Scared of the dark

As she turned to go, she would be stopped by a sudden powerful paw against her chest. The tiny girl looked up into the lion's gold eyes, her own muzzle trembling with her unshed tears. She did shed a few of them as she leaned back into Canni’s grasp, letting her friend comfort her.

“You do?” she asked softly, sniffing a few times, trying to clear her tears. “Is it hungry in your head, too?” she wanted to know, fully collapsing against Canni and curling herself up into a bundle against the lions chest. “I don’t wanna go home. Can I sleep with you Canni? Mums busy, she’ll be happier if i’m not alone. She’ll be okay with it.” Motif promised, hoping beyond hope that Canni would say yes.

She couldn’t face that empty den right now, and she wasn’t sure what she would do if Canni said no to her. But she wouldn’t, they were best friends, weren't they?