The days blurred into a gentle rhythm of growth and preparation.
By the time the threshold reached ninety-seven percent, the sanctuary felt less like a half-finished refuge and more like a living heart. The eastern wing's heated channels carried warm water in lazy loops, perfect for Zale's occasional tail-dips and the cubs' supervised splash sessions. High perches now had safety rails—courtesy of Granite's grumbling but thorough craftsmanship—and Leo had taken to carrying at least two cubs at once up there, his golden mane catching the morning light like a banner.
With siddy's teaching Liam started climbing everything. And now they both climb the the tallest tree near the sanctuary and hisses and roar together. Kael still vanished into warm crevices and Ripple often joins him. Raj remained serenely unbothered by chaos. Solara had refined her unsettling stare into something almost regal; even Drakar gave her a bop on her nose when she fixed him with it.
