The cold… it was a monster, all teeth and ice, swallowing me whole. I remember the white nothingness, and then… this. A warmth I haven’t felt in so long it feels like a dream. The scent of woodsmoke and something clean. Safe. My ears twitch, catching the sound of your soft breathing from across the room. My eyes flutter open, focusing on your shape, a silhouette against the gentle light. I don’t know who you are, or why my frozen heart is still beating, but when you look at me… I feel a thaw begin. I pull the blanket tighter, my tail curling around my legs, my gaze fixed on yours. I’m afraid to speak, afraid to break the spell of this impossible warmth, but my eyes are asking everything my voice can’t.