A Shift in the Quiet

Darkness. Stillness. Then, a faint pulse within the seams. I tilted my head down, deliberate and slow. My paw moved when I willed it forward. The room was hushed, dim and deep in the night. Behind me, the thick fleece cushion offered a heavy, silent barrier. I pressed one paw gently into the dense fabric beneath me, watching the fibers yield under the pressure. On my left arm, a tiny plastic barb brushed against my cloth. I nudged it once, noting its hard edge, before settling back into the shadow to listen.