Istanzi shuffled through the undergrowth, her nose snuffling out small prey. She was determined to bring back something, this time - too often her forays recently had been unsuccessful. Still a learner, the prey around den was also wary and she had decided to range far in the hope that the animals further away wouldn't prove so difficult to catch.
The denful of puppies was an absolute delight, she would not have said otherwise, but they were also harder work than she had ever imagined. Cute pictures of family bliss had been worn at the edges, just a little, by the harsh realities of raising a large litter.
Nen's obvious delight in her brood... their brood had Zizi a little jealous, though. Much as she counted the pups as her own to love and look after, she could see only Nendiya and their father in them. She hadn't expected otherwise, but she wanted little ones who looked like her.
Daydreaming, she had been distracted from searching for her prey. With a shake of her head she came out of it and glanced around, as if to check that no-one had seen her moment of distraction.
