Bearclaw Valley Just the way you are

great idea! June 6, midmorning <3

one day became the next before ancelin knew it. he had taken his naps and his sleeping just outside the den, on a bit of mingled moss and leaves which broke up the cold ground and its hardness.
he was too afraid he might step on one or all of them; he stayed as close as possible, entering when ameline called for him, or when he brought her meals, or just because he had heard one of the tiny new girls squeak.
then their father would enter their hallowed little home, made awkward by his joy; by now they had all felt the vibrations of his happy voice saying their names more than once.
this morning he counted their impossibly miniscule toes and backed out from the den with a full heart. hunts to be done, a patrol to be had, and ancelin gave himself fully over to the fierce protectiveness of instinct that came over him when he visited the site or left it behind.