There was a lighthearted clamor in the air--the kind that put one at ease even at a distance. They weren't angry sounds, or pained sounds...just happy, bickering sounds. Mafuu moved along the border with adept understanding of her surroundings, dodging every stray bone and missing every sharp rock without needing to spare a glance. It was her business to know what was going on around the pack. She had good eyes for it. She had the drive for it--to find things out of place. She also had the strength to put them back.

Mafuu stopped at the top of an outcropping and huddled low. Some distance away below her were two siblings caught up in a playful banter--Takataka and Tufani.

"I'm telling you, it sounded just like an earthquake!" Tufani shouted, though there was a hint of a smile playing at her maw. "I almost called for back-up, I was scared witless."

"Earthquakes don't have a sound, they have a feel," Taka grumbled, smirking. "And why would you need to call back-up for an earthquake?"

"SHUT UP!" Tufani shrieked, nearly tackling him.

"Why are you smiling if it's so serious?" Taka asked wryly. Tufani stuck her nose high in the air and harrumphed.

"I can smile whenever I want for whatever reason I want," she retorted. "You don't hear me ridiculing you whenever you smile."

"That's 'cause I never smile when there's something serious going on," Taka said, folding his paws where he lay. Tufani made a leery sound as she walked across an elephant's half-buried spinal column.

"I'm not sure how accurate that is~. I seem to recall you smiling for seemingly no reason when a certain serious someone is around," she said.

"Shut up!" Taka hissed, half-rising as if expecting someone to appear. Tufani laughed. Taka, however, remained looking panicked.

Mafuu's eyes narrowed as she watched the two siblings continue to bicker. While she had stopped paying much attention to the content of their conversation, she found herself more and more wrapped up in their body language--their mannerisms--the different ways they showed subtle humor and affection. The longer she watched, the more her mind wandered to memories of her own late sister. They had been very different in terms of personality in comparison to Taka and Ani, but the bond...there was something in it that reminded her--a similarity. She and her sister had been close, too...

Something in Mafuu's chest quivered strangely and she clenched her teeth. When she next looked back to the siblings, her eyes were cold. Rising to her paws, the female descended swiftly down to the same ground level as the two siblings, landing some distance from them in a cloud of dust. Taka looked like Mafuu had three heads, while Ani just looked surprised, then delighted.

"Hi, Mafuu!" she called, trotting up to her older-sister figure to bestow a greeting. She looked like she had been about to say something, but then changed her mind at the sight of something over Mafuu's shoulder. Mafuu turned to find Taka gesturing wildly. He blanched at being spotted, stopping completely mid-movement, and then lowered himself back into a recline. Mafuu's eyes narrowed. He always changed so much whenever she was around...

"Be careful around the borders, Ani," she warned, glowering back at the other female. "There have been strange sightings reported lately." Tufani was suddenly quite serious.

"Yes, I've heard some myself," she said, "like an earthquake with no shaking. I couldn't find a source."

Mafuu looked grim. "Where did you hear it?" she asked. Taka roused to his feet behind her, moving a bit closer to be a part of the conversation.

"Just at the border between--..." she stopped herself, catching Taka's eyes.

"Where?" Mafuu growled.

"Close to the Pridelands," Tufani finished reluctantly. She flinched at something Mafuu couldn't see, then mouthed something crass to her brother. Mafuu moved past the smaller female and headed off in the indicated direction.

"Show me where exactly," she demanded without stopping.

"Err--I--need to go report back, but take Taka!" she offered.

"ME?" the male squeaked, slinking backwards as if looking for a place to disappear. He wanted something--anything--to prevent that from happening. Let the earthquake Tufani heard be real. Let the lights in the sky strike him down. Let a giant, flying monster descend upon the earth and drag him away and drop him in the middle of the desert. How could Tufani do this to him?! His heart hammered in his chest and his heart fluttered. He cursed the part of him that was actually excited about the idea of going on a special mission with Mafuu.

"Yeah," Ani nodded, "Taka's a Guard now. It would be practical to take him along," she added once Mafuu had stopped. Mafuu seemed to consider this for a moment before continuing on and dropping out of sight.

"Go on," Tufani urged her brother, physically shoving him off in Mafuu's direction.

"I'm gonna kill you for this," he whispered harshly, digging his paws into the earth as he was pushed forward.

"It's not a big deal! Just think--of me--when you look--at her--," Ani said with effort between shoves.

"NO!" her brother hissed with clear disgust, evidently still terrified of being overheard by Mafuu. Ani laughed and used the unguarded moment to snap at his heels, sending her younger brother off running after Mafuu. She puffed her chest with pride as she watched him disappear. But her face soon fell. The sound she had heard...the strange sightings that were reported...the gossip on the wind...she'd heard a lot of stories, none of which gave her comfort. The entire time since getting back from patrol, her insides had been a mess. She was scared. She didn't want to lose anyone else, especially not Taka. She didn't want to lose Mafuu, either. If they both stayed together, they would be safer. But if they both stayed together and...something happened...

Tufani shook her head and went to report back to the Head Scout.