Cyrus paused.
He lowered his gaze. His pink eyes were calm. "Do I?"
Isabella hummed. She poked his scales with her fingers. "En, you are usually cool, but now you are cold. Is it because winter is coming?"
Cyrus looked toward the window.
Outside, the wind carried the smell of snow from the distant mountain. The sky at night had become clearer and sharper. Even the stars seemed colder.
"Maybe," he said.
Isabella thought of something.
She tilted her head and rubbed her cheek against his chest.
"Cyrus, will you hibernate in winter?"
The room grew quiet.
On the floor, Zyran's ears twitched. He secretly pricked them up.
Cyrus's fingers, which had been gently rubbing her shoulder, stilled for a breath.
"Hibernate?" he repeated.
"Yes." Isabella blinked. "Snake beastmen usually hibernate when it gets too cold. I heard some tribes even dig special holes for their snake males to sleep in. What about you?"
Cyrus was silent for a moment.
His pink eyes lowered.
