Redsand Canyon Welcoming Committee

they were not far apart now – a foot at most. when donovan lunged in after them, they were ready, even if it stopped their reply before it was even half out of their mouth; they snapped their tail away as he lunged towards them, red dust pooling in the air.

his jaws shut on nothing; renard, turning after his tail in turn, also missed by inches, only succeeding in biting down on a mouthful of sand in his wake. shaking their head, they scraped their tongue against the flat of their front teeth and took off after him, deeper into the canyon.

above them, the sun was setting in earnest – the angles of the red-sand cliffs cast wide swaths of shadow across the sand and scrub brush, patches of darkness that renard stayed hidden beneath as they ran.