Redtail Rise diddling

I rolled failure!

Silence stretched between them then. Avicus led. Aventus followed. This felt right, too, as if it should have always been this way, and with his pride buried in Bearclaw Valley, Aventus could admit even to himself that his self-proclaimed right to stand ahead of his sibling was only his ego, in the end. She had always been the better Melonii, and he had always been something of a fraud.

The scent is familiar in his nose, but he couldn't place it beyond hooves and antlers until Avicus put a name to it. He felt a flicker of doubt when she did. Elk were colossal creatures, dangerous, capable. They were nowhere near as flighty as their smaller deer cousins. One or both of them could die if they went after an elk without aid.

But their family was nothing if not bold. Thrill seeking was in their blood. After a beat, Aventus nodded once. In and out, he murmured. If they could not seize an advantage quickly, they could not risk it further. They both had responsibilities outside themselves.