The settlement had gone quiet, the beastfolk continent folding itself into night. Distant fires flickered like dying stars across the grasslands. The wind carried the smell of incoming rain.
Owen stood at the open doorway of the guest quarters, wings half-unfurled, black scales catching moonlight in faint iridescent gleams. His tail swayed slowly, restless. Behind him, the soft pad of bare feet.
"You should sleep," Yuki said. "Morning will come fast."
"I Can't." He didn't turn. "It's too loud in here." He tapped his temple.
She stepped up behind him, pressed her forehead between his shoulder blades. Her warmth seeped through his scales. Uru was already a small, gelatinous lump on the pillow inside, fast asleep.
"Vorthraxx?" she asked quietly.
