Five feet.
Three feet.
One foot.
Kira ducked her head slightly, keeping her shoulders high so the branch would scrape over her back.
SWISH.
The green leaves brushed against her skin.
She felt the weight lift!
The glorious, light, weightless feeling returned to her spine!
She immediately straightened her neck with a loud, incredibly satisfying pop.
“YES!” her inner voice cheered frantically. “I DID IT!” 🎉
She stood up fully on all fours, towering proud and tall in the sunlight.
She stretched her front arms out like a champion athlete.
She rolled her shoulders back in glorious, unadulterated freedom.
She took a deep breath of fresh mountain air.
She turned around with a triumphant smile to look at Milo sitting helplessly in the tree.
Except… Milo wasn’t in the tree. 🌴
The branch was completely empty.
Kira’s smile slowly faded into total confusion.
She looked at the grass beneath the branch.
Empty.
She looked at the leafy vines nearby.
Empty.
Where was he?
Suddenly, she felt a subtle, familiar warmth right behind her left ear. 👂
She felt two tiny, soft nostrils breathing warm air against her collarbone.
She slowly looked down at her own chest.
During the exact moment she had passed under the branch, Milo hadn’t been swept off at all.
The second the leaves touched him, he had simply swung around her neck like a miniature gymnast. 🤸♂️
He had seamlessly transitioned from a piggyback ride to a full front-hug harness.
He was now wrapped securely around her chest like a tiny furry backpack worn backward. 🎒
He looked up into her eyes with pure, innocent affection.
He blinked his big, shiny brown eyes.
He gave her a tiny, soft, squeaky grunt.
Then, he snuggled his face right under her chin and closed his eyes to go fast asleep. 💤
Kira stood completely frozen in the warm afternoon sun.
She looked down at the tiny weight resting against her heart.
He was warm.
He was safe.
He was utterly content simply being as close to her as physically possible.
Her neck still ached a little bit, it was true.
