Walk | Talk | Think
Got her! Anais thought victoriously when she saw the glimmer of excitement and challenge light up Zephyra's rosy eyes from within. It was only a flash, smothered away the second the girl turned her head, but it had been enough for the youth's aunt to recognize it. There was relief, definitely, in knowing she had the green-marked girl back on a safer track, soon to be heading toward her den, but there was also joy. She loved seeing children drawn into games, loved witnessing their enthusiasm for life, their spunk and energy. It was invigorating, infectious, and made her own smile a touch brighter.
And, quick as that light, she was gone. The golden brown hunter blinked as the spot her niece had been standing in suddenly emptied, and with her own smile faltering under the surprise she lifted her gaze to see how far the pup had gotten. A decent head start, she wagered, and laughed aloud quietly to herself. She should have known this mischievous one would take any opportunity she could get. Grinning, Anais gave pursuit, crouching and leaping forward as she loped in the girl's wake. She heard more than saw her progress by this point, the telltale rattling of leaves and branches thrown out of the way as Zeph took her shortcuts, but the direction seemed to be right and that was most important.
Still, it was a race. "I'm catching up!" Anais called out tauntingly from behind Zephyra, stretching her gait to make good on her warning though the child had enough of a head start not even for that to be much of a threat. Whereas the child could take her shortcuts and dart through the smaller gaps, Anais had to take the wider route, winding through the trees along a safer, clearer course. Zephyra would win, she knew, but as she found her own pace Anais was confident it would not be by much.
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