Wildfire was in the middle of bathing an upside-down Bat when the howl rose up in the air. She froze, listening, every muscle gone suddenly tense. Of course she wanted to rush to help her mate, though she knew the commander and their pack mates could handle any given situation. And though the pups were growing up fast, the
Feisripa didn't want to leave them unattended, especially not in the middle of an emergency.
"Tux!" she snapped when the little blob tried to make a run for it.
"Stay put," Wildfire said imperiously to Bat,
@Kiwi and
@Silkie before leaping after the little renegade. He was fast but she was a masterful small game hunter, so she easily overtook him, pinched his nape with her teeth and then dragged him back to the clearing beside the log.
"We're going to play a game," she announced.
"Whoever can stay the stillest and quietest the longest gets a big prize."
Although part of her mind was far away, with Heda and the others flocking to assist her, Wildfire did her best to train her attention upon the four whelps. Each of them reacted slightly differently to her proposal. Tux let out a loud complaint—not surprising, considering his escape attempt—and Silkie gave an indignant squawk as well, as if in solidarity with his brother. The girls, however, rose to the Feisripa's challenge. Kiwi gave her siblings a sort of snooty look, as if very sure of her superiority in this matter, squared her shoulders, sat up straighter and froze like a statute. Bat, meanwhile, just flopped onto her side and yawned theatrically.
"The game starts..." Wildfire said after a momentary assessment, "now."
I think we're on our own, haha. We can keep this short if you want. Actually, would you mind concluding it for us? :)
All four pups proved exemplary at the challenge, which was a relief considering the circumstances. They all deserved effusive praise for their efforts. As Wildfire's eyes flicked from one young, straining (well, except for Bat's) face to the next, she fought a smile despite herself. How could she ever choose a winner?
"You're all getting prizes," she decided a beat later,
"but we're going to play one more game first." She looked around herself, then backed up several paces. Now the children faced her in a line from about ten feet away.
"We've played this before, I think. Do you remember Red Light, Green Light? When I say 'green,' you run toward me. When I say 'red,' you freeze. If you move during the red light, you have to go back to the start. Ready?"
Silkie nodded enthusiastically. Kiwi offered up a single nod of assent, readying herself to whip her siblings' butts, of course. Bat sighed a bit as she pushed herself upright, willing to play but not without some token protests along the way due to the high energy bill. And as for Tux...