Swiftcurrent Creek Here come the meat sweats

Kaskara smiled as he licked her chin and then rolled back into submission. With a soft laugh, she licked his forehead and bumped his cheek gently, showing him he could sit up if he wanted. Then she lowered herself further to get onto his level, and watched him carefully. They were getting so big already! But what was he doing outside the den? It was cold out, though not unbearably so. He stood near the den's mouth, where the snow was dirty with spots cleared away, so he would be relatively warm.

"Hello, little one," she said softly, wondering if he could hear yet. His eyes were open, a beautiful blue color that reminded her of a summer's sky. Eventually they might darken into brown or gold or silver, but today they were blue, like all puppy's eyes. "I'm Kaskara, but you can call me Kas." She knew he wouldn't understand her, small as he was, but there was something calming about talking to a pup. "I wonder which pup you are. I haven't met you yet, but I saw you once. You were so small." She ran her nose across his shoulders, feeling the tiny bones and shoulder blades beneath his fluffy fur. He was so tiny! It was a miracle that he rolled and waddled along at all.