Bearclaw Valley You've got your pride

She dreamt of Redtail Rise. 

She was a child again, and she saw the faces of her friends- Redd, Masquerade, Ancelin, Relic- and she was happy, while she remained oblivious that it was a dream. Avicus took them along the borders to leave their scent; she felt herself nearly burst with pride, to be included. The others- all Redtails by birth and by blood- and then there was her, welcomed amongst them. She remembered what it felt like to be an outsider who all of a sudden had a future. 

She forgot the dream not long after she awakened- and yet it influenced her path. Seeking to ameliorate her connection with the pack's youth, she sought out @Zephyra, tracking the masked girl down by her scent.

she'd been kicking up dirt, buried knee deep in a hole filled with a collection of mismatched bones. collarbones, paws, ribs, skulls and a singular spine. all were of varying shapes and sizes, though none any large than that of a coyote.

it was a collection of sort, a trophy site one might call it, of all the animals she'd managed to so far hunt on her own. proof, she liked to think of it, that she could handle herself well on her own.

her favorite was the jawbone of a racoon, which she eagerly plucked from the pile and began to gnaw on. teeth grated against bone as her eyes scanned the surrounding areas, eventually settling on the approaching figure of the regina.

Bones. 

Rather than chewing a stick, the Spike chose to chew bone, a choice which brought a lightly amused expression to the Regina's face. She appreciated that the young woman lacked vanity; looks certainly helped catch a suitor's eye, but prettiness wouldn't keep the borders safe. Zephyra certainly didn't seem to mind getting her paws dirty- nor was she shy of morbid things. 

Got a minute for a chat? She spoke, though the Regina approached, knowing her status alone should be enough to grant her an audience, should the spike hope to find herself on a swift path for promotion.

the girl continued to gnaw on the jawbone right up until the regina was only a few steps away, a slightly puzzled expression held upon her features that the woman had been seemingly looking for her. great, what had she done this time? 

she spat the bone from her mouth and stood to settle a forepaw over it, holding it in place beneath her weight. "sure," she answered back, a glance off to some odd tree in the distance as she mentally prepared herself to be scolded for whatever it was she might have done wrong this time.

The crackling of bone under tooth made the fur along Ameline's back bristle a bit, awakening her own primal enjoyment of chewing on something that might crack and break apart. The teenager wasn't exactly warm, but she wasn't expected to be; a bit of standoffishness suited them well at this age, and helped them turn into fierce women. 

She noticed, then, the pit that the bone had been extracted from, and blinked, surprised. She made no movement that might suggest she'd approach the remainer of buried treasures, so that Zephyra might not feel as though her supply might be threatened. She looked back to the girl. Nithe collection, She praised. You find 'em around the Valley, or kill 'em yourthelf?