Ankyra Sound hold me

A sibling?

Something about the air was uncomfortable. It was usually warm in the den space because of all the bodies, but it was different today and Reyes didn't like it; he felt the oppressive sensation of humidity pressing down at the den mouth. He slunk around in the depths of shadow like a shabby rat shuffling from spot to spot. It was a good place to hide as things got warmer. As the clouds rolled in through the afternoon like a heavy blanket the pressure increased, and the babe could feel a weight around his eyes.

It wasn't right, this ache. He was squinting more often, to the point that it appeared as though Reyes' opened eyes had shut again and he was aging in reverse; what would come next? The folding of ears? The regurgitation of milk? His body disassembling? Would his mother find him in an hour as a puddle of useless soup?

He tried to raise his head and whistle, as he had in the night. He couldn't quite get his mouth to obey him. His neck was stiff and sore, so Reyes dropped down to the den floor and scuttled closer to one body or another. He burrowed his blunt nose against one of them — unsure of which sibling because he'd squished his eyes completely shut — and murmured useless pleas for aid in to the plush of their fuzz.