Redtail Rise This Time, Baby, I’ll Be Bulletproof

Perhaps Riley was her reward for all her hard work and loyalty. Masquerade took a moment to ponder that as she preened at the impossibly soft furs lining his ruff. There was something calming about feeling the individual strands running through her teeth. It tempered her thudding heartbeat.

The reason I brought up dispersing wasn’t to make myself look better or more loyal than the rest, she said after a moment, it was actually to point out that we’ve always welcomed them home without qualm. So if I do the same, I should be able to expect the same. Right?

Would it work like that, in reality? She couldn’t be certain, of course. But after a couple deep breaths, the Caru was finally ready to voice the idea buried deep inside of her, knocking at her ribs.

It’s my turn to take leave. There, it was out there in the world. I think it would be good for me to get away from the rise for a little while, see what else is out there. Despite everything I’ve said, I don’t plan to just abandon my home and run off to start my own pack, just like that. But I need to break out of this holding pattern. Before I make any big, irreversible decisions, I want to take a little time—and distance—to figure things out.

Masque didn’t know if that made perfect sense, though she hoped Riley understood. She hoped he also knew that when she said “my,” she meant “our,” that really it was “we,” and not just “I.” But, of course, she’d always been an articulate wolf, so it stood to be verbalized.

I want you to come with me, of course, she told him with a nuzzle. I want you with me every step of the way. You and I can run off together for a little while, or perhaps a long while, have a littley ‘hunty-moon’… Masque said, huffing a laugh as she nibbled at his jaw.