Redtail Rise Legends Are Made

Masque spent the early hours of the day hunting with @Riley, leaving him to cache their spoils as they peeled away to find their mother. Their long tail twitched as they plodded through the forests along the southwestern stretch of the rise, sniffing the air every so often for any trace of Avicus’s scent.

But she was hardly the only one who could teach them the art of leadership. Masquerade could learn from everyone in the pack, from the smallest Toweard to the masterful Ulfhedinn. They thought of Augur’s prowess at the recent hunt, then his prior excitement at their shift in vocation. What would he think of their latest aspirations?

Just as they considered looking for him instead, Masque saw a familiar patchwork figure walking near the borders in the middle distance. They hesitated briefly, then began walking toward @Ancelin, their posture ambivalent and a soft smile on their face.

Hey, they greeted, wagging their tail as they thought aloud with a light laugh, a lot’s changed since our last talk. I guess we’re due for another. How are you, Ancelin?

there was an ironic cycle happening with ancelin.
he'd stood at the fringes of redtail until lilia. when aventus and arielle had gone, when his mom had left a second time, ancelin had been ready to fade off in whatever direction seemed best. even his blood-ties in the rise had not comforted him.
and then after lilia, it was not until she took his name and they made their future decision to leave that he had actually begun investing himself in the packland, showing up more for the kids, not just as a food-provider but as a mentor.
and quietly, ancelin found a part of him that didn't want to leave, that wanted to stay and raise kids alongside —
"masque," he greeted, bumping his shoulder to theirs. "hey. yeah, there have been some changes, for sure," he offered with a wry grin, happy for his cousin's company. 
the largest part of ancelin was set upon forging a new life for he and lilia, together.
the smallest part wondered if masque would ask him to stay. "i've been doing border stuff with mulherin, hunted with one of augur's kids too. it's nice watching them grow up, you know?" but of course they did.

They grinned as their shoulders brushed, glad for the easygoing companionship between them. If they thought of Atreus, it was only a brief fluttering in the back of their mind. Even with Avicus back among them, Masque told themself he must’ve been involved in her disappearance somehow. Their mother’s lack of testimony on the matter neither refuted nor upheld this theory.

All thoughts of that brushed aside, they focused on the conversation at hand. Of course the pups were a mutual touch point, particularly the pleasure in rearing them. The former and future Caru could only nod and wave their tail, silently gratified by the mention of Mulherin’s name in particular.

Raising children is difficult but rewarding, they agreed. Have you and Lilia talked about having some of your own? Masque asked lightly, recalling his previous, “We’ll see,” on the topic of pups.

With Avicus planning to step up again soon, she very likely meant to breed again in the spring. That meant there could possibly be three litters born to the rise, if nothing else changed before then. Masque would be happy to support all of them, though they sipped in an uneasy breath, wondering if the competition of it all might destabilize the rise again.

he wanted to tell them. he truly did.
hey masque, after all that shit with the leadership where i didn't support you, we're gonna take off anyway.
ancelin almost blinked at the depth of that introspection. "we did," he said with a grin that was somehow a tiny bit reserved. 
would lilia hate it if he told masque? was this plan just for them? augur wouldn't have said anything, quite literally. or would it be communicated somehow? shouldn't he just say it, say the words sitting on his tongue, establish he and his mate again in this profound, outward way?
but the weeks of tension were an eating reminder of what could happen. say everyone was shitty at them then? would be a fucked up winter to try and get through.
ultimately, ancelin feared avicus knowing he meant to leave. feared her scorn, her rage. her hurt. feared that she would feel he was disloyal and deceptive.
and that sensation tied his tongue.
"i kinda want a whole bunch," ancelin said, rolling his shoulders till they felt loose again. "it'll be nice to see them hunting, fighting. growing up." without any of that bullshit. "not — well, you know my dad left. so i guess i'll figure that part out." wow, that felt uncomfortable. he coolly and calmly and not at all abruptly changed the subject.
"is it weird i'm worried about the winter?" not for bearclaw or the sake of spring, but the winter itself, bugging him as the temperature dropped.

Although his enthusiastic response brought a smile to Masque’s lips, they couldn’t say they hoped for the same. Several smaller litters might be manageable but suppose Avicus, New Snow and Lilia brought forth four pups each? The former and future Caru felt anxiety tightening in their belly as they realized this was quite likely a quandary the rise might face coming springtime.

If it is, it’s probably even weirder that I’m already worried about spring, the yearling replied with a light huff of laughter. They would elaborate if he wished, though Masquerade did not seek to steal the spotlight. What are you worried about? And what’s this about your dad? they queried gently.

Their golden eyes drifted over his face, a knit in their brow. It wasn’t just there because of Ancelin’s comment but because something else had just occurred to them. If Avicus intended to resume her queenship, then it was entirely possible—no, probable, Masque realized—that she would prohibit additional litters to reestablish herself properly.

They swallowed, trying to give Ancelin the focused attention he deserved, even as a voice in the back of their mind began to whisper.

"oh, you know," and a long yawn of anxiety parted ancelin's jaws a moment. "mine left. prophet left. hell, even ashlar left. only dad type around is augur. i'll have to learn all that from him," ancelin declared, unwittingly revealing more about his insecurities even as he tried to downplay them.
"just kinda feels like winter might be bad," ancelin said, glancing at masquerade and then the skyline. he didn't elaborate despite the fact that 'bad' could mean anything — because he didn't know what he meant. "what are you worried about? having your hands full again?" he smirked, brushing against their line of thought before deviating, "just stay a hunter forever."

They didn’t know for certain, though they patiently waited for Ancelin to elaborate. Masque frowned at the list of names. The mention of Ashlar’s made them think about Mulherin’s paternity questions not so long ago. Perhaps it was for the best that they’d never bothered recognizing a father figure of any kind. There was only Avicus.

Masquerade huffed a laugh at his bantering advice, which made them think to say, Caru is my truest calling though. I’m neither a mom nor a dad but, for what it’s worth, I’d help out and support you however I could.

They exhaled through their nose, thoughts bouncing around for a moment as that voice whispered even louder. Inevitably they thought about the ridge. Masque’s eyes even drifted that direction, their teeth snagging the inside of their cheek momentarily.

Returning their gaze to Ancelin, they said, Have you and Lilia ever thought about spinning off, like starting your own pack? A sister pack to the rise.

"nah, lilia is pretty set where she is. she worked for it, you know. way more than i ever did. this is home."
for now.
he guarded his spring-plans even closer, wondering if there was a such thing as a cousin's six sense for sniffing out bullshit in their relatives. a stand, a swing of his tail.
"i appreciate it, masque. maybe i'll be a dad next year. maybe not."
somehow continuing to talk about it stressed him out; ancelin fell into a playbow and slapped his paws against the ground. "race me till we run into someone. literally," he added, eyes alight with his grinning face.

Of course, Masquerade understood perfectly when he dismissed the idea out of hand. They wondered what he would think if they revealed their tentative visions for their own future. Would Ancelin consider it disloyal? Perhaps Masque could try him first, gauge his reaction, then consider bringing it up to Avicus…

But their cousin quickly dismissed the topic and incited a race. The yearling’s lips parted, wishing to continue the conversation. But if Ancelin wasn’t interested, they supposed they could table the rest of their thoughts for later. Maybe they could pick it up after they ran off some energy.

If you say so, they laughed, their own tail lashing as they deliberately (and literally) bumped into him, then sprang away.