Firefly Glen I shiver

Toad was thankful to have her guide point out the bluff. She let out a soft sigh, glad that they would be able to dry off a bit soon enough. She couldn't wait until the snow would replace the rain. Cold was something she could deal with; it was the wet and soggy part of the year that she wasn't so fond of. It even made hunting more difficult, except for the muddy tracks that the herds left behind.

As Meerkat described her sister, Fennec, Toad looked at her with an expression of interest. I've never met anyone fully blind, she remarked. There were many she had known with some form of vision loss, usually in the form of a missing eye or cataracts from age. She had seen puppies born blind, but had never seen one survive longer than a few months. They were simply too vulnerable to predators. Fennec must have been fiercely strong to have lived through childhood.

It would be nice to meet her. Meerkat and Bronco had a large family — Toad had only seen the surface of their familial iceberg.

You're right; Bronco was too busy getting holes punched in him, she joked darkly at Meerkat's observation, attempting to make levity from a not great situation. Toad felt lighter as soon as the girl suggested a story when they arrived at their destination. It had been a while since anyone had expressed much interest in her stories. Between Mira's disappearance and the subsequent pack formation, there hadn't been time for such things. I'd love to. Words can help to warm us up, she nodded. One of the amazing things about stories was this ability to shift mood and with it, the perception of the world around you. Toad racked her brain, thinking of the right one to tell.

The pines grew closer as the pair closed in on the bluff. I take it you and Bronco haven't found permanent sleeping quarters yet. Toad said off hand, wondering where Broncosaurus was that evening.