hale cometh down upon our spines

He wakes instantly at the touch. He's always been a pretty light sleeper. His mother had thrashed that lesson into him pretty early, and it stuck. But he didn't immediately open his eyes. His ears strained as he struggled to figure out what happened, and then he felt Delphi moving past him. His eyes did flick open then, to settle on the empty pelt in front of him. Heat touched his cheeks. Had she bumped him accidentally? The touch had been on his cheek, and he couldn't help but feel it had been deliberate. Finally, after a moment, he decided Delphi was teasing and testing him. She seemed to like pushing his buttons. 


He turned to her as she spoke, and flattened his ears. "It's not my fault." He lied immediately. "Maybe your cat-thing ate it all"