Phoenix Maplewood and way down we go

throws gas on the fire

he was close enough to the maplewood that he'd heard dawn's call, and the sound of it made his ears swivel in some alarm, his paws carrying him into the trees. then voices, most of them unfamiliar, and he broke into a fast trot, not bothering to conceal the sound of his body crashing through the underbrush. aditya burst onto the scene, a few tail-lengths away from dawn, hackles rising immediately in instinct while he struggled to keep his face calm.

"who are you?" he asked the pale trio, then swung his head to look at dawn, though fixing his gaze near the tip of her left ear (still totally unable to meet her eyes, fully). "what's going on?" the scent of milk was in the air, and he rose slightly on his toes, looking for the young that surely were nearby.

what was this? a stray family, camped out in the maplewood? in normal circumstances, he wouldn't have begrudged them the forest; they had the plains, after all, and their territory was vast. but with eight mouths to feed and not enough hunters to do it, they needed the trees to themselves; they were faster, more nimble than deer under cover, able to slink through the woods more easily.