{ or, in this case, two baby birds <3 }
It was cool that the Rye territory went all the way to the forest line. The forest here didn't seem to be as paludal as Hearthwood's territory, but it was still nice to see trees. She walked along the scent line, peering out into the treeline to check if she could see anything interesting going on. The golden fields were nice and all, but there wasn't all that much to see, unlike the woods. She missed her pack badly, but as time went on, she became more and more scared that she would be in trouble if she returned.
Maybe Inna would be so mad. Maybe Uncle Cloud would scold her. Maybe Ayti wouldn't play anymore.
What if they never even let her back in? What if Theo hated her and didn't even want her anymore? What if everybody forgot she even existed? What if, what if, what if...
Her breathing picked up, on the verge of panicking, when she was snapped out of it by an odd little noise. Small chirps and squeaks sounded from just on the treeline, and Ris' silver eyes flicked over toward the sounds. It sounded like a bird, but a tiny one. Maybe birds had babies like wolves did? Maybe it was a puppy bird.
The tawny girl calmed her breathing before padding over to where she'd heard the noises, which shushed when she began moving. It wasn't hard to find the little, gray, feathery thing. The bird puppy was laying pitifully on the ground, trembling and tiny. Too small to use its wings and fly up in the air like the bigger - noisier - birds.
Risaela didn't hesitate much before lowering her head to nose at the bundle of feathers. It made no noise under her touch, and she frowned slightly. It appeared that she and the bird puppy were in the same boat - lost and away from their families. Pity rose in her stomach and she crouched down over the shaky baby, giving its head a few soft licks to groom its feathers. It didn't move away - it was likely very injured, though she didn't think of that - and instead just lay there, trembling as the girl tried to help it.