Morningside Cuesta ii. nine lives

They were stuck in a deadlock for what felt like forever. No words, no sounds; there was nothing but the heavy, broken breaths between them. He called for her, and she actually considered listening; she stood and moved her first paw before freezing and squinting her eyes to get one last look at him. She bit at the inside of her cheek and pulled back, shaking her head in a silent refusal. She couldn't afford to be vulnerable anymore, at least not now. Goodnight, she whispered and turned back around to climb back down into the den.

Khoe took a deep breath and lay down in the crook just beneath the opening, then snuggled each of the three infants into her side. She lifted her head and thought to peer back over the edge, just to see if Grayday was still standing there, waiting. But instead, she stretched out her forearms and relaxed in a poor attempt to fall back asleep.