Redtail Rise the unparalleled adventure of one hans pfaall

referencing Lilia's thoughts here

they're home. Avicus breathes a sigh of great relief as they begin to climb the gratifyingly familiar slopes, and that sense of a weight off her shoulders carries her nearly to the rendezvous—until it doesn't.

Chacal's scent, a barrier against any intruders. she remembers faintly their conversation, the offer the woman had made. . .

and she'd accepted it then, albeit begrudgingly.

but it eats at her.

she lifts her leg and pisses like a man upon the nearest marking, saturating the snow and earth with her own acrid smell. more where that came from, she thinks bitterly, and moves on.

for now, she's eager to check the state of their caches, and to see if anything needs her immediate attention.

the exhaustion is bone-deep; her heat has passed, and with it, the energy that had carried her home. her eyes are sunk deep into her angular face—dark, lackluster pools.

red woman had not called for him.

he had not gone to find her.

this year was different.

it changed nothing in his loyalty, however. he too was perturbed by the hint of salt among their borders and marked prolifically.

red woman seemed strained. augur did not approach so close, only wandered into her eyesight and raked his paws against the ground.

she senses Augur nearby and gives him a chuff, watching his paws move. she wonders when New Snow will enter her own heat.

she wonders if he feels slighted by her omission.

last year had been different—and she certainly hadn't expected the woman's arrival mid-season. now that they were a pair, and the two had fought so bravely in the would-be war, she no longer has need of his services in that regard.

let them create more beautiful, strong babies, like Bobcat, Avicus muses, staring at the man.

'Hhacal, she explains, albeit poorly as she struggles with the name. from 'Hhapphique. 'hholdh me would protect our borderhh' while we were gone.

the hunt-leader stood taller beneath the pull of her indigo eyes, not quite meeting them.

only enough to intend that she see all his attention belonged to her.

an explanation. the salt. the woman. goldfinch, came the rumble in the language of sound he and new snow used.

an approving tone.

Augur understands. she hears it, flicks an ear toward him, even though she doesn't grasp so much the primitive language Augur and his mate use.

findh' foodh' wi' me, she instructs, prowling lithe and strong upon the lines of their claim.

she means to inspect their caches, to ensure they are still intact. she walks with head low, sniffing along the border, and then outward, following the path that led to the nearest store of food.

food.

the hunt was everlasting. augur was dedicated to its long years.

they were going to check the caches. augur followed at her side, snorting after a moment and reaching with a teasing nip to her shoulder.

being home had made the big wolf playful.

she sets along, and soon notes Augur looming up, feeling the sharp nip at her pelt. she wheels and bares her teeth, but her mouth is set in a near-smile, eyes sparkling.

Avicus pushes her head into his burly shoulder and then takes off, daring him to catch up.

it feels so good, so freeing, to race upon the Rise's border after such a while of stiff-legged patrolling. they were not immune to danger—they never would be—but maybe the immediate threat has vanished.

she stares back, tongue lolling, slightly chilled in the wind.

the ice and snow flies up amid her churning feet.

his paws sped over all the places he had come to know intimately.

his strides were heavy and powerful, plunging him through the deep snow as if it were nothing.

but she was a cardinal upon their tops, flitting more easily than he with her rich and muscular body.

augur soon lagged behind, but his eyes remained bright with the pursuit.

she is joyful in the run, kicking up dirt and snow alike. she casts her head back to see Augur approaching her, kicking up the same earth she'd cast astride.

Avicus joyfully stands aside for her hunt-master then joins him again, running alongside the wight wolf. the two of them are one; flame and ice. they rush close, inseparable.

she pokes at his chest with her muzzle and then gallops away, tongue lolling.

they're home. all is well.

all is well.

soon new children would arrive in reflection of their strength. he hoped for many.

the first pups of the rise were children no longer, but hunters in their own right. their teeth would add protection to the borders while their new siblings grew.

all was well.

augur howled out in pride and confidence.