Night fell quickly in winter.
The wind outside howled softly around the palace walls, pushing fine snow against the stone. Inside Isabella's room, the air was warm and scented with beast oil lamps.
A soft thump and a tiny sneeze interrupted the quiet.
Isabella turned her head just in time to see a small white blur squeeze its way in through the barely open door. Glimora stumbled forward, shaking off little crystals of snow that clung to her fur like stubborn stars. Her ears twitched, her tail lifted, and her eyes immediately locked onto Isabella with an expression that could only be described as dramatic betrayal.
Isabella blinked.
"I was gone for ten minutes," she said. "Ten."
Glimora made a grumbling sound deep in her chest, the kind she used whenever she felt abandoned. She marched across the room with all the determination of a tiny general, climbed onto Isabella's foot with zero hesitation, and pressed her forehead firmly against Isabella's leg as though staking her claim.
