Redtail Rise XVI

for @Redd/@Relic/@Masquerade, any/all of ya <3

augur trotted up the rise.

he held a fox skull in his jaws. the fox had not been dead long enough for all of the red fur to rot away.

a strip remained bright along the rightmost cheek.

he stopped a distance away from the den of red woman and gave a single bark. he wanted to see @Avicus before he came closer.

Footsteps announced a visitor to the den, a moment before the bark sounded. Masquerade promptly dropped the stick she was chewing and bounded toward its mouth to investigate, overlong tail whipping hither and thither. She paused at the threshold to assess their guest and then slunk forward, cautious and curious in equal measure.

The closer she came to the pale giant, the lower her posture became, a subconscious behavior cued by her most basic and primal instincts. He was her superior in every way: age, build, intellect, life experience, etc. Masque bowed her head, tail slowing to a tentative flicker.

She paused when she caught the vulpine scent. Her red muzzle wrinkled and she shook her head, trying to hold her breath to stave off the tickling sensation building in her nose. It was no use. Just like the last time someone had brought part of a fox to the pups, she snorted out several loud reverse sneezes.

Outside the den, Relic lounged in a shady spot. He watched the world go by, not missing a thing. One comically large ear remained turned in the direction of his masked sister. Just as they had been close in the womb and in birth, he found he was happiest in close proximity to her. 

Similarly, he was also fixated on chewing an object. Not a stick, but a short rib bone. He felt his jaws grow stronger by the day. His teeth more sturdy. He worked determinedly to make some kind of groove in the ivory of the bone.

A flash of pale fur and a bark announced the arrival of the man who had visited before. With him was a scent he remembered too. Fox. Pungent and sharp. One that stirred up his deep instincts, and for Masquerade, a fit of reverse sneezes. Boldly, he trotted up, eyeing the offending fox skull. And lunged for it, trying to distance it from his sibling so she could get some relief.

eventually he forgot himself and inched forward, eyes narrow and ears pinned to indicate his extreme pleasure at seeing them once more.

augur whined. he stretched to his belly. but when one of the cubs came toward him with an odd gesture, he rose again.

debris fell from his coat. he was confused. 

the other child was sneezing. he perked ears forward in concern, then dropped the skull. he licked his lips appeasingly. 

but he could not help but notice the coloration of them both. the first was snowcap, for he reminded the clawan of the mountains which never melted. the sneezing child would be warbler. such birds wore bright faces as she did.

augur backed away a step. he waited to see what snowcap wanted with the fox head.

cameo!

Avicus had been hunting birds in the brush when Augur's pawsteps belied his arrival. she peers through the thicket, empty-jawed and a little peeved, but happy for her brood to have company. and he's come with gifts.

her brows lift at the girl's explosive sneezes—a habit of hers, it seemed—then her face bursts into a smile at Relic's complete lack of trepidation. he goes immediately for the skull, fierce and hungry, and her heart swells with pride.

Augur. he ought to have fathered one of the three. she wonders which. they'll never know.

she folds herself down behind the bushes, watching quietly, but close enough to intervene should it be necessary.

She barely noticed her brother’s presence as she struggled to divest herself of the burning sensation. Masquerade bumped into him a split second before he lunged for the source of the offensive scent. Her eyes tracked his movements even as she backpedaled, distancing herself from Augur, Relic and the skull.

Masque didn’t go far, pacing back toward the den’s entrance but not going inside. Instead, she slung herself down a few feet from the door to watch her brother and their guest. Even when she lowered her head to nibble idly at her paws, her bright eyes remained fixed on the pair.

She’s just observing, so feel free to skip!

last for me!

the situation was odd, and eventually it proved too much for augur.

he left with a warm look backward, however. the clawan would return, and not with fox.

he enjoyed the nearness of the little meeting. as they grew, augur intended to bring them on his patrols and his hunts.

for now, the man retreated.

Last for me too!

His jaws clamped shut around soft tatters of ruddy fur. His growing teeth scraped against bone, hooking at the curve of an eye socket. Victorious, he made off into the shadows with his prize. He had accomplished his mission. Retrieved the skull and got it well away from his sister.

He would make short work of the evidence in his clutches.