Redhawk Caldera In Xanadu did Kubla Khan a stately pleasure dome decree

Fennec hadn't told @Killdeer about Bronco. It hadn't been hard to hide; his paranoia had made it so their scents barely mingled, and by the time she returned to the Caldera (late that evening, later than usual) any trace had faded entirely. She could almost convince herself that it hadn't happened.

She would rather he be a surprise than a disappointment. She couldn't shake her pessimism and couldn't bring herself to have to risk explaining why his father hadn't chosen him, in the end, after all. It was better if he just didn't ever know.

Fennec knew she'd given him an ultimatum and wondered if Bronco would resent her for that. Probably. Whatever they might have had once was likely gone now, any chance at a good thing vanished with the way she'd responded to him. She didn't regret it. She hadn't said anything she didn't mean, and the threat hadn't been an empty one. Every word of it was true. She simultaneously hoped for and dreaded his arrival.

The call was off but she still heard his voice somewhere in it. Who else could it be? Fennec's chest hitched even as her stomach turned anxiously, but she didn't hesitate as she turned and picked up the haunch she'd left, waiting, and began to walk towards the summons. She'd spent the prior day combing the area and her ravens had brought her to where an elderly elk had perished in the heat. It was stringier than she had hoped but it was fresh... she hoped he wouldn't mind.

She wouldn't outright call it a peace offering, but maybe a part of her hoped it would help.

As she approached, her ears pricked first right, then left.... seeking any sign of where he waited. She gripped the bone harder, teeth digging in, trying to calm her nerves.