Wrapped tightly around himself, curled up on the floor, Vaken was the coziest he had ever been in a long time. He wasn’t necessarily sleepy, but something about the heat was knocking the energy out of him. His eyelids would slowly close, his breathing would relax, and then he would jolt awake. He wasn’t familiar with this territory, and falling asleep would mean dropping his defences. He didn’t want to be vulnerable in an area that smelt so heavily of coyotes.
With that in mind, he refused to stand up and move. He didn’t want to keep travelling, especially at the moment. Rather than exert any more energy, the small loner continued to torture himself with staying comfortable- and also alert. Denying himself the ability to drift off, he was caught in a difficult cycle of wanting to sleep, but wanting to be safe. He knew he probably looked a little ridiculous, but Vaken wasn’t expecting any company. Over the smell of coyotes, there were very little distinguishing scents. The rambunctious yearling wasn’t even sure if he’d be able to smell a visitor over the heavy scent of vermin, and that scared him too. Once more, he jolted his eyes wide awake and took a sniff of air.