Redtail Rise to science

Avicus left the children with a few final words, each a clipped command: “Fight. Train. Learn.” Masquerade slowly bobbed her head, not even aware of it, but ever aspiring to meet her mother’s high expectations.

Not so long ago, Masque had obliged Lilia’s request for food. She took pleasure in looking after the pack’s younger members and sharing her spoils. But her brother’s and sister’s intense stares and Redd’s warning growl in particular established a hierarchy among the youths. Masque would similarly aspire not to disappoint her sister, whose approval meant nearly as much as Avicus’s.

Masquerade turned and retreated after Redd, perfectly content to be the second to her sister’s first. She glanced over her shoulder to see if Relic might come too, Avicus’s three firstborns moving out of sight like a well-oiled machine.