Lara stared at the little creature.
The creature was no bigger than her palm, soft, snow-white, shaped almost like a mouse, yet behaving very much like a cat. It blinked up at her with cute tiny eyes, far too intelligent, far too knowing for something so small.
"What in the goddess' name…" she whispered.
The creature lifted its tiny paws toward her, as if asking to be held.
Absolutely not, she thought.
But it was too late. But then their eyes met — and a gentle warmth swept through her. A memory she didn't remember having brushed the edges of her mind. Her throat tightened.
She knew this creature.
The little thing let out a soft trilling sound.
"Oh no," Lara murmured. "You're not just a pet, are you?"
The creature tilted its head.
And then — with an innocent little hop — it climbed right back onto her lap and curled up, purring even louder.
Lara froze.
"I don't even know what you are," she muttered. "I swear, if you bite, sting or explode..."
