Hail to the King & Queen of the Ruckus

The nuzzle, though familiar, sent a shiver through him, drawing a hitch in his breath free. His tail lashed as he processed her intent, how long had it been since he’d let someone touch him? His mother had been so busy with her wedding, the new litter, and those monsters that had left her bedridden…. But Red had enjoyed seeing her life blossom. There was only the smallest twinge of bittersweetness he felt, but nothing he could ever put into words. Redrum returned her sorely missed warmth in kind, leaning into her lightly as the tension fled his striped frame in those moments. It was good seeing her out and about again.

As her words sank in, his molten gold eyes widened a touch, their gleam sharp as he processed her words. “Lead…with Mother?” he rasped, his voice low while his ears pinned back for a brief moment. So soon. It made him more conscious of his age, and hers.

Abruptly, his head tilted, the motion sharp and jolting. He studied her face intently, searching for answers in her expression as he braced for the weight of the responsibility she placed before him. But there was never a doubt on what his answer would be, not since he was a child. He opened his mouth to speak, his half-glasgow smile scar going taut as he gave his answer quietly, but no less resolute than he needed to be. “Redrum thinks...he will not—fail.” And there, within his golden eyes blazed a feral, intense and prideful fire—a hunger. A drive.

"Murder"