"Mama is very funny."
The soft, musical giggle from the tiny snow leopard cub echoed in the sudden quiet of the clearing.
Bai Yue lay completely paralyzed in the dirt, her limbs still splayed out from her ridiculous theatrical performance.
The little cub wasn't trembling anymore. His purple eyes were curved into happy, bright crescents, and his fluffy white tail was swishing back and forth. He reached out with both of his tiny paws, grabbed the wooden bowl containing the cooled, mild broth, and took a big, confident slurp. He giggled again.
He laughed, Bai Yue thought, her vision blurring as a massive, overwhelming wave of emotion crashed into her chest. He giggled. He actually smiled!
Slowly, her hands trembling, Bai Yue pushed herself up off the grass. She ignored the dirt clinging to her skirt and the stinging in her own eyes from the fire-peppers. She crawled forward on her knees until she was right in front of the cub.
