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moments. He knew little girls needed a little longer than boys.
    “Are you done?”
    “No.”
    Rhett waited. “Done now?”
    “No.”
    “Do you think you’ll be done by dinner?”
    Ann giggled. “I’m done.”
    She stood up and Rhett peeked through his fingers as she spun in a tight circle tugging her leather back into place. After her potty dance Rhett fixed her clothes. Rhett lifted Ann into his arms. Cuddling her to his chest he took to the sky. Ann was wide-eyed but said nothing except to ask for another drink. Before long the coven came into view. Tavish and Caine were waiting to greet him.
    “Well, who do we have here?” Caine asked, all smiles for the child.
    “This is Ann. She would like some water, but maybe you can introduce her to something that would put some color in her face and add some poundage to her little arms. I need to head back for her mother, oh and Dooder.” Rhett placed Ann into the doctor’s care and tweaked her nose. Any human arriving was checked over with a fine tooth comb before being allowed to mingle with the healthy flock.
    “Dooder?” Tavish asked.
    Rhett grinned. “Her doll, silly.”
    Chuckling at Tavish’s raised eyebrows, Rhett headed back to the glacier. Hopefully, he had the mother’s complete attention.
    * * * *
    For seven years, Hope had kept Ann safe from harm. When Hope conceived illegally and realized she was pregnant she had fled her home. She had broken the law which meant her death, which meant her unborn child’s death. She had eluded every hunting party until they stopped hunting her. Hope guessed they thought she died. She almost had. Surviving alone in a wasteland of ice was hell. Before giving birth, Hope had come across an elderly man living in a cave. With hesitance she had peeked behind a leather door. The startled man had offered her a sweet smile and Hope was captivated. Her feet shuffled into the diminutive space, her fleeting glance at everything was fear fueled, yet hopeful. Dirk looked like he was a thousand and ten. But the man was crafty, and handy, and the kindest man she ever had the privilege of knowing, besides her father.
    Dirk had helped Hope when she gave birth. It was a terrifying experience. Hope never knew of anyone who had a child. It was a painful delivery and for a while she could see Dirk thought he might lose her. The many creases and grooves in his face gave testimony to that. After the birth, she lay quiet, weak. Many days Hope had drifted in and out of consciousness, only waking when her baby cried to feed from her.
    Dirk looked after Ann, he was wonderful with her. He said not a word about Ann’s features. Truthfully Hope had never seen a baby before and thought nothing was wrong. Dirk had crooned to the child she was beautiful. Hope thought so too. Ann, named after Dirk’s, mother, was different, but wasn’t everyone? Dirk had provided food and skins and warm furs. For a year they looked after one another as a family until one morning Dirk didn’t wake up. Hope and Ann were alone. Hope had dragged Dirk out into the cold and gathered enough rocks to make a resting place over him.
    For years, Hope and Ann had been happy in the little cave. It was easy to keep warm with the small amount of kindling she found. Food was scarce but Hope found enough to live on. Ann wasn’t in the best of health and ate little enough. The child’s thought process was different. Hope didn’t think the girl was slow, Ann was special. Hope had no other child to compare her to. The child saw things a certain way that made Hope smile. Born mentally handicapped, as Dirk had said, was both a blessing and a curse. Ann was always happy. At seven, Ann was tiny, but lack of food was a contributor, though Hope tried.
    They had vacated the cave recently and wandered into the glacier. While scavenging for food Hope had seen polar bears moving closer. Worried they had caught hers and Ann’s scent, the two reluctantly fled. Too late, Hope realized the polar