Everything felt a little strange. Mintaka felt a little strange, too, but she was currently ignoring that. All problems went away if you ignored them, after all! A little weirdness was fine. She could handle it just fine.

A scent touched her nose, weirder than all the weirdness. Sharp and sweet and watery all at the same time - a stranger, Mintaka realized, but hopefully not for long. It was difficult to see in the low lighting, but she picked her way after it, pleased to find that it was, in fact, growing stronger.

Too strong, she realized suddenly, as her paw caught on the small body and sent her tumbling straight onto her chin with a sharp, "Oof!"