Redtail Rise In the Faces of Cats

It was a clear, cold night. Masquerade had spent the better part of the afternoon catching up on sleep after nightmares kept her up the previous night. Now she trotted along the borders, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. She wondered if anyone else was awake at this hour. And would any of them want to hunt with her?

She thought of New Snow and decided to send up a low howl for @Moon Runner and @Saturdays Sunrise. Perhaps the three of them could catch something to leave at her doorstep, so she could wake up to breakfast. Masque halted, ears quivering as she listened for an answer.

there's a low call in response, 'on my way'.

trotting towards the caru with a respectable stature, sunrise does her best to offer a kind brush of her muzzle against masque's shoulder. with the new dynamic that has shifted the rise with the old woman's death, sunrise has looked towards the older girl with a different sense. there certainly lingers a sense of affection towards the girls no doubt, especially for masque. however, something lingered inside of flame stalker's heart.

perhaps it was newfound respect and discipline, or simply the desire to stick with her job and not cause a stir of trouble. either way, the daughters of the red woman were placed on higher pedestals now, and even sunrise was careful in her approach.

her head would swing in the direction of moon runner's scent, hoping that she may decide to join them as well.

A solitary voice called in response. She smiled, tail waving as she waited for Sunrise to appear, a frosty specter in the night. It lifted slightly as the younger she-wolf came closer, her muzzle brushing the Caru’s gray shoulder. Masque’s head raised too, though she quickly bent to place an affectionate lick to the bridge of Sunrise’s muzzle.

Noticing the way she glanced off into the darkness, Masquerade questioned, Do you think your sister will join us too? I want your mother to wake up to something fresh for breakfast.

She wondered what New Snow’s daughters thought of younger siblings, though she did not ask. Masque fell silent, golden eyes resting inquisitively on Sunrise’s face before sweeping the rise for any sign of Moon Runner.

flame stalker peered towards Masquerade softly and could only roll her shoulders in a subtle shrug. in some ways, she was proud that her sister had returned and was finding herself in a wayward hunt here and there. but other days, sunrise felt selfish and wanted to keep her sister to herself, as if to remain bound to the hip and stuck together as they were children. it seemed she had no idea if her sister would come or not. she blinks towards masque, a low croon in her throat.

"she'll catch us if she wishes." 

for now, sunrise would fall behind the caru, as if to silently signal that she was happy to let the older girl get to work and lead them to a better hunting ground. the mention of her mother brings about curious thoughts to sunrise, though she doesn't seem to linger so much on them as the cry of a hawk above breaks her concentration, and sunrise flutters her eyes upwards for a moment before looking towards masque.

"lead the way," her body whispered

When Moon Runner didn’t make an appearance, Masquerade heeded Sunrise’s impatient croon with a nod. The two of them set off along the frosty foot of the rise, the Caru guiding the young she-wolf toward the neighboring grotto. Perhaps they might be able to rustle up some small game there.

An owl swooped past overhead, catching Masque’s eye momentarily. She envied its absolute silence as it plundered the night. But the wolves and the owl were not the only hunters awake at this hour, it seemed. Her nose wrinkled at the unmistakable and pungent odor of a wildcat.

She motioned Sunrise to a halt. At first, Masquerade intended to nose the yearling in another direction, avoiding the other carnivore. But as she studied the scent, she realized it belonged to a young, sickly bobcat. She stared into the darkness, speculating about how New Snow might appreciate such a soft pelt to line her whelping den.

Finally, the Caru sought Sunrise’s gaze in a consultative capacity. What did she think of trying to tackle a poorly fellow predator?

the owl was silent, and if one would even believe it, sunrise wondered about how a bird like an owl could fly so silently at night. but these questions begged for a more inquisitive answer that flame stalker did not have the tools to discover just yet. her attention was instead snagged on the scent of another predator out this night with the two girls, and the wine-splashed girl offers sunrise the chance to make a decision, or at least, voice some opinion.

they were capable, she knew this more than anyone. the caru was a talented hunter, and sunrise had enough weight to throw around to grab ahold of whatever this beast was. so she simply nods her head with a small puff of air from her nose, perhaps a small sense of excitement to finally chase something besides the small hares that were difficult to find in the snow. 

"let's do it,"

and even as her ears pick it up, the soft wind that blew through the land of the rise, sunrise still remains silent as she would let masquerade guide her once again, and never would she think or worry of the outcome-- she had never been led astray by her.

There was little hesitation on Sunrise’s part. Masquerade gazed at her thoughtfully for a moment, then huffed out a breath. She nodded, though she didn’t move otherwise.

We’ll get closer, try to get a better read on its condition before we decide if we’ll pursue. Even sick, a cat is very dangerous. We don’t want to take any unnecessary risks.

She held the yearling’s gaze for a moment, waiting for acknowledgement. Masque’s long tail twitched. She was heartened by the younger huntress’s willingness but hopeful she could demonstrate the importance of analytical restraint.

sunrise nods along, and had she the ability to speak eloquently, perhaps she might've moved to say something worth substance to the bloodsplot woman. but not yet, as for now, sunrise has still remained a silent being. there was caution in the movements, and sunrise does her best to mimic, even with her growing body. following her and keeping a light step, she watches for anything curiously, her ears twitching and moving between the cat and the breeze.

it would be by accident that sunrise's shoulder would bump with masquerade, but perhaps the caru would either find it annoying or endearing with how flame stalker remained calm. though, a noise cuts her attention as suddenly, sunrise wants to stop. she can hear that ungodly scrawling sound of whatever a cat was, and she could feel how her hackles immediately lift in response, as if unnerved. no prey ever made such a noise before, and now sunrise was facing an enemy she's never dealt with.

she refuses to jump the gun yet, though, having better restraint nowadays. her eyes flicker when she can see up ahead the movement of something fluffy and feline, though her eyes squint and narrow to try and focus on it.

She registered the yearling’s proximity, though much of her focus remained on tracking the feline, hoping to get eyes on it before it realized the pair of she-wolves was stalking it. Soon they had some strange noises to guide them along with the strong scent, luring Masque and Sunrise ever nearer until golden eyes beheld the cat’s actual form in the middle distance.

Once more, Masquerade prompted her young companion to halt, then crouch alongside her. Warily, she assessed the situation from afar. The bobcat was still on its feet, which didn’t bode well for the wolves’ chances. Yet its movements were unnatural. It appeared to be in so much pain, it didn’t remotely react to their presence. From what she could gather, it was suffering from a bad infection, likely due to an injury of some sort, though she couldn’t figure out specifics at this range.

Slanting her snout to whisper against Sunrise’s ear, she kept her eyes on the feline even as she said, We need to keep observing for a while before we make a move. I know it’s difficult to be patient but hopefully we’ll be rewarded for it. She paused, then advised, Settle all the way onto your belly and relax your muscles. We’ll want to conserve energy if we decide to attack.

Feel free to narrate the bobcat too! :)