Cassus sat back, exhausted, in the early morning light. At last, Borealis was resting, her labour complete. Three tiny balls of fur, two girls and a boy, clung to their mother, and Cassus felt protective instincts already beginning to surface. Borealis still had tear stains down her cheeks, but he had cleaned her as best he could, and now he watched over the family -
his family, his mind corrected - as they slept.
2924
6