Redhawk Caldera bidibodi bidibu

“Butter paws?” he mouths incredulously, although there’s nothing but mischief in his eyes as he turns to peek over his shoulder. Bushtit notices Alivia shielding her eyes and barks a laugh. He carefully lowers his tail now that he feels a little steadier.

How cool would that be, he muses, his mind now full of butterflies, if we had wings? What would you pick: butterfly wings, bird wings or like… bat wings?

Even as he asks, he begins lining up his next move. It’s an easy one, which he makes after only a few seconds’ assessment. His feet slap on the next rock along the path, this one much larger and more exposed. Although its slanting sides give him a moment’s trouble—he primly gathers all four paws together around its little peak—at least it’s not slippery.

There’s a long breach between this and the next stone, which is another partially submerged one. Even if he doesn’t slip, Bushtit thinks he could easily break an ankle because of the height difference. He nibbles at his lip, then glances backward at Livi once again.

He means to tell her he thinks he’s just going to swim, but his body actually forces his hand before he can articulate. Just from the sheer force of turning his head, he throws off his own balance and begins to teeter. Soon enough, the young male goes tumbling into the water with a noisy splash and a perfectly cut scream.