Aurora woke just as dawn began breaking across the sky.
For a few quiet seconds, she simply lay there beneath the soft light spilling into the cave entrance while listening to the distant sounds of the forest slowly awakening. Birds chirped somewhere beyond the trees, leaves rustled gently beneath the cold morning breeze, and the faint scent of damp soil drifted through the cave.
Then she noticed the warmth curled against her chest. She blinked downward and noticed the little snow lion cub that was fast asleep in her arms.
Sometime during the night, the tiny beast had apparently abandoned its side of the stone bed entirely and curled itself tightly against her as if she were some giant living pillow. Its fluffy white tail rested across her waist while soft little purrs escaped it occasionally even in sleep.
She stared at it for a second before quietly letting out a soft sigh. The cub twitched slightly but remained asleep.
