Redtail Rise sonata

She had not yet made the connection between the constant, sonorous droning and the little exoskeletons that appeared in the grass or even on the trunk of her favored tree every morning. Masquerade did rather quickly discover they were very brittle. She enjoyed crushing the first few she found, then changed her mind and began handling them with more care. Over several days, she collected a proper legion, which she gently lined up near the base of the pine.

The pup was admiring her handiwork this morning when a familiar figure appeared at the rendezvous site. Unaware that he was looking for her, Masquerade reflexively shrank into the shadows underneath the pine. She watched him for a moment, letting out a breath when she realized it was only Ashlar. Despite his familiarity, she enjoyed spying on him for a moment or two before revealing herself by silently stepping out from beneath the pine’s lowest boughs.