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Description
Hot. Pink. Orange. Sundown. Roll your feet, don't drop them. Just like Vengeance taught you. You're a natural, remember?
Rancor's tread was light as she crept along the knoll.
Dry grass. Hardpacked earth. Light breeze. If you can smell them, they can't smell you. Keep your body low. Take your time.
Daring to raise her head, yellow eyes peeked over the dry mountain tussocks.
See, she's right there. Nothing to worry about. You're a natural.
Up ahead, Reprise stalked through the sparse vegetation towards a rocky outcrop. Down below, Rancor knew, was a meadow spotted with eucalyptus trees. It was a good place to get the jump on prey. It was about the only hope of hunting Reprise had without the cover of snow. She practically shone like a signal fire against the drab late-spring grass. Nothing like Rancor, who's striped orange form melted seamlessly into the browns, reds and yellows of the parched earth. She was going to make an excellent hunter someday- today. She was an excellent hunter, actually. Vengeance was easy enough to sneak up on, but Reprise and Fallow were decidedly not. She'd tried to sneak out after them on several occasions and had been met with resounding failure. She'd been caught only moments away from the palace every time. Every time until today, that was.

Reprise had had that worried look in her eye. The one that she always got before she stated she was busy and retreated to wherever she went to do whatever she did. Rancor always felt... well, she wasn't sure quite what she felt when she saw Reprise like that. She pondered it, sometimes. Vengeance had suggested she didn't like seeing people she loved upset, which she agreed was true. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that this was somehow... deeper than sadness.
Nevertheless, she had also noticed something else when Reprise looked worried: she didn't pay as much attention to the rest of the world. Rancor was quickly learning to grab any opportunity with all her claws. Getting out of the sling worked better when people were distracted, as did snagging extra food. Upon putting it to the test, Rancor had learned that sneaking out after the adults was the same. This was the furthest she'd been from Preyma without direct supervision. This was great. She could catch a possum or a rabbit or maybe even a kangaroo! If she caught a kangaroo, they'd simply have to let her out to join the hunting parties.

Reprise slowed to a stop, dropping onto her haunches and peering over the ledge.
Were there rabbits? Kangaroos? Maybe feral sheep?
Rancor picked up the pace, pulling her wings in tight and weaving around the largest tussocks of grass.
Freeze! Mistake! Bad idea!
Reprise's head whipped round and she shot back up to her full height. Squinting against the setting sun, her pale gaze scanned the knoll. Rancor didn't dare to huddle closer to the ground. She didn't even dare to breathe. She can't see as well as you, remember? Especially with the sun in her eyes. Just-
"Show yourself," Reprise rumbled, her voice darker than Rancor had ever heard it, "show your face and maybe you won't wind up as dead as the last spy!"
Rancor didn't move. She didn't quake. She breathed slowly in, and slowly out. This was more than a scolding tone. This was, Rancor decided, what it must look like to be a harpy in battle. She found herself... proud? She would have to ask Vengeance.
Reprise lowered her head and stalked forward, lips curling back over her teeth, "fine, we do this the hard way!"
Adrenaline jolted through her chest, scorching away all other feeling. Carefully, ever so carefully, Rancor backed up. If she could just duck behind this big tussock, maybe she could escape-

MISTAKE! BAD IDEA!

Reprise's eyes locked onto her.
"It's me!" Racor protested shrilly, vaulting into the air as Reprise hurtled forward, "it's me!"
Grass tore at the force Reprise stopped. Her maw hung open for a beat before it snapped shut and her brows furrowed once more. "Rancor?! What are you- you can't be here, it's not safe!"
Landing in an undignified heap, Rancor launched directly into plan B: "I'm here to hunt! I heard you talking to Fallow, the kingdom needs all the food it can get! I'm ready!"
"No," Reprise stated in her absolutely-no-compromises voice.
"You said it yourself!" Rancor barreled on through her prepared speech undaunted, "I'm a fledgling already! You said as soon as my wings came in-"
"I said that we could start thinking about school," Reprise rumbled, her tone unwavering, "it's not safe for you to go on hunts until you've had lessons."
"I have had lessons!" Rancor cried, "Ven says I'm a natural, just let me-" she hurled herself forward, trying to dart beneath Reprise's belly. If she could get to the cliff and take down prey right now, she'd have to let her-
All Rancor got was a face full of feathers as Reprise dropped her wing to bar her way. In a tone that she knew meant she was now getting Vengeance in trouble too, the pale hen said, "no. It's not safe for you to be outside the palace like this."
"Why?!" The fledgling demanded, scrambling out to look the queen in the eye, "why isn't it safe?!"
Reprise frowned right back at her baleful yellow glare. One moment passed. Two. Three. Reprise sighed, getting that worried look in her eye again, "okay, here's the deal: if you promise to come home with me right now, I promise to tell you."

Copper count:
938 words = 40 copper
Monthly event bonus +10

(Fullbody +15
Clean lined +5
Coloured (greyscale) +5
Simple shaded +5
= 30)
x2 = 60
Full background +10
= 70

Total copper: 120

Description
Hot. Pink. Orange. Sundown. Roll your feet, don't drop them. Just like Vengeance taught you. You're a natural, remember?
Rancor's tread was light as she crept along the knoll.
Dry grass. Hardpacked earth. Light breeze. If you can smell them, they can't smell you. Keep your body low. Take your time.
Daring to raise her head, yellow eyes peeked over the dry mountain tussocks.
See, she's right there. Nothing to worry about. You're a natural.
Up ahead, Reprise stalked through the sparse vegetation towards a rocky outcrop. Down below, Rancor knew, was a meadow spotted with eucalyptus trees. It was a good place to get the jump on prey. It was about the only hope of hunting Reprise had without the cover of snow. She practically shone like a signal fire against the drab late-spring grass. Nothing like Rancor, who's striped orange form melted seamlessly into the browns, reds and yellows of the parched earth. She was going to make an excellent hunter someday- today. She was an excellent hunter, actually. Vengeance was easy enough to sneak up on, but Reprise and Fallow were decidedly not. She'd tried to sneak out after them on several occasions and had been met with resounding failure. She'd been caught only moments away from the palace every time. Every time until today, that was.

Reprise had had that worried look in her eye. The one that she always got before she stated she was busy and retreated to wherever she went to do whatever she did. Rancor always felt... well, she wasn't sure quite what she felt when she saw Reprise like that. She pondered it, sometimes. Vengeance had suggested she didn't like seeing people she loved upset, which she agreed was true. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that this was somehow... deeper than sadness.
Nevertheless, she had also noticed something else when Reprise looked worried: she didn't pay as much attention to the rest of the world. Rancor was quickly learning to grab any opportunity with all her claws. Getting out of the sling worked better when people were distracted, as did snagging extra food. Upon putting it to the test, Rancor had learned that sneaking out after the adults was the same. This was the furthest she'd been from Preyma without direct supervision. This was great. She could catch a possum or a rabbit or maybe even a kangaroo! If she caught a kangaroo, they'd simply have to let her out to join the hunting parties.

Reprise slowed to a stop, dropping onto her haunches and peering over the ledge.
Were there rabbits? Kangaroos? Maybe feral sheep?
Rancor picked up the pace, pulling her wings in tight and weaving around the largest tussocks of grass.
Freeze! Mistake! Bad idea!
Reprise's head whipped round and she shot back up to her full height. Squinting against the setting sun, her pale gaze scanned the knoll. Rancor didn't dare to huddle closer to the ground. She didn't even dare to breathe. She can't see as well as you, remember? Especially with the sun in her eyes. Just-
"Show yourself," Reprise rumbled, her voice darker than Rancor had ever heard it, "show your face and maybe you won't wind up as dead as the last spy!"
Rancor didn't move. She didn't quake. She breathed slowly in, and slowly out. This was more than a scolding tone. This was, Rancor decided, what it must look like to be a harpy in battle. She found herself... proud? She would have to ask Vengeance.
Reprise lowered her head and stalked forward, lips curling back over her teeth, "fine, we do this the hard way!"
Adrenaline jolted through her chest, scorching away all other feeling. Carefully, ever so carefully, Rancor backed up. If she could just duck behind this big tussock, maybe she could escape-

MISTAKE! BAD IDEA!

Reprise's eyes locked onto her.
"It's me!" Racor protested shrilly, vaulting into the air as Reprise hurtled forward, "it's me!"
Grass tore at the force Reprise stopped. Her maw hung open for a beat before it snapped shut and her brows furrowed once more. "Rancor?! What are you- you can't be here, it's not safe!"
Landing in an undignified heap, Rancor launched directly into plan B: "I'm here to hunt! I heard you talking to Fallow, the kingdom needs all the food it can get! I'm ready!"
"No," Reprise stated in her absolutely-no-compromises voice.
"You said it yourself!" Rancor barreled on through her prepared speech undaunted, "I'm a fledgling already! You said as soon as my wings came in-"
"I said that we could start thinking about school," Reprise rumbled, her tone unwavering, "it's not safe for you to go on hunts until you've had lessons."
"I have had lessons!" Rancor cried, "Ven says I'm a natural, just let me-" she hurled herself forward, trying to dart beneath Reprise's belly. If she could get to the cliff and take down prey right now, she'd have to let her-
All Rancor got was a face full of feathers as Reprise dropped her wing to bar her way. In a tone that she knew meant she was now getting Vengeance in trouble too, the pale hen said, "no. It's not safe for you to be outside the palace like this."
"Why?!" The fledgling demanded, scrambling out to look the queen in the eye, "why isn't it safe?!"
Reprise frowned right back at her baleful yellow glare. One moment passed. Two. Three. Reprise sighed, getting that worried look in her eye again, "okay, here's the deal: if you promise to come home with me right now, I promise to tell you."

Copper count:
938 words = 40 copper
Monthly event bonus +10

(Fullbody +15
Clean lined +5
Coloured (greyscale) +5
Simple shaded +5
= 30)
x2 = 60
Full background +10
= 70

Total copper: 120