Noctisardor Bypass some days i cannot distinguish desire & extinction

it takes worripa a long moment — content to pretend that the others were not there — to notice that one of sequoia's girls had broken off from the trio and was approaching him on a belly-crawl. facing the corner of the birthing den wall and not all interested in the lights and shadows that danced along the earthen wall, pays no mind.

until the soft thump of her tail on the ground draws his reluctant attention.

he almost harrumphs like a grumpy old man but knowing that would be more rude than he was feeling brave enough to be, worripa peers over his shoulder at her.

witch, he thinks her name is.

despite her invitation, he feels no desire to play. they are too new and without his mother he does not feel the bravery he might've felt otherwise. trying to discover who he was without her was a journey ...one that would be filled with numerous tantrums and stormy days where he was fine being left to his own devices.

whaddya want? he asks rolling half lazily over to his other side so he was facing her. instinctually, he wasn't keen on having his back to her despite that she was displaying that she wasn't a threat.