Jul 30, 2025
"He could smell the stick now, its strange scent calling to him like a kit mewling for its mother."
"He wanted to run his paws over it again, feel the scars in its smooth surface."
"His pads felt warm as they stroked it, his heart suddenly as full as a well-fed belly."
"Happily, he dragged it from its hiding place and ran his paws over it, feeling the warmth of the wood and welcoming the jarring ripples as his pads bumped over the scratches. The swishing of the waves and the murmuring of the wind drifted away. He was aware only of the branch beneath his pads and the sharp etches cut into it."
"Jaypaw felt his heart quicken as his paw neared the end of the branch."
"Jaypaw lay down beside the stick and rested his cheek on the smooth wood."
