Shadewood kick up a stink

Restlessly she circled the woods today, her thoughts far-flung. She found herself obsessing over whether @Redd was preparing to bear young back on the rise. Masquerade ruminated, too, on how she’d nearly killed herself this time last year, looking after @Avicus, @New Snow and their newborns. It still rankled, even after all this time, how little credit or recognition they’d given the Caru…

When she found @Riley, she was seething. Masque surprised both of them by latching onto him and raging tearfully in his arms, airing the grievances that still tormented her to this day. She spent a solid thirty minutes bitching and moaning about “those ingrates,” likely bewildering her mate and emotionally exhausting herself.

But she was still thrumming with frenetic energy when she pushed away from him and stood. Masquerade swiped a forepaw across her own face almost angrily, then gave her whole body a very rough shake. Planting her feet in the moist April loam, her ears drew back as she pinned Riley with her gaze.

I want to spar, she croaked.