Sanguine Cove how bad it hurts

For @Stella
Backdated to 12/31 | late evening | Overcast, 31°F

Finding his way back towards the den after a long day, he was hopeful to find someone already there that he may have a chance to just lay back with. He was sick of the wet cold of winter and wanted the dry den and warm furs to sooth him into a good night's sleep. Aleister hoped he didn't need to go round up the pups this evening rather that they beat him to the safety of the den for the night. Though, he was sure he was being too hopeful. There was one child of his he wanted to speak to tonight, so as he entered the darkened depths of the den, his mismatched gaze looked about. "Stella?

 

(This post was last modified: Jan 07, 2022, 05:20 AM by Aleister.)

@Aleister

Ever the adventurous soul, Stella had nonetheless found herself with more reasons to stay closer to home of late than she could have imagined or wanted mere months ago. Everything was more complicated than she had hoped now. She liked to check the trails in and out of camp a couple of times a day, to know who came and went and when, as if this could soothe the tumult she felt. And then there was the chatter and din of her siblings and the general hum of life's busy comings and goings about the den, which made it that much easier to be a part of it all for a moment, to not get lost off on her own, in her own head like she did sometimes when she was out exploring. She'd come home early, hoping for some noise and distraction. But today she found herself returning to the dim shadows to slip in out of the chill mists unnoticed, upon tired muddy paws, and slip away to sleep without a word exchanged. Tiredness stole her away to the realm of uneasy sleep.

Stella woke again, her ears perking up at the sound of her name and her father's familiar voice. She looked around, eyes narrowed to focus in the dim light. "Papa?" Most of the time she liked to pretend that she was all grown up now, but at this particular late hour, her childish nickname for her father slipped out, echoing softly around the den. "You there?"