Lucian's POV.
"Well now, doesn't this look like a great big basket of fun."
Malakar and I both look up into Velara's smiling face. She's watching us with both hands resting on her hips - for a split second I imagine that this is exactly what she would have looked like, scolding me as a young boy if I went too far with some of the other pups and playtime got out of hand.
It's not a memory that I have, but one that I would have cherished, so I commit the image of her towering over us, looking down with a twinkle in her eye and a proud smile on her face to my memory anyway - better late than never I suppose.
Malakar and I both struggle to our feet, not because the task is difficult, but because we both try to push the other down to the ground again. When we finally make it to our feet, we
