Word Count → 252
Through the cavern's gloom, he saw a shadow flicker -- she was close. In a flash, her pointed coyote face was visible, as she immediately launched herself directly at him! Hati caught his breath with a hiss, feeling a flutter of panic for a split-second -- was she attacking him? But it was obvious she was just playing, as her tackle sent him tumbling onto his back in the grass, emitting a small grunt of surprise. "Terra," he wheezed in greeting, her lean weight pinning him down successfully. He could have struggled free -- he wasn't a little puppy anymore, and he probably weighed more than his skinny packmate -- but he didn't want to encourage her mischievous roughhousing. He was finding more that his reserved nature meant he didn't enjoy physical play as much as when he was younger. He wasn't as strong as his brother, anyway, and that was the only packmate he wanted to win against.
"How was your trip with Skoll?" he asked as politely as he could muster while catching his breath, already knowing Skoll had the time of his life. His brother was bursting at the seams with enthusiasm, trying to tell him and Lottie all about his (rather exaggerated) escapades outside the Court. It was one of the reasons Hati had slipped out of the house today. He didn't have the same adventurous spirit that Skoll and Terra seemed to share. It wasn't any surprise she spent a lot more time with his golden brother.
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