Chapter Twenty-Three
The morning brought a strong skein of sunlight, filtered through the tree canopy and the canvas roof of their shelter. Hector eased himself away from his den mates, trying not to disturb them. Both Enis and Tsendi had one or two paws pressed against or laid over him, but by moving each one gently, he was able to slide away. As he sat back on his heels he noticed that they both stretched without waking, shifting until they were nestled against one another. The canini had slept deeply, exhausted by the journey. Either their fatigue was so great, or their trust of the tribesfolk so solid, that for the first time since they had left the pack neither of them had roused at all during the dark hours. Hector, once more rather grateful for the endurance built into his hardware
