Redtail Rise Þief

Ashlar tried to reassure her, yet his soft words fell on deaf ears. All she could hear was the thunder of her own heartbeat as her wide eyes watched the hunters and hunted come closer. She remained rooted to the spot, motionless save for the fact that she was trembling from head to toe.

When the elk kicked at her mother, it was as if someone had sucked all the oxygen out of the air. Masque’s shuddering abruptly stopped and she sat up out of her crouch, her heart now in her throat as her concern for her mother eclipsed all else. Avicus was still on the move, relief bleeding through the shaken pup.

The adults brought their quarry to the ground without further incident, Augur dealing the killing blow. Masquerade watched none of it, eyes glued instead to Avicus standing on the slope above the rest. Without thinking, she scrambled toward her mother, moving in a rapid crouch with her tail tucked between her legs.