The shiny gold wrapping paper crinkled softly under Roxy's shaking fingers.
She looked down at the rectangular gift resting in her lap. It felt a little heavy, like a solid block of wood. The terrible, dark memories of her human parents and the ragged monster in the park were still floating around in the back of her mind, but the warmth of the six men surrounding her kept the cold away.
Zarek sat right in front of her, his golden eyes glowing with a quiet, happy secret. "Open it, my heart," he rumbled softly.
Roxy reached out and grabbed the soft white ribbon. She pulled it gently, and the bow fell apart. She carefully tore the shiny gold paper away.
Inside was a beautiful, thick picture frame. It was carved out of dark, heavy Iron-Wood from the magical forests of the Beastworld. But as Roxy flipped the frame over to look at the front, she gasped.
It was not a normal, flat human photograph. The glass shimmered with a soft, warm light. It was a magical, moving picture.
