Tangled Roots (OPEN)
 

Cypress
Cypress stalked back to her den with two plumb squirrels hanging from her mouth. She approached the thick, gnarled roots of a giant oak tree, slipping into the small entrance to the den hidden beneath them. Unlike the entrance, the den is spacious, and the roots of the tree are visible in the ceiling of the den. Wondering where her brother is, Cypress headed towards the tunnel at the back of the den, following it until she gets to a rather small den in the tunnel wall that they use for storing prey and herbs. She stashes the squirrels there before continuing down the tunnel, pausing when she enters another big den under the roots of a big pine. To her relief her brother is dozing off on the floor of the den. She slinks over and nudges him with one paw. “Shadow, wake up.”

Shadow
Shadow had been dreaming about their previous life with the two-legs when they were kits, and Cypress’s nudge woke him with a deep feeling of relief. The last thing he needed to think about was that whole situation. Yawning, he shakes the dust off of his coat. “Oh, hello, I wasn’t expecting to see you so soon. I’m guessing you had a good hunt then?” He remarks, not bothering to wait for an answer before making his way out of the den and into the fresh air. There was a fish breeze, and he turned back to where Cypress was still in the den. “A mouse skittered by while you were gone, so I’m not quite hungry. I’m gonna go explore a bit, I’ll be back!” And with that, he bounds off, not bothering to heed Cypress’s protests.