Morning came and Soren was still holding the name Dani had left in the room the night before, unsaid, tucked behind the teeth where it did the least damage to keep.
He carried it down the hall to the small kitchen and put it away for now.
Maren had commandeered the burner again.
She'd been sneaking down there for a week, ever since the festival grid put her on the demonstration floor, saying the ovens were better than the dorm plate.
The ovens were better.
That wasn't why she went.
She went because cooking calmed the fox down. Nobody in the pack said that out loud.
◆◆◆◆
Selah was on the floor next to Soren's chair, back against his knee, drilling the trace on her fingers in and out.
Down to nothing. Up to full.
Down to nothing. Up.
She'd been at it for days.
She was building endurance for the display and she was doing it in the room where Soren could see her do it, which was as close as Selah came to asking to be watched.
