Dragoncrest Cliffs RAGE FROM A QUEEN

at midnight’s unruly hour, miette rose.

she stole past each familiar shape, her footfall soft with stealthy practice. the den was a crescendo of steady snores; every figure in their blissful place, immersed in dream’s dimension where miette could not reach.

which suited miette fine — her design tonight took her to where she had seen @Tousaint and his treasure last. she had yet to learn he’d stashed it in the burl, but she’d seen him return later empty handed, and drew her own conclusion on what errand the boy had sped towards.

he did not trust her — a wise move, as miette had every intention of thieving the foxfur and making it her own.

*snatches Miette thread* <3

Astera stirred from her seaflower den. She shook the sleep off her, stretching her legs for a midnight walk. Taking a last glance at Ravin, who slept soundly inside, she set off, towards the shallow sand stream not far from her den. A flash caught her eye. She recognized it as Miette. Astera had not will to stop her from her adventure, but she stayed a distance away, stealthily following. She wanted to be near, in case the mischievous pup got herself into trouble. Her paw found a brittle stick, which snapped under the pressure. Cover blown!

miette was not far from the den when the snap of a twig underfoot caused her to freeze. she turned slowly, dinnerplate eyes wide as they drank in the dark.

she saw a silhouette in the gloom; her fur stood on end as she raised her head up and down, trying to get a better view — was it tousiant? a boogeyman? a loa? her little nose twitched as it worked through the many nighttime scents of dew and mold.

thinking her cover blown, miette hunched close to the ground.

Astera saw the small pup duck into the undergrowth. She had never been out this late. Her pair of violet eyes glowed in the darkness. She called softly, not wanting to frighten Miette. Sobeille? It was the earliest hours of the morning, and with the changing seasons, the dawn was at its furthest. She edged towards her sister, keeping her eyes pricked for any other movements.

oh! it was just astera. miette’s rippling fur softened as she scampered close with a hissed boo! with astera here, their chances of success were even better.

she pulled close to astera with a darkling gleam in her eye, her voice a hushed whisper as the sounds of night rushed around them. shhhh! i be plannin’ sumpin’. you want in? i share spoils wit you. say yes, please?

Astera faked surprise as the pup attempted to startle her. She lowered her voice to match Miette's hushed whisper. Yeah. Tell me what ya planning. The pleading look on Sobeille's face was all she needed to oblige. Astera motioned for Miette to lead the way.

a HEIST! miette whisper-exclaimed, eyes bright with mischief. she leaned close to astera’s snowbound pelt, voice gravelly and low so no adults could hear their voices.

toosawn ‘as a pritty ding i wan’. ‘e be hidin’ it, but you an’ me, we can fin’ it. conspiracy gleamed in her hopeful features. dis way. she bustled past, confident that between the two of them they would find the present tousaint had painstakingly hidden.

A heist? Stealing? From a sibling? Astera was on the fence. She didn't want to encourage bad habits, but she remembered all the times that she had snatched toys from Ravin, only to return them shortly. Surely this was only a bit of fun. Yea! I'll help you find it. She followed Miette like an assistant on the job.

miette straddled no such fence. her eyes glinted in the moonlight; all the possibilities come to life in her vivid imagination.

yah!! miette hush-crowed into astera's ruff, whirling to toddle off the the spot she'd seen @Tousaint with the foxfur last.

his scent trailed around the damp ground; a fistful of red tufts gleamed silver in the moonbeams, caught on a raised sprig of bramble. miette sniffed and snuffed at the trunk's base. where was it?!

Tousaint can be skipped for a while!

A cricket crept along the boy's side, causing him to shift and twitch in his sleep. He huffed little sleep-barks as it tickled his ribs, but being a deep sleeper, he wasn't roused. Not until it chose to venture to the summit of his nose, of course. At that point, it made a crucial error with one of its six hairy legs, and with an explosive series of sneezes, the boy was hauled out of slumberland and into the waking nightmare of finding a cricket covered in his own spittle and snot. 

Dreary and disgusted, he rubbed at his nose, gagging lightly at the amount of drool that had been quietly dripping down the side of his face in his sleep. He looked about to see if anyone else had caught him in this offensive state- but it seemed his sneezes had awakened none but himself. All tired from another long, warm day. 

All, that is, save for Ms. Disobey. 

She wasn't there. Normally, he might have just assumed that she'd awakened and had gone out for a pee. He also suspected perhaps that she had brought the cricket in, but the absence of her giggles led him to believe she'd not been the culprit here. He waited for some time to see if she would wander back- but when fifteen minutes had passed and there was no sign of her, he began to get suspicious. 

He carefully pulled himself away from the warmth of the others, figuring if he went out to relieve his bladder, maybe he'd catch sight of her and still have an excuse for wandering around so late. 

When he was finished, he still remained rooted to the communal area, fixing the fur that had become ruffled while he'd slept. He got rid of the smears of drool, and plastered the unruly fur at the top of his head back down to his scalp where it belonged. All the while, there was still no sign of Sobeille. He murmured to himself, cursing her for wandering off; no doubt, she'd be getting into trouble somewhere. There was a possibility she'd gone swimming, and that she might be in danger- but he convinced himself that whatever fate had in store for her was every bit as much as she'd come to deserve. 

Minutes passed. His resolve began to falter. 

Perhaps she'd gone down to the beach- what if she had decided to go swimming alone? What if the bear from his nightmares had come back, and had whisked her away for a snack? He felt he should ask maman... but when he remembered his treasured toy, he recalled the clever gleam in his sister's beady gaze, the way her pupils had blown...

With horror, his mouth fell open. 

Without another word, he began to shuffle his way quietly but hurriedly toward the woodlands, hoping his treasured foxbrush was still where he'd left it.

Tousaint had been clever. But not clever enough.

The pair of crooks investigated the wooden bank. The treasure was sure to be here somewhere, hidden behind a vault of brambles. While the smallest sniffed around the base, her pale sidekick pushed through the safe, evidence, tufts of fur, snagged on the thorns. She reached the prize. A coveted fox tail. Reaching down to hand the loot to the other thief, she paused. A night breeze carried a scent. Security! Sirens wailed in the dark.

You smell that, Sobeille?

where was it?! miette’s sniffs grew more insistent. she trawled the base of the gnarled trunk while astera scoured above.

did she smell it? miette’s eyes crossed as she inhaled a deep draught of of damp midnight air. she focused on astera with a pout. i don’ smell anyfink.

Astera understood that Miette's nose might not be as sharp as hers, and was patient. Gripping the fox tail tighter in her mouth, she sniffed the air again. The scent was getting closer. She spoke between the pelt in her mouth. Thusianth. Smelth carthfully!

Wide-eyed, he saw them. 

One pale, one dark; eyes bright and twinkling, like devilish little stars up in the dark pitch of sky above. And hanging limp, like a freshly killed stoat, was his precious foxtail, thieved by the two meddling girls. His eyes welled with hot, angry tears and as he came to a halt, staring at the both of them with pure rage, he couldn't help but feel a deep betrayal cutting through his heart with a keen, hot edge. 

Hie eyes went from one little thief to the other, landing decidedly on Miette as he bared his teeth.

"I," He inhaled "HATE YOU!!!" He screamed, his fur flown up along his spine. A tear fell down his cheek. "You ruin everyt'ing! an' I HATE YOU!" He screeched. He wheeled, and fled off into the dark. Her deliberate actions read loud and clear- she wanted to destroy the things he loved. 

Well, she wouldn't be alone in that. 

He would find time, some day- for vengeance.

the pair hunkered before the bough, their voices a whisper through the nightrealm.

footsteps of another sounded in the dark. miette’s head whipped around to see the iron-hot stare of her brother.

his incensed voice raised above the conifers. miette’s blood chilled, a thief’s terror striking her heart as he delivered words so potent they nearly incinerated her soul on the spot.

he hated her? miette’s lower lip quivered. suddenly she didn’t want the tail anymore. suddenly, she didn’t even want to be here at all. DAT IS MEAN, TOOSAWN!! she screamed after him, fists balled and little frame shaking.

no sooner did her voice holler down the copse did she turn too, abandoning astera and abandoning their quest as she fled into the tall sequoias with sobs trailing behind her.

Everything went down so quickly. Tousaint burst into view, crying. He hated Miette? Or her? Maybe both. I am sorry Tousaint... She whispered as he fled. It was no use, he had already disappeared into the night. Astera turned to Miette. The foxfur lay discarded, ripped by the thorns. Sobeille.... The pale girl didn't know what to say.

A sad tear dripped down her face as her little sibling fled into the trees, sobbing. It was all her fault. She thought it was all a game. Waiting a second, she trailed after Miette, calling her name.