Ranyin heard the soft padding of paws before she looked, she had been so absorbed in the overwhelming scents that the sound made her shoulders tense instinctively. For a fleeting moment she wondered if their mother had finally decided she'd gone too far. Instead, it was Tai.

The tightness eased, though it never disappeared entirely, ...Oh, she hadn't expected her brother to follow. Her amber gaze lingered on her sibling for a second longer and without a word, Ranyin looked toward the back of the den. Their mother hadn't moved, hadn't called after either of them. She simply remained where she'd been, as distant as ever and something sour twisted beneath Ranyin's ribs.

She tore her eyes away before she could think about it too much. She doesn't care

Quickly the girl busied herself by lowering her nose to the earth, every breeze carried something different. Nothing stayed the same for more than a heartbeat and it made her little ears swivel constantly, trying to catch sounds before they disappeared again.

A bright green grasshopper sprang from one blade of grass to another, disappearing almost as quickly as it had appeared.

...Did ya see that? maybe Tai would indulge her,

—