Redtail Rise She can ask for the truth but she'll never believe

The first words she actually caught were Ancelin’s. He sounded rather defensive, though he quickly changed his tune and offered to get the new kid some food. Masquerade craned forward, hoping to catch the stranger’s response. The way she spoke reminded Masque so much of Avicus, it caught her off guard. But she understood the answer: fish.

Without a word, the Toweard slunk away into the brush, headed toward the nearest cache. Would it contain fish? It wasn’t the most accessible food, especially in this terrain, but perhaps someone like Ashlar contributed such things. Her lips twitched faintly as she recalled the day he’d tried to teach her how to capture frogs.

She sniffed her way to a stockpile and quickly pawed through the layer of earth and leaves covering it. There was nothing but small game in there, all of it the furry kind. Masque’s brow furrowed, though she supposed beggars couldn’t be choosers. She selected the topmost carcass, a chubby squirrel, snatching it up in her teeth and turning to carry it back toward where the other youths were gathered.

This time, she popped right out of the underbrush. Masquerade glanced at each boy in turn, then stepped forward to place the squirrel at the smaller girl’s feet.