Emberwood hellbender

They nodded to acknowledge his words, filing everything he said in a proverbial cabinet in the back of their head. Masque sensed his excitement when he spotted something and stilled, their eyes following his every move as he approached a growth sprouting from the side of a tree. He reached up to grab a chunk, then urged the yearling to try some too.

The Ulfr took a few steps closer to study the mushroom. It looked like some overgrown flower with rigid petals. When they craned upward to sniff at it, it smelled very earthy, not floral at all. They glanced over at Phox happily munching his mouthful, then stretched up a bit to nibble off a tiny bite.

Rather than chew or swallow it, they dribbled it on the ground at their feet and looked up at Phox. He really seemed to be enjoying his snack, though Masque couldn’t say the same. It wasn’t the taste they found unsettling but the texture.

I don’t think this one’s for me, they admitted with a slightly sheepish grimace.

They were probably spoiled, though. They were part of a pack which thrived on hunting and fresh meat was always fairly readily available. That could always change, they supposed. Perhaps prey would grow scarce or the pack would grow beyond its means. There was always a chance that Masquerade wouldn’t always be part of the rise, though that seemed the least likely of all the possibilities.

How about some real food next? Masque quipped lightly, offering, You should let me hunt you some small game to repay you for all this knowledge.