He stared in to the dark and couldn't see a thing. It was a great black pit where once his fire had nurtured the little embers of life; but not any more. He could smell the aroma of the children in the very walls - the musk of Tuwawi was there too, warm and inviting. As his eyes adjusted, Njal thought he saw something squirming on the floor of the den. For a split second he was convinced it was just his mind playing tricks, but then her voice rose up
- D-Daddy?
-
and his mind emptied of all the dark thoughts.
He lurched towards her suddenly, with a dip of his head and hunch to his shoulders, planting himself before her in the mouth of the den. Light crept across his dorsal side and illuminated a narrow band at the back of the burrow, reaching for the fire-coated child and bringing the flame of her coat in to Njal's vision. He reached towards her and planted a big kiss of his tongue across her face, and then another, and another - he didn't want to stop. The taste of the earth mingled with the texture of her pelt. Soon, the child was covered in saliva.
Maera, I'm home. I'm.. I'm sorry if I scared you.
He cooed as pleasantly as he could, trying to placate the doubts that he believed she harbored.