Nova Peak i was born

the pup presses into his nose and lorcan closes his eyes. the warmth of it—tiny and fragile—sinks under his skin like a thorn.
he eases down fully so kaldros can lean against his chest, small heartbeat fluttering near his own. the scent of milk clings to the den. it should be comforting. it isn’t. it terrifies him.
i had a father once, lorcan says, eyes drifting to the low roof of the den. you’d have hated him. or maybe you’d have made him soft. i don’t know. nobody ever tried.
kaldros lets out another tiny sound. lorcan huffs, the corner of his mouth twitching.
he was a big bastard. lorcan pulls a foreleg around his son. your grandmother, though… she scared the shit out of him.
his voice falters. this part—this closeness—it sits wrong in his throat.
i do not know how to do this, kaldros. he admits it. what kind of father would he be if he did not? all i know is how to fight, and how to run. i do not know how to be a father.
an inhale. i am sorry.