Sun Mote Copse de-light-ed

Side note: in the year since their last litter was born, Elwood had forgotten just how busy puppies could be once they started cruising. He had only just managed to send Sugar Glider toddling towards Crow when Finley unceremoniously plopped Penn right in front of him, and he was happy to tend to the little boy, but wow it seemed like this whole parenting thing was nonstop.

But since Avery is supposed to be the point of this post, here's what she was doing while Elwood cajoled the sightless Penn. She had been minding her own business -- and ignoring every last one of her siblings and their noises and squirmings -- when she was suddenly enveloped in her mother's arms. She gave a gasp of surprise which quickly subsided into a catlike purr and snuggled closer to Finley, feeling quite smug as her brothers and sister booped about.

(Meanwhile, Elwood was now trying to tickle Penn and coax a smile out of him, since he didn't really think there was much he could do to force the boy's eyelids to open.)