It's bedtime now.
Time to snuggle into bed and let your eyes softly close.
Let's take three deep breaths together.
Ready?
Good.
Notice how warm and safe and comfortable you feel.
Keeping your eyes closed,
Allow your mind to travel with the sound of my voice.
Beneath you,
Your bed has transformed and you find yourself lying in a leaf-lined den.
Your sister has woken you up again,
Her paw in your face.
Some days it's hard to get much rest in the den with your mother and three siblings.
You sense that the sun is setting and you try to close your eyes for the last few moments of sleep before the five of you can leave the den in the cover of night and find some food.
Tonight is a big night.
It's the last night to forage before you enter Torpor.
It has gotten too cold outside and food is scarce,
So you will enter a relaxing deep sleep where your body temperature will lower and your metabolism will slow as you lay safely and comfortably in your leaf-lined den.
Huddling with your family may mean that you don't need to enter Torpor since your collective body heat will be enough to keep you from needing the deep sleep.
It will all depend on how cold it is.
Right now as you consider going out to forage,
You shiver slightly at the cold air entering the den.
Mom has roused each of you and set you in a line.
First is your brother,
Stinky,
Then Shooey,
Followed by Pewey,
Then you,
And finally your mom.
As you leave the den,
Your line becomes more of a pack so that you can stay together and keep warm.
Your eyesight is poor,
But your senses of hearing and smell are quite sharp.
You listen for insects close by.
You sniff the air for evidence of eggs or vegetation,
Some of your favorite foods.
Stinky finds an apple core and each of you hungrily take bites.
Then you continue in your little pack until you hear some movement to your left.
You steer the group towards the sound and find a log.
Together you push the log,
Unearthing a feast of insects.
Each of your family members gets their fill just as snow begins to fall around you.
Your mother tells you it's time to head back to the den.
The way back is peaceful and you take in all of the sounds and smells of the night.
Once you sense your den nearby,
You sprint towards it,
Longing for its warmth and production.
But just before you hop inside,
A sneaky thought enters your mind and you decide to hide under a bush just to the right of the den.
When your family approaches,
You jump out,
Startling them.
Each of them with their tails raised release their spray,
Which you find both odorous and humorous.
Mother chastises you and off you each go into the den.
As you all huddle together in the back of the den,
Atop your softly lined bed,
You feel a deep gratitude.
You are grateful for your family,
For the meal you found,
For your teamwork,
For the warmth of your collective bodies,
And for the safety of your den.
You start to feel a deep sense of relaxation come over you.
From the tip of your wet black nose up to the white stripe between your black eyes.
Down your neck where your white stripe divides into two stripes.
Down the length of your back and all the way down your long tail where the double stripes converge back to a single stripe.
Your tail is wrapped around your black,
Well-muscled legs and front and back feet and claws.
Your eyelids become heavy and you gently let them close.
Your breathing becomes soft and deep and effortless.
You are completely comfortable resting alongside your family.
You breathe in filling your lungs with the smell of your family and your den.
The muscles in your body release and you feel fully supported by the ground beneath you.
You are completely relaxed and you let yourself drift off to sleep.
Good night,
Little skunk.
