Redhawk Caldera Squirrel? Bird? Groundhog? Can I eat it all?

Alivia felt a tiny stab of guilt as Amalia described her experience with being left behind over and over. While others had disappeared from Alivia's life with frequency and regularity, she had also been the one to do the leaving a fair amount of the time. It had taken her and her mother a long time to find the right place to settle. And then Alivia left that place too. She was starting to think that there was no such thing as a forever home. 

Talking about hunting-- an activity she clearly loved-- was starting to get Amalia a little emotional. She hoped her pups would also find something they loved.

"Of course they will. We'll show them all sorts of things," Alivia promised. "It's a beautiful wish to have for them." There were so many parents out there that had a prescribed path all laid out for their children, so it was nice to hear that Amalia would be a different kind of parent. She wanted them to be happy. She wanted them to do what they loved. What more could a child ask for? 

Amalia was trying to explain herself, insisting that she wasn't always like this, but Alivia hadn't really seen anything that required explanation. Amalia was handling her situation pretty well, in her opinion. 

"Better to be strange than boring," Alivia insisted with a smile. She bumped Amalia's shoulder with hers. "Now eat up, Mama! You have a groundhog hunt to supervise." When Amalia indicated she was ready, Alivia would lead the pair of them over to the prairie.