Emberwood Birds of a feather flocked together

For @Dusty Rose <3

Carnelian and Peridot, always together and never far apart, tried to occupy their minds by chasing the little prey animals that made Emberwood their home. They also spent some time roaming the area in exploration while taking intermediate breaks to play tag and wrestle.

It didn’t really need to be said that they also stole some moments to grieve, to miss their adoptive mother something fierce. Both had spoken about how they felt regarding her and how much they hope that they’ll get the chance to express their sentiments. Some would think it silly, as they were well over a year old, and of the two, Carnelian was surely old enough in mind to not need a mother figure, but it didn’t stop the feeling that there was something missing in his life.

But, he tried to remain strong, if only for Dottie. He brought her to a little area where flowers grew in abundance and a family of rabbits made their home. “Dottie, look!” He whispered in her ear as they were both crouched and still, noticing that she wasn’t trembling, at least not at the usual frequency she would be in public. Luckily, it was just the two of them and she felt safe this way. Her little smile and gentle wag of her tail indicated such and he wanted to keep that going as much as possible.

The coywolf hadn't been much in the mood for company, lately. These new trees distressed him after all the trouble he'd gone to learning the willows. He wanted to be back out on the open plains, but he figured Reverie didn't need to be push right then. He could deal.

Much of his social need was filled with singing in the night. His voice was loud, so he did it far from Swiftcurrent's borders. Coyotes sang back to him, and he thought of home.

He thought about his brother. Slow West. Dusty Rose had been there when the man met his bride. He'd done his best, but he hadn't been able to steal her out from under the usually more docile male. So Slow West got to keep Shady Bird, and Dusty Rose got listen to them sing to one another all through the rainy season. There'd been a lot of singing, that year. That had been the year Dusty Rose decided it was time to strike out on his own.

He wondered how different his life would be if he'd stayed. Would he be singing to a little coyote wife? Teaching the screamsongs to a mess of kids? Or would the same wounds that stopped him now have stopped him in any universe?

Impossible to know. Instead, Dusty Rose put his mind toward something constructive. Something like hunting, albeit a very special brand. Unaware of the two siblings that watched, the coywolf sprang from the shadows and sprinted hard to snatch up a rabbit in his jaws.

Softly. It was still kicking in his jaws. He gave it a firm shake — just enough to jar it, to startle it into a moment of compliance. Then he shifted it in his jaws and bit down just a little harder. He tasted blood, but he could still feel the rabbit's frantic heartbeat on his tongue. The sensation made his jaws squeeze again, but the rabbit remained intact.

Relatively speaking.

Dusty Rose was pleased with himself. Not only was he getting very good at not immediately killing things that found their way into his sharp jaws — he now also had a new toy for the kids to practice their hunting on. His tail wheeled in pleasure, and he was able to forget, for a moment, all the strange thoughts that had been plaguing him.

One second the rabbits were peacefully existing, the next they were scattered save for the unfortunate animal between the coywolf’s jaws. Carnelian had wanted his sister to watch the babies for a minute, to give her a moment to enjoy the cuteness. He feared the sudden intrusion would cause his sister to retreat into herself once more, but he was thoroughly surprised to hear the squeak of laughter beside him.

He regarded her for a moment before greeting Dusty Rose, his manners not forgotten. She had risen from where they had hidden themselves amongst the flowers to give the coywolf a play bow, her own tail wheeling behind her, petals sprinkled on her coat and in the air around her. He flinched in even more surprise as she gave their pack-mate an impatient bark, her mute plea to play.

The boy laughed, then, any tension he had felt initially melting away as he watched the scene unfold, grateful that someone beyond himself, Reina, and their familial ties that allowed his sister to feel more at ease. Gem-colored eyes found the coywolf again. “Hey, nice catch—you’re pretty quick!” Finding himself back on his feet, tail wagging gently behind him, he saddled up next to his sister as she bounded side to side, her excitement to play severely evident. The boy couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up before he decided to join in, gently bumping into his sister before giving Dusty Rose his own bow as invitation.

The coywolf performed a spinning jump to face the sound of laughter, and then wheeled back several steps when the two siblings burst from the brush. He flashed his teeth at the girl, but of course, fluffy rabbit fur concealed this from view. His gaze swung between the two of them, and he regarded the pair, stiff-legged and narrow-eyed.

Wagging tails made his own spin against his hocks in confused agreement — yes, we are all friends, here. But at the same time, the demanding body language caused Dusty Rose to bristle. They wanted to play with his toy. Not that he'd meant to keep it in the first place, but he certainly hadn't meant it for them.

He took another nervous step back, shifting the rabbit in his jaws. It started to kick again, jarring him into action. He chomped down, accidentally killing it, and y'know? Maybe he wasn't ready to go play with the kids, anyway.

The coywolf tossed the rabbit high in the air between them and stood still for half a second to watch it arc skyward. Then he rushed forward, aiming to be the one to catch it. A familiar game from his own childhood — but did the siblings play keep-away?

The rabbit was quite fluffy, and honestly, very distracting with its kicking that Carnelian had not noticed the flashing of teeth behind its fur. Neither had Dottie, for that matter. She had gathered herself as if to spring forward, but Carnelian threw out his paw to stop her, noticing the slight movement of uncertainty in the man. It had been too late, though, and the girl pushed off, racing forward at the same time the coywolf sent the—now dead—rabbit skyward above them. 

Was this a distraction to hurt us? Or, was this just a game? What is going on? He appeared to want to play, didn’t he? Then, he pulled back, so what is this?

Time slowed as Carnelian trailed its path to the skies, and before he could even react, the coywolf had charged.

“Hey, wait a minute, Dottie!” His call was no use. The girl continued laughing, completely oblivious to any social cues the coywolf had given them. His eyes widened in sudden fear for his sister as he watched her lift off, jaws open and reaching for the rabbit as it made its decent. 

She missed and returned to earth, her jump not quite as powerful as she had intended. A tiny aw, shoot!, barely audible, left the girls lips as she pouted, disappointment written on her face. Carnelian trotted to her side, not quite defensively but ready for anything.

Unbeknownst to all parties involved, Dusty Rose and Carnelian were thinking along the same lines. He was sure this was a trick of some sort. A game, rather. The siblings wanted his toy, or wanted to use him as a toy, one. He was a match for either of them on a good day, but two on one? He wasn't so sure about that.

The coywolf's tail wheeled in desperately friendly appeasement while he thought fast about what to do. The girl was rowdier than her brother, lunging in ways that made Dusty Rose want to smile with all his teeth.

When she rushed for the rabbit, he made his decision. The coywolf spun on the spot and darted away, putting distance between himself and the siblings. When he was a long ways off, he turned to watch them with an unreadable look in his aphotic gaze. Then he disappeared, slipping into the tall grasses to fight another day.

thanks for the thread <3

Carnelian hadn’t realized he had stopped breathing until his breath whooshed from him in a huff to follow the retreating form of Dusty Rose. The interaction had been odd, both parties not sure of the other, though at least one third was more than willing to make nice and have some fun.

He would have, too, had Dusty Rose followed suit and played. But, it couldn’t be helped, now. He was gone.

Maybe, someday.

Eyes found their mirrored twins as the siblings looked at each other, the young mouse looking dejected. They had been in such a good mood despite the situations at hand—now, they both felt a little rejected. They were just kids, after all.