She dragged her gaze up from the cold stone floor, neck stiff, vision still a little blurred from the flight and the fall.
There he was.
That damn sparrow.
The root cause of every disaster today.
Perched comfortably on the stone table.
One claw clutched a roasted chunk of meat that was almost bigger than his whole body, skin glistening with fat. In the other, he held an apple, already missing a neat, smug bite. He looked like some tiny king having a snack break while the world burned.
Kaya's fingers curled against the ground. Her jaw tightened so hard her teeth hurt.
Veer groaned somewhere near the cave mouth. Cutie was still breathing hard beside her, chest rising and falling in shallow pulls. Kaya, though—Kaya's anger cut straight through the cold and exhaustion. It warmed her faster than any fire could.
Slowly—painfully slowly—she pushed herself upright.
Her ribs screamed; her shoulder stabbed. A low hiss slipped past her lips before she could catch it.
