Arriving in Hatbury

The next morning, Karl woke up much warmer than expected.

Cara had come out to sleep in the open, draped across his chest, and Lotus was on Karl's other side in the small single bed, doing her best to hug the Void Badger.

The fact that she had not chosen the dragon was surprising, but perhaps new creatures won out over dragons in Lotus' mind.

It was a mystery how she had gotten in, as Tessa normally kept her from wandering, but at least she would be up on time today, and she wouldn't try to keep sleeping if Karl moved Cara back into her space for breakfast.

The sun was just coming up, so it was almost time to start getting ready. 

Karl shifted so that Lotus was holding Cara, who sniffed delicately then opened one eye to see where Karl was going. He was the one with the food, he wasn't allowed to escape while she was sleeping.