The Heartwood But now it's like the night is taking sides

The sound of footfalls stopped abruptly, though a new burst of noise disturbed the night air. Meerkat picked up the pace, effectively distracted from her inexplicable emotional state as she soon arrived upon the strangest seen she'd likely ever beheld. Bronco stood at the foot of a tree, a large stick—more of a branch, honestly—clenched in his jaw. He swung it at the trunk as if attempting to sweep it. It took her a beat to notice the fox on one of the lower boughs, her entire countenance brightening as she sorted out what was happening.

"What do I do?" she questioned, bounding up beside her brother, brown eyes roving over the large limb he held before flicking to the fox overhead. It was scrabbling rather frantically for purchase, its haunches coiling tellingly all of a sudden. "Shoot, Bronco!" Meerkat shouted, "I think he's gonna jump!"