Redtail Rise cinereous

Running felt freeing.  The last time she had felt this alone and unmoored, she had been in the darkness, but there she had not been able to run.  When she ran she no longer felt the walls of stone pressing in, the panic in her chest as their weight seemed to smother her.  All she needed to focus on was the ground beneath her paws and the wind that occasionally pushed at her with icy intensity.

She didn’t want to slow down, but she did, backing her pace off even more when two short barks sounded behind her.  She turned to see Masquerade coming towards her, and the easy joy that she used to feel in her presence was muted.  Her sister had been her only confidant within the Rise, but now she was her only competitor.  Redd could not share these things that she felt.

She met Masque with a smile and a friendly wave of her tail, ignoring the walls that were suddenly back.  The Caru had brought food… Redd nosed at it, inspecting it appreciatively, but stepped back with an apologetic glance.  She had no appetite for it right now.