Firestone Hot Springs epigram for wall street

backdated to 1/3 or so

while they waited, Avicus prowled.

until today.

she'd woke today with a tickle in her throat, and as she moved among the hot springs, that tickle had grown into some kind of monster.

a heaviness in her chest, like gravel. she coughs, sucking in the warm steam as she passes small pools, breathing deep despite the sulfur turning her stomach.

every fourth or fifth step is a cough, and she wonders—

what kind of sick fate would resign her to sickness upon the edge of war?

First Masquerade and now Wealda.

They were in strange lands and facing dangerous enemies.  When Redd saw her mother part from the rest, she split from Masquerade's side and shadowed her across the terrain.  She did not hide her presence, but also did not approach to speak.  If she was sent back she would obey, but strength lay in numbers.

Even among the clouds of steam she continues to follow, slipping silently amongst the pools of water.  Her ears twitch at the sound of coughing but otherwise she doesn't react.  Like Masquerade, Wealda is strong, and Redd can't imagine illness being more than a temporary nuisance to be endured.

sick as she is, she isn't yet deaf. pawsteps behind her bring her ears swiveling, casting backward to catch the sound of an approaching wolf.

not deaf, but her sense of smell is dulled.

she turns quickly to see Redd among the steam, slipping among the pools, her tan and red pelt cutting a striking appearance against the drab landscape of winter.

Avicus licks her lips briefly and gives a brusque nod to her daughter.

we needh'a hunhh', she says, and the words are ugly and snarled in the thickness of her throat. she coughs, and grits her teeth. warm here. prey aroundh'. maybe unner'groundh.

she thinks small creatures must relish the cozy nature of the hot springs, despite their malodorous steam.

She coughs and Redd understands.  If they are to hunt then she will be the one to take a trail this time.  The sickness had not touched her yet despite her insistence in keeping Masque’s company.

Redd wordlessly began to scout around, choosing to mostly search the dry areas where some amount of rock or brush could be found.  Any burrows would be there.

After a time she found one, a faint scent of something warm inside.  She began to dig and an eager growl rumbled forth.

she prowls while Redd searches, but immediately is alerted when her daughter finds something subterranean. she moves quickly to her side, sniffing.

groun'hog, she muses, licking her lips. she scuffles, too, along the ground, and then leans low, listening for any sounds beneath the surface.

look for oh'her hole, Avicus tells Redd, an' waihh' 'hhere.

together, they may be able to take the animals in a sort of pincer grasp. she's attempted similar, to no avail. but she thinks they may succeed in this warm, wet, quiet place.

Redd looked at the hole a moment, then back to Wealda, whose order was to find the other hole.  She was quick to pick up on the gambit - they would trap it within then.  She would need to ensure it was the correct exit to do so.

A small smile and a wave of her tail were her answers.  Then she took a moment to more deeply explore the scents at this one, memorizing the combination and threads as best as she could hold them.

Then she turned and was off, nose low to the ground, searching the areas nearby for something similar.  Redd finally found something in a nearby patch of brush, a dugout with a scent similar enough to keep her there.  She stood sentinel, ears tuned to movement inside, and sought to catch her mother’s gaze.

once Redd's settled at the other end, she begins to dig at the hole she's stationed at, breath huffing into the tunnel as she does so, sending earth spraying behind her.

she feels the vibrations. something is moving.

closer and closer—

and then a moving away, the vibrations departing with great speed. perhaps they're moving toward Redd—

gehh' readhy! she barks toward her daughter, tail lashing.

She heard it coming and was focused to where she barely heard her mother’s warning.  Her golden eyes remained fixed on the opening and she leaned forward in anticipation, jaw tensed and fangs readied.

It emerged with a squeak of alarm and attempted to immediately dive back into shelter.  It hadn’t noticed her in time to avoid surfacing, but she was impossible to miss above ground.  

Redd gave it no time.  The instant it’s head appeared her jaws were on it, snagging it by the thick column of it’s neck and closing the trap.  It squealed again and scrabbled as she hauled it upwards from its burrow, then lifted it and shook it violently.  With a snap the hunt was finished.

It was a clean kill.  Redd listened for more but heard nothing;  with a shake she moved towards Wealda, dropping the catch before her and licking the blood from her lips.

rolled a 20 XD

yassssss

she hadn't expected success so soon. when the skirmish ceases and Redd emerges with prey in her jaws, Avicus's heart leaps skyward.

she lets out a breath, looking at the groundhog hungrily.

then nudges it toward her daughter, insistent. you eahh', Avicus commands, face firm.

it had been a great catch and kill; Redd deserves the meal. she will happily go hungry for her girl's sake.

She was proud, and even more so when she saw the hunger in her mother’s eyes.  Redd was hungry too but had not intended this catch to be hers. Wealda would lead them.  She needed strength.

Redd looked at the groundhog a moment, then began to gnaw on it, separating a grisly portion of it for herself.  The rest she pushed silently towards her mother.

She would not let it go to waste it Avicus chose to leave it for her, but she preferred if they shared the hunt and the spoils.  She could seek another after if there was time.

she gives a happy, if bewildered, sigh at the girl's insistence that they share and begins to tear off a piece for herself, nudging the rest toward Redd. once, she'd have gobbled up the kill herself.

being a mother made one soft.

it's fresh, and even warmer given the hot springs, and she inhales it without hesitation.

you are goodh hunh'her, Avicus tells Redd, licking her chops. you wanna be bohh', righh'? hunh'er and fighh'er?

Redd looked to her mother before dropping her gaze in light deference.  She nodded and made a low sound of agreement, but there was more to it than that.

Again, those rarely needed words.  She disliked the way they felt, as though they crawled all the way from her throat.

Whatever needed.  She would be either or both if Wealda commanded.  A hunter could fight and a fighter could hunt - no matter which, she would do what was necessary to ensure the pack thrived.  The future thrived.

Right now, their survival rested in war. On the return, food would become a concern.  It was a concern now even in war.  She saw little need for her own distinction.

she wonders if this is Augur's baby, dwelling on the men who'd serviced her last spring. Augur had volunteered for anything, and Redd had proven herself of similar mindset.

Avicus nudges the kill further toward her ruddy daughter. you needh ihh', she insists, licking her lips.

they will all have to be at their prime if they are to take on white woman's pack.

still, she can't help but adoring Redd's versatility. her eyes rake along the lines of the girl's muscles, the intensity in her poise. she is a true warrior.

On confirmation, Redd wouldn’t question the order again.  Avicus had taken some, and the girl knew she could use the strength this gave to hunt for more.  She would ensure as many were fed as she could, even in these strange hunting grounds.

Redd tore into the rest of the kill, aware of her mother’s eyes, but unthreatened with the permission given.  She would continue their hunt as they returned to the rest.