Hajin opened his eyes beneath a canopy of dark leaves.
A narrow strip of night sky showed between the branches, and his mind remained heavy enough that the forest made no immediate sense.
Then small teeth pressed against the edge of his ear.
Something warm nibbled at it with a series of gentle, experimental bites.
Hajin flinched and snapped his head sideways, one hand flying up as Loccy recoiled from his shoulder.
Her long ears stood rigid above loose white hair, and guilt crossed her face before she managed to hide it.
"What the hell was that for," Hajin muttered, sitting upright while he rubbed the damp edge of his ear.
Loccy rocked back onto her heels and folded both hands behind her back.
Her movements were steady now, with no trace of the wobbling steps that had sent her face-first into the dirt.
The blanket stayed wrapped around her body, though she had learned to hold it closed with one hand.
