look and pulled away from him apologetically, scuffing the snow at her toes. where should we go next? she wanted to ask, but the words didn't come. what arrived was a sudden impulsive thought, and she suddenly leapt away, feinting to snap gently at the air near nathaniel before she danced aside, urging him to keep pace as she begin a swift run into the valley.