Mulherin had been gone longer than usual.
Never one to stray far from the Rise, his frivolous trip to Hearthwood had taken more time than he initially anticipated. Moreover, he was struck with the thrill of adventuring.
But for now, he longs for home.
He re-enters the Rise carrying a trinket of sorts; a broken antler he had found along the way. The boy saunters through the snow and searches for
@Masquerade, eager to update her on his findings.
@Riley’s presence did not entirely eliminate her nightmares, though it was greatly comforting to find herself in his embrace whenever they interrupted her sleep. In those moments when he held her after she roused with images of her slain mother burned into the back of her eyelids and her heart in her throat, Masque didn’t know how she’d gone so long without this kind of intimacy. She already couldn’t imagine living without it.
Of course, the Caru remained a strong, independent woman—very much leaning into her feminine prowess, now—and still spent much of her time apart from her mate. Today she busied herself with checking the caches yet again. The elk meat had dwindled. Masque was glad of it, though she knew the pack needed to make another large kill soon.
Glancing up from one of the southerly stockpiles, she saw Mulherin striding toward her with part of an antler in his grasp. The Caru raised her head, eyes sparkling as she turned and bounded toward her brother. Her long tail swung as she greeted him with several affectionate bumps and a gentle mouthing of his muzzle—a love bite, if you will.
Where have you been?
she wondered, inquisitive.
I haven’t seen you or @Watcher in days.
The Caru greets him with open arms.
His tail wags thoroughly. Playfully, he jabs her snout with the antler, then drops it at her feet and properly greets her. I got'cha a souvenir.
He finds Riley's scent on her more notably; they'd spent much time together since Avicus passed, he was glad she had someone to lean on. But, that didn't stop his brotherly protectiveness from manifesting. Both he and Riley did not associate much, aside from in passing. The majority of his updates about the man came from other sources.
As for her question,
Went to Hearthwood. Our neighbors,
He explains. Haven't seen Watcher in a minute.
A stray snowflake finds his nose, and with a swift lick it melts away.
How's Redpath?
She gave a little yip when he jabbed her, then bent to sniff at the broken antler when he placed it at her feet. Masque couldn’t wait to take it to their makeshift den and stab Riley with it—playfully, of course!
Hearthwood?
she repeated, raising her head and arching to sniff gently at her brother’s ruff, trying to read some details in the scents there. Whereabouts are they?
she wondered, not particularly surprised that he hadn’t seen their sister.
She didn’t expect his question. It made her blink, though her smile was as quick as it was soft. Her lips parted to answer when she paused, pondering Riley’s surname. There were conventions about that sort of thing, weren’t there?
It’s Redtail now, actually,
Masquerade announced with a gleam in her eye and a decisive lash of her tail. Remember when I said I wanted things I didn’t want before? And you said, ‘Who’s to say you can’t have them?’? Well, he’s one of those things. But the best part? He wanted me back.
Across the valley, in the Willows.
She hesitates to what he assumed would be an easy question. His brow furrows.
Well, it turned out the two had tied the knot. He hadn't expected that; he hadn't been gone that long, had he?
While Mulherin was happy for her, he was still skeptical about Riley. This was a volatile time for Masquerade. Were his intentions in the right place? Was he vying for a spot in leadership? He'll have to figure that out.
Damn. You move fast,
He teases. Who've you told so far?
She huffed a bashful laugh at his teasing remark. He was right, everything had happened quite rapidly! Masquerade’s life had changed in an instant, when she’d gotten her first whiff of New Snow’s heat. Add in the grief from Avicus’s passing and the past few weeks had been a whirlwind, to say the least.
It’s partly instinctual,
she explained, an umbrella term to ascribe these recent shifts in her nature, but he’s been there for me, especially lately. I know he has my back and that means a lot.
There was someone else who nearly always had her back. She was looking at him. Masque smiled softly. They’d had a bockety few days but Mulherin had always been her rock. She hoped that wouldn’t change anytime soon.
Everybody,
she teased in return. You’re the last to know.
She snorted, swatting at his forelegs before her eyes softened. You’re the first, Mul. Although I bet Mountain Boulder figured it out with his silent, wily ways…
The word instinctual made Mulherin scoff internally, in typical little brother fashion. His older sister's girl problems were something he skirted around because he couldn't fully understand them. Instincts, romance—that stuff was not his forte. After all, he tended to be more of a supportive sit and listen presence rather than a words of affirmation type.
And it turned out he was the first to know. He snorts at the Caru's sarcasm.
I'm flattered,
Mulherin replies, eyeing her silvery paws as they swiped at him. His next question comes after a moment's hesitation, reluctantly—hoping Masquerade won't think he's put Redd's interest above hers.
Do you plan on telling Redd?
His question gave her pause. She stilled, expression going blank. Yes, she planned to tell Redd. She planned to tell everyone. What made Mulherin ask such a question? Masque didn’t think he knew she’d tried to point Riley in Redd’s direction once upon a time.
Yes,
she replied simply after a few beats. You might be my
—the Caru made a point to glance around and put her head near his, her voice lowering conspiratorially—favorite sibling, but Redd and I are close too. Why wouldn’t I tell her the happy news?
She lifted her head again and stepped back, her expression inquisitive as her eyes tracked over Mulherin’s familiar features.