Her butt wiggled in the air as her elbows dug into the dirt beneath her. There was nothing but focus on her face as her dark lavender eyes scanned her surroundings. Encircled by tall and twisting trees, there weren't many places to go. Laid out before her was her mother's garden which was slowly being prepared for the oncoming winter. She wasn't exactly sure what winter was, but by the sounds of it, it didn't sound fun. Still, the matter was that her mother had told her the importance of having the garden safe from predators so that their food would last until spring. None of it really made sense to Ursa yet, but she didn't want to let her mother down. Nope! She would help protect the garden and already she wasn't doing well! When they had been allowed out that morning, there were obvious signs of a critter eating at the tops of the plants. Having a midnight snack on their precious food resources! Thinking about it made her tummy rumble. Oh, a snack did sound good right about now. Maybe she could take a break... No! She had to get down to the bottom of it! That was why she was in a play bow with her body facing away from the garden and pointed in the direction of some tracks. Two small and two large trailed away from the garden and past the rope into the dark shadows of the woods. She wasn't allowed to go out there alone but the scent was growing faint... Glancing over her shoulder, Ursa hesitated. A soft whine hums between her lips as she scoots forward a foot or so. Away from the garden and toward the rope fence that defines their safe area. I wanna help Mama and the garden but... Her ears flick back as she lets out another whine. Maybe if I wait here long enough, the culprit will come back! Ursa's tail waves softly in the air as she looks from over her shoulder back to the shadows of the forest. Yes, maybe if she waited long enough... Maybe this animal or animals would come back and she could catch them! URSA FATALIS

The gardens had been well-tended in her absence, and Halo was grateful for that. The others had done a nice job keeping everything ship-shape, though there were still things she'd rather do on her own. One of those things in particular, was winterizing the plants. Making sure that everything was in good shape to be overwintered, tucked away to slumber beneath the snow that would be here soon enough. The pale healer had cobbled together a few large sheets of rawhide that were too damaged to use in typical healing practices, but would be perfect for this. Bundling them carefully, she brought them out to the garden. A bit surprised and a bit pleased, she was greeted with the sight of one of her daughters already there, looking at... something? Halo cocked her head to the side, watching quietly in an attempt to figure it out. Had she scented something? Was she on guard for anything in particular? Unable to figure out exactly what the girl was up to, Halo opted to simply ask. "What do you see, little love?" A gentle question, beginning to unroll the hides and stack them beside the garden bed. As they were laid out, she drew to Ursa's side, peering in the same direction the girl had. "Speech"

Determined to wait until the culprit came back, only a single flick of her ear signaled that she heard her mother's approach. Her brow furrowed as she let out another whine. Dangit, why didn't these animals come back yet? How was she supposed to save the garden if she couldn't leave the boundary? An attempt at a growl rumbled in her chest as Halo draws over to her. The question that hangs in the air is answered by the reach of her small paw in the direction of the tracks. "Dad says those are rabbit tracks," she responds, her eyes never leaving the shroud of the brush just on the other side of the rope. "When I got here this morning, I noticed some of the plants had been chewed on and then I saw those," Ursa lets her gaze flicker up to her mother before back to the trail leading away from the garden beds. Scooting forward a few inches, she toes the line between where is she allowed and where she isn't allowed. "I've been waiting for them to come back all morning. The scent is almost gone," her voice is quiet as she lifts her nose slightly. With the shift in winds, she can tell that the scent is barely there. "I've been practicing tracking a lot with Daddy. Am I doing good?" The pup's tail wags slightly as she lets herself smile but continues to stare at the tracks as if willing the rabbits to come back. URSA FATALIS

Halo hummed softly as she set about unfurling the rawhides in her stack, watching Ursa as she worked. She found herself at peace here, with her daughter and her garden. It's a lovely way to spend the day. "Dad is smart about those sorts of things," she smiled. Ursa's gaze remained trained on the bushes outside of the boundary. "Rabbits are what's called crepuscular, which means they're most active during sunrise and sunset." Halo explained gently, unrolling the stakes she'd fashioned from scrap bone. "You're doing so well, I'm proud of you for practicing on your own, and for keeping the plants safe." Halo offered a soft, reassuring smile to her daughter. "What if I told you that it's okay if they nibble on the garden? I make sure that we plant enough that it's okay for the rabbits to steal some away. It's better to have a nice easy source of fat, well fed rabbits that are nice and tasty." Halo's tone is gentle, moving to ruffle her daughter's ears gently. "I'm just getting ready to help the plants get all dormant and settled for the winter, would you like to help me?" The words were soft, she wouldn't force more learning on the girl if she didn't want to. "As soon as this is done, I'll take you beyond the boundary and we can track those pesky bunnies." "Speech"

"Crep...crap...crepuscy...crepuscular?" The word was long and complicated for the pup but she eventually got there. Only dawn and dusk? Her eyes moved to the sky that peeked out between the canopy of the treetop. Already, the sun had moved and was giving way to a bright late morning. A few beats of silence sit over her as she processes the information. So what her mama was saying was that the bunnies would come back later? Like at dinner time? Ursa is thinking hard enough that she barely hears her mother speaking until it is offered to help her ready the plants for winter and then they can track the bunnies. Both of her ears perk as Halo ruffles her fur. A giggle escapes as she finally tears away from her focused tracking toward the raised garden beds. "Okay, mama! That sounds like a good plan!" Ursa agrees as her tail begins to wag faster behind her. Practically hopping as she walked, the puppy moved over to where Halo had rolled out the tanned hide. "So what are we doin' first?" She asks as she turns her wide lavender eyes up to Halo. URSA FATALIS