Redhawk Caldera swamp-moss

"THE ANTS GO MARCHING ONE BY ONE!"
chickadee hopped from one stump to another.
"HURRAH HURRAH!"
the pup balanced. she stiffened her tail to keep her upright. and then she crouched, leaping again.
"THE ANTS GO MARCHING TWO BY TWO!"
which of course were not the complete lyrics, but who needed more than the number of ants and then a loud pair of
"HURRAH HURRAH!"

A week had gone by and nobody had turned up looking for Silktail. Meanwhile, she blended in rather effortlessly with the Blackthorns, despite being an entire month younger than Eljay’s and Maia’s brood. She already adored each of them, even that little thief who’d stolen her pinecone. That’s just what brothers did!

She was napping in a patch of sunshine when a loud shout woke the pup now known as Shenanigans. Stretching and yawning, she rose onto all fours and looked around, rubbing at her eyes as she tried to pinpoint the sound. It wasn’t long before she spotted Chickadee leaping among several stumps.

Frolicking over to the older girl, Shenanigans reared up on her current perch and did what she did best. Hurrah! Hurrah! she parroted, eyes shining and tail waving.

chickadee turned around, her mouth an 'o' of surprise. 
"she-h ... sheh ... nanny!" she opted, tail wagging furiously. "HURRAH HURRAH!"
she jumped to another rock.
"you wanna come, nanny?" the little blackthorn offered with a sweep of her paw. "i jumpin'. you jump too!"

All the various nicknames pleased her, shoving her birth name further into obscurity. She grinned at the girl’s exuberant invitation, head already nodding eagerly like a bobblehead doll’s.

Yass, Chicky-D! she exclaimed, trying to leap on top of the stump Chickadee had abandoned in favor of a nearby rock.

She didn’t quite manage, her armpits catching on the edge of it. Giggling, she scrabbled for purchase and tried to hoist herself the rest of the way. Grunting with the effort, Shenanigans couldn’t quite manage and eventually dropped back to the ground with a breathy laugh.

I dun’ jump good, she lamented, grinning.

"you just have to — hafta do it LOTS!" chickadee exulted, performing another little leap. this time she came down near nanny and nudged her friend with an encouraging look. "we try, umm, that one!" she pointed with a paw toward a shorter log, more of a stick.
chickadee scrambled over it easily. she looked back at shenanigans. "now you! we pacteese!" her tail waved happily.

Chickadee shouted words of encouragement, even hopped over to offer Shenanigans a supportive nudge. The young newcomer beamed at this, tail flicking hither and thither. She eagerly scrambled after the older Nestling.

Shenanigans watched as Chickadee bounded easily over the small log. It was much shorter than the stump and lacked a platform, though she barely registered these things as she sailed over it behind the older girl, bumping into her slightly and squealing at her success.

Her eyes eagerly flicked over the makeshift agility course, wondering what obstacle they could tackle next. Hopefully it would be something more challenging than the log but not quite as difficult as the stump.

shenanigans kept up pretty well. chickadee squealed too, whirling around to lick noisily at her friend's face. sister, really, as far as the kid was concerned. "hmmm." the tone was exaggerated, and she tapped her chin with one paw.
"look!" a little rise under the summer grass, topped with a small stone and a ring of white mushrooms.
"we try!" chickadee declared, charging forward. she prepared to leap the rock, but recoiled with a scream as a giant cicada buzzed directly off the warm surface toward her face.

When Chickadee kissed her face, Shenanigans made a noise that could only be called a purr. She closed her eyes, though they popped back open when instructed to, “Look!”

She let out a little yell as she followed Chickadee’s charge toward the fairy circle, bumping into the older girl again when she abruptly recoiled. When Chickadee let out a scream, Shenanigans did the same. Then she spotted the cicada.

Her shriek tapered off into a laugh as she sprang at the insect, trying to bat at it even as she assured her companion, It’s just a birby!

"birbies are not ugly!" chickadee shouted in answer, though a good deal of her fear had cleared. she simply did not want the thing close to her. was it a bird?
the cicada landed in the circle between them, buzzing pretty lace wings over a blue carapace. chickadee huffed. "maybe it not very ugly." but it was certainly loud. and big!
"does it have a beek?" chickadee stage-whispered.

She did a double take at Chickadee’s riposte, though before Shenanigans could think of what to say, the “birby” alighted in the grass. The younger girl went very still, eyes huge as she stared at the creature.

It didn’t have a beak, nor tailfeathers. Although it looked like no avian she had ever seen before, it did have wings, so Shenanigans still firmly believed it was a bird of some sort.

Hi, birby! she shouted, oblivious to her companion’s attempt to keep things sotto voce. Why you so weirt? she added, muzzle wrinkling in a good-natured laugh.

"yeah!" chickadee grumbled, moving to circle near shenanigans. she didn't want to be close at all.
with very wide eyes she watched as the cicada bumbled around.
and then it lifted off, swooping toward her again. the girl screamed and ran, blindly tearing away from her friend. bravery was not hers this day.

Although she was much smaller than Chickadee, Shenanigans stepped protectively between her sister figure and the strange creature they studied with wary fascination. Upon closer inspection, wasn’t this more of an bug than a bird?

Before Shenanigans had a chance to voice that thought, the whatever-it-was took to the air with a queer rattling noise. Whilst Chickadee ran screaming, the small Nestling acted on impulse, rearing onto her hind legs and swiping at the cicada.

It went careening off into the grass somewhere with a grating sound Shenanigans might’ve called a squeal. Instead of pursuing it, she looked around, seeing no sign of Chickadee. She faced forward, nibbling ponderously at her lip for a moment before spinning on a heel.

Hey, wait up, Chicky-D! I’ll protecc you! came her giggling, singsong cry as she disappeared in the direction the other girl had gone.