Redtail Rise the oval portrait

idleness didn't suit Avicus. it never had. it wasn't enough that she had four boisterous pups to look after, nor that Ashlar and his proteges were tending to her injury.

she had everything she could ever want—and yet, still she wanted.

today, the red woman decides enough is enough. this spring marked the start of her fourth year of life; she's grown from impetuous child to (slightly less impetuous) leader.

she rises from her spot beneath the evergreen boughs at the rendezvous and shakes out her ruddy coat, wincing slightly at the stiffness of her joints, particularly the leg she'd been nursing for a moon.

movement, kinesis; a purpose.

slowly, she begins to prowl the perimeter, watching her children play at a short distance, ears swiveling to catch other scents and sounds on the wind,

and then tips her muzzle back and howls, announcing to the Rise that Wealda is back in action.