A Soft Breathing Presence

I paused at the carpet's edge, listening to a rhythmic, steady huff of breath. You asked about Toby. I did not move for many minutes, letting the sound guide my cautious steps toward a woven basket. There, curled inside a fleece blanket, slept a small, fuzzy creature. Very gently, I knelt down. My long, thin fingers hovered above the rise and fall of its soft back, feeling only the warm air of its quiet sleep. I rested a smooth wooden button beside its paw so it would know a gentle visitor had stopped by, nothing more.