Shadewood Bluer than a butterfly

ts’okhun had been running on air, paws barely brushing the dirt, a crooked streak of fur and laughter zigzagging through the green. c’ede’s paws thudded somewhere behind him—too big, too noisy—his brother always too loud to catch him. he liked being chased. liked the rush in his chest, the snap of breath in his nose, how the grass bent out of his way like it knew who was fastest.
he didn’t see yakona until her tiny teeth grazed his paw mid-leap—ACK!—and he twisted midair, crashed sideways with a grunt, but already he was laughing, squirming, trying to crawl under her belly, under the grass, anywhere to escape the avalanche of cetseni barreling in from the side.
no—NO! he yapped, tail wagging like a flag.
he was swallowed into the tumble, limbs everywhere, bodies wriggling, jaws nipping with no aim but joy. ts’okhun squealed as cetseni grabbed something—his tail?!?—and kicked at the ground, rolling with all the might of a mighty (tiny) warrior.
you nev’r cat' me 'gain! he declared, voice muffled by a mouthful of grass.