Redhawk Caldera Catharsis

Sassafras was settling in nicely. She could often be found scouting out the hunting grounds within the Caldera’s reaches and making her own rounds of the extensive border and surrounding territories. While she still avoided the Rendezvous Site, which Fox had strictly placed off limits, she would leave her small kills near enough to be found by anyone who frequented the area. Despite offering most of her catches to the kids and Finley, Sassafras had gained back much of the weight she had previously lost during the famine. She hadn’t had much to lose in the first place.

The small, inky female had her eyes on a quietly rummaging rabbit on the grassy slopes when Shrike’s howl stole her attention away. She didn’t even notice when the bunny spooked and zipped off through the tall grass, because she was already on the move to the borders from where he called. The broken sound sent a small, but distinctly ominous shiver down her prickly spine, and she wasted no time in her approach.

When the latest Redhawk subordinate arrived, she found that the commanding alpha male was already on the scene. Her eyes went from Shrike to the corpse he had presumably dragged home just as she caught Peregrine’s last few words, then back to Shrike where they warily scrutinized his state. "Wait…" she cautioned softly. As an outsider to the events that had befallen the family, Sassafras had a clearer mind about her even though it raced in that moment. Something wasn’t right.