Snowforest Taiga once was a postcard

Something like disdain flashed across the yearling’s face. Masque stiffened, a sudden exhaustion sweeping through her in tune with a louder peal of thunder. She truly wanted to remain on good terms with Sapphique, though she wanted to escape the tension that kept creeping into these recent encounters.

Sobeille posed another pointed question and Masque only replied, Yes, her brevity due more to the sudden fluttering in her midsection than her fatigue.

The Redtail started, wariness replacing weariness as she looked around sharply. What had just happened? She glanced skyward as lightning forked across the northwestern horizon. At the same time, she felt another, stronger palpitation somewhere in the core of her.

It was the puppies, she realized. They were moving. She could feel them. And it was strange. Masquerade stared owlishly into the middle distance, awkwardly widening her stance and forgetting Sobeille was even there as she experienced the first quickening.