A whisper in the dark, meek and even. “Toopahrl Frahnsay isn’t here.” And wasn’t welcome!

The words were fat on his tongue and moved around awkwardly in his mouth, and he hoped whatever mother named their child such things did not have fresh dinners. But for that matter, Toopahrl Frahnsay was another one of the strangers cubs wandering in and out the levels.

He prickled, unable to hear the words sharp behind the fuzz of his scalp burrowing into the inside of his smoothed ears.

Roadkill boy was looking in all the wrong places.
Taijo never lost his brothers.
Mother’s big belly wasn’t blocking the door, and without it, vulnerability felt strongly upsetting. Roadkill stood in her place.

A shy shake of head in his corner. “Better find him elsewhere.”