Redsand Canyon it takes two

I’m skipping @Killdeer with permission. I think this may be my last, depending on reactions, but I think it’s cool to skip these two since theirs is a side convo and we don’t wanna hold up a joining thread!? :)

It soon dawned on Caracal that he had crashed a rather important rendezvous. He tried to catch Killdeer’s eye without being too conspicuous about it, then offered the three adults an apologetic wave of his good leg before tugging his nephew aside.

You staying here? he asked Killdeer once they were a little ways away. ‘Cause I gotta tell you something, man, Caracal continued, rubbing sheepishly at the back of his neck. I don’t think I’m ready to settle down, after all. But, he added quickly, if you’ll be here, I’ll drop by every now and again to visit you and mom. And, uh, Uncle Phox, bet. He glanced over at the three men again, but made sure to look his friend in his eye as he finished with, Being laid up really sucked and I just gotta stretch my legs a bit more. Sorry.

He hoped Killdeer wouldn’t be too upset with him, though Caracal understood if he wasn’t thrilled about this development. They had been two peas in a pod for such a long time and he knew they’d talked about finding someplace to crash together. He felt like he was betraying his best friend, especially because part of him was actually a bit keen on finding out what it was like traveling totally solo.