Noctisardor Bypass 1 "They're not as big as I thought they'd be."

She went rigid when the sound of her own bark tore through the nighttime quiet. The rabbit startled backward and Druid blinked owlishly. Something about its rapid movements excited her, causing her tail to thrust out stiffly behind her as she pushed partway onto her feet. Another noise rumbled in her chest, only to fall silent when a second animal appeared.

Druid’s pale blue gaze swung to the raccoon, which resembled her brethren much more than the long-eared lapin. In fact, her own coloration wasn’t so different from the Procyon lotor, though the puppy didn’t know it. Her gaze lingered on the inanimate object grasped in one clawed paw, though soon the first creature crowded back into her space.

As it pushed and pulled her back toward the den’s mouth, Druid obeyed the momentum by rote, quite used to being directed in such a manner. Soon she was turned to face the den itself, where she could see the pale shapes of Sequoia and Witch curled together. They looked so cozy and peaceful. An unwitting whimper escaped the puppy as she began to scoot toward them.

Her way was thwarted by the slight lip at the den’s entrance. Unable to scale it, Druid’s nose bumped into it and she let out a questioning mewl.