Noctisardor Bypass fouson

Kikimora curled close, her dark spine pressed snug to the Winterwhite furs of Heda's chest. She was quiet and content, snug and warm, yet fought her little body's yearning for sleep.

Her red-kissed caretaker breathed her name, and her eyes cracked open; she'd nodded off, missing the arrival of another adult. Kikimora tilted her head, blinking up into the Den Mother's warm golden gaze, then shifted to see the ashen features of a stranger.

She stared at him, curious, and there was no fear in her heart despite not recognising this newcomer to the den.