Then Betty paused. The counting stopped. She turned her head toward the trees and listened. Vanessa followed her gaze and saw movement near the roots—something small, folded in on itself. When Betty knelt, Vanessa understood this was no break in routine at all, but the beginning of something new.
It was a tiny, shivering pup. Betty did not reach for it immediately. She sat beside him instead, folding her legs the way she always did when the ground felt uncertain. Vanessa held her breath, expecting the animal to flinch or scramble away.