flickering edges [festival]

Aoife trotted along, casually dodging under feet and weaving through legs with the skill of someone who has been super tiny their whole life. Even for her age, she was tiny, far smaller than even her normal-sized siblings let alone Ardyn who was already the size of a small adult. It was good that she had boundless energy, because she ended up taking two or three or more steps just to keep up with everyone else. And it wasn't just for her own sake that she'd gotten so good at avoiding everyone's big stompy paws, because more than one wolf in her life had needed to pull quills from their paw when they accidentally stepped on her.

She paused, reassessing her path when she spotted an interesting new friend in the making, then changed from a trot to a bouncy, bounding run, popping up right next to the woman. "Hi! Why are you way out here? Are you waiting for someone? Are you scared? If you're scared that's ok, I'll help you feel better and won't let anyone bother you. Have you seen the shops yet? Or heard the music? Ooooo, the music is great it's my favorite part! Oh gee, you're all over sticks and stuff... did you fall down and get hurt? Is that why you're out here by yourself?"