Ocean's Breath Plateau in the distance, warriors pour from their tombs

She fell silent, ears drawing back and cheeks heating a little as she acknowledged the absolute word salad that had just come out of her mouth. Hopefully Chakliux understood the gist of it. Her teeth clenched and she swallowed, listening carefully to his rejoinder.

Masquerade looked up sharply when he used the word “wife” and plural besides. Her lips parted but she said nothing, looking down again as she continued listening. She’d never really heard of trading, though it was pretty self-explanatory. He called the pack a village. She mused over these terms and the talk of so many litters.

His call for leadership scattered her thoughts momentarily, though he redirected them toward his latest questions. His comment about the forest’s name made her wonder if she and Riley could come up with a better name for themselves. She wasn’t necessarily keen to put the Redtail stamp on it, though something that indicated the legacy they hoped to grow…

Not long. Our claim is very new and not very formal yet, Masque admitted with a slight frown. We hope to welcome a litter of our own soon, though I hope we can recruit another adult or two as well, she added, then realized she was prattling a little again and halted her tongue.