Matthias was up early the next morning, as was habit. He sat in the kitchen and drank his tea with a sigh, and tried to imagine it was coffee. Everyone else was still asleep, except Moon, who lay with her muzzle on his thigh where he sat on the stool next to the island. There were a few smoldering embers in the hearth. He thought he ought to take Rose and the kids out to breakfast this morning. She’d been doing enough cooking at home as it was.
He sipped the tea, he'd snuck sugar into it, otherwise it was near undrinkable. He stared through the window. A thin blanket of snow covered the ground this morning, it was a wave of hello from winter. Thinking he’d like some fresh air, because the tea sure as hell wasn’t doing anything to sharpen his awareness (he knew that was an excuse to drink
