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The world is changing all the time, sounds and coldness and smelliness. She never knows how everything is going to be in the next moment. It has been good and bad, pieces of both stucked together.
She’s taken away from the safe place of Tata, stiffening all at once. Paws curling, mouth still pursed from suckling. This big legs dark as nighttime and smelling of strange things. Holds her.
Bluefish goes rigid as landfish again, eyes staying wide and shining, watching, watching— waiting for the bad thing to come.
But it doesn’t.
Instead, warmth. A kiss, wetting her face. Then again. Smoothing mussy fur, the salt, the bad-things smell from Tata. Bluefish is blinking. The rhythm is slow and rocking. Her body forgets to stay stiff, loosening one paw, then another.
Tata is close. Her eyes go to him. He making noises, but still here.
She let out a tiny, wavering yawn. Big legs has steady heart, and tongue that keeps smoothing, smoothing. Head feels heavy, then body does too. She sag against the chest that holds her, side of face sinking into fleece.
Ana.