Emberwood laudtstark

When her mother first instructed that their family would uproot once more, the blackbird was unphased. She and Elke had done so once before, quite recently, and another trip across the spire would be just as easy as the first.

That first stretch was exciting. She was content to bound ahead, explore unfamiliar terrain with Elke at her side, poke her nose curiously toward pups much smaller than herself. Literally everything was interesting, some things more amazing than others, but she felt the strain of the day's travel in her aching bones by the time Sagtannet's wolves settled in an unknown forest to rest for a time.

As her flaxen littermate curled close to their dam to snooze, Cirilla fit herself snugly to Elke's flank for warmth. She was tired, of course, but the darkest of Nyx' brood was unwilling to let sleep sweep her away just yet. Instead, Ciri buried her muzzle among her sister's furs and closed her eyes to pretend, peeking with a single eye only when sure that her mother had drifted off.