[their little children were able now to climb from the lip of the den, and lestan busied himself in the clearing beyond. he picked up twigs, cleared any pebbles that might invite a choking mouth, cleared puddles of high dirt and any lurking briars. trees hung over in a fringed shade, but past them lay a vast sunspill of open land. the mayfair had not feared hawks, eagles, falcons, or ospreys before -- now each morning he paced with his head tilted back, buttoned to the sky in case of such talon-heavy birds. in time the pups would be out of such reach, but they were vulnerable now. he often worried of this to Kirain, in whose words he always found assurance and the consistency of a wholesome love. he had just completed a third anxious circuit of the clearing when a sound snapped his attention sideways, honeyblue eyes focusing hard.]

their little children were able now to climb from the lip of the den, and lestan busied himself in the clearing beyond. he picked up twigs, cleared any pebbles that might invite a choking mouth, cleared puddles of high dirt and any lurking briars. trees hung over in a fringed shade, but past them lay a vast sunspill of open land.
the mayfair had not feared hawks, eagles, falcons, or ospreys before -- now each morning he paced with his head tilted back, buttoned to the sky in case of such talon-heavy birds. in time the pups would be out of such reach, but they were vulnerable now. he often worried of this to Kirain, in whose words he always found assurance and the consistency of a wholesome love.
he had just completed a third anxious circuit of the clearing when a sound snapped his attention sideways, honeyblue eyes focusing hard.