Sun Mote Copse and, as in uffish thought he stood

Towhee stirred in her sleep, murmuring something. It startled Sugar so that the fur on her spine stood on end, a sweep of charred quills. It settled back down an instant later as she softly stepped closer to the invalid. Squinting, she bent her head low, toward her older sister's, and could just make out her features. Her eyes were moving beneath closed eyelids and her lips were parting and then pressing closed again. No more sounds came from her, aside from her gentle breaths. Out of the corner of her eye, Sugar saw one of Towhee's paws jerking.

"You're dreaming," she observed in a low voice, when the sound of footfalls made her jerk her head upward even as she swiveled. "Who's there?" Sugar asked in a slightly louder tone, her heart fluttering in her breast. The night was eerie and it unsettled her, though she wouldn't say she was afraid. On edge, she thought to herself. Aloof. Wary. She was meant to be standing guard over the helpless Towhee, after all.