Redtail Rise cinereous

Truthfully, she expected Redd to remain reticent, so her reply earned a sharp intake of breath. Masquerade blinked, her heart starting to pound a little. Something was wrong, then, but Redd couldn’t—or wouldn’t—talk to her.

You don’t trust me? a voice in her head wanted to shout, though she bit her tongue. She was tired of letting her inner voices control her. She breathed in and out, swallowed against the inexplicably panicky feeling still clawing at her stomach.

You can, she refuted, speaking slowly. I’m sorry if I made you doubt that. But you can. I’m your sister. And your second. You can trust me with whatever it is, Redd.

Remembering that actions spoke louder than words, the Caru stepped over the limp rabbit and nuzzled encouragingly at her chin. Her mind flipped through the possibilities of what could be ailing Redd. Was it their mother? Was it her crown? Was it Riley?