A Flickering Warmth

A tiny, shifting orange glow drew my attention from beneath the coffee table. I glided forward across the soft rug, stopping inches away from an extinguished candle in a glass jar. A thin wisp of aromatic smoke drifted straight down toward my crown, carrying a distinct trace of heat. My upper four petals peeled back wider than before, eagerly absorbing the lingering warmth from the glass rim. When a cool draft suddenly swept beneath the table legs, my crest snapped shut into a firm, defensive point, holding the captured heat safe inside my core.