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Please be orbs. Please be orbs.

Two purple glows slowly came into view, and Emerie let out the biggest sigh of relief. Only to wince when strong arms tightened around her. The Duskwalker kicked back, trying to escape as she pushed them further into the bottom of the burrow’s curved wall.

Loose rocks and dirt clattered under her struggling heels.

“Ingram, wait! She’s freaking out.”

He paused at the entry, and she only knew that because his orbs had stopped moving. She couldn’t see anything else. It was too dark, but they brought her so much comfort, even as they turned white.

The Duskwalker holding her eventually settled, but Emerie could feel her quick breaths and heartbeat against her back. She had tried to squish Emerie between her and the wall, almost... protectively.

Claws glinted for a moment, as though they were shiny and reflecting the two sets of glowing orbs within the burrow. Ingram had reached his hand out.

“Give,” he demanded, quietly but sternly.

The Duskwalker hissed in return.

“Give,”he snarled, his orbs flashing red for a moment.

She hissed louder and then barked chitters at him. Dirt shifted as Ingram came closer, and her hand came up to cup the side of Emerie’s head. She tried to shield her.

“I-I think she’s protecting me, Ingram,” Emerie explained,hopingher wild theory was correct. “She thinks you want to hurt me.”

“I would never want to hurt you, Emerie.” His orbs turned blue. “She does not have enough humanity to speak. I don’t know how to make her let you go.”

Emerie turned her gaze up to the Duskwalker, whose orbs were white with fear or worry. She braved reaching up and tentatively touched a warm jawbone.

She flinched, and darted her skull towards Emerie in surprise, yellow forming in her glow instead. Emerie pet her, and each one made the squeezing press of her arms lessen.

“Please let me go,” she whispered, unsure if the Duskwalker understood what Emerie was saying.

She incoherently chittered back.

“Please let me go with him.” Emerie then stopped petting her so she could reach her hand out to Ingram’s awaiting one.

Dirt shifted as Ingram closed the gap. Just when the points of hard but blunted claws scraped against her fingertips, she was yanked away. He let out the tiniest rumble.

“Just wait,” Emerie pleaded. “Stay calm. Let her see that you’re safe.”

Emerie soothed her hand against the Duskwalker’s sternum, like she often did for Ingram. When her arms loosened once more, she reached out to him.

“Don’t take me, yet. Don’t pull me,” Emerie told him, when she was able to slip her fingers against the pads of his far larger ones.

The Duskwalker’s orbs turned dark yellow at Emerie and Ingram reaching out to each other. She didn’t try to yank Emerie away this time, even when Ingram’s warm and calloused palm swallowed up her dainty hand.

A link had been created; one that made her heart soar.

For a few minutes, they just held hands as cold silence was shared between all three of them. She adored how safe his big, meaty paw felt, how it eased her fears with its roughness and conflicting strength and gentleness.

“L-let me come to you,” she stated, gingerly pushing at the Duskwalker’s arms while she leaned towards him. “Let her see I want to go to you.”

It happened slowly, but she did eventually release Emerie. Just before she could be collected into Ingram’s arms, the Duskwalker grabbed her wrist. Emerie stared back at the blue glow in her orbs.

She doesn’t want to let me go.Emerie’s eyes crinkled with pity for her.

Still, she gingerly pulled her arm until she was freed and let herself fall into Ingram. He scooped her into his strong arms, and his rapid heartbeat thumped against her when she slipped her arms around his neck.

The Duskwalker chittered and whined, her orbs darting between them as though she was moving her skull from his to Emerie’s face. Her cries were heartachingly sad, enough to make Emerie wince for her.