As they walked back to the plains Ruin stuck close to her Ma's side, hiding in her shadow. Ruin didn't understand why Ma had gotten so mad but at least she had the sense to look sheepish about it. Her ears flicked back as her tail hung limp between her  legs, a sorry state of a pup if there'd ever been one. Sometimes she thought that the adults around here just didn't understand what fun was, they were always busy doing things Ruin didn't think were very important. Why did everyone walk around and pee near the edge of the plains so much? If it didn't stop Ruin from coming or going it wouldn't work on anyone else, surely. But Ruin said nothing as she waited for the fire in Ma's eyes to simmer down, to make way for the usual loving gaze she so often sent her way. She knew Ma was mad but surely she wouldn't hold onto that feeling for too long, right? She loved Ruin far too much for that. Little did she know that the hard part had just began, that her Ma wouldn't just let her off with a stern look.

Samara Klein Samara would be lying if she said it was easy to discipline her daughter, the guilt had been mounting as they marched back towards the den, and as she glanced back at Ruin she felt her heart ache a little. With a sigh Samara stopped, turning so she was facing her daughter, then lowered herself so she was at Ruin's eye level. "Ruin, do you know why I got angry at you?" She knew what to expect as an answer to that question, she broke the rules, she'd wandered off on her own etc etc. And while yes that would technically be true she knew that Ruin couldn't understand yet why those rules were so important. Could she remember what it had felt like to be a pup, feeling constrained and held down by rules adults had set out in a way that was, to her own child mind, totally arbitrary? "Speech", Thoughts & You

Ruin stopped when he Ma did, tipping her head a little in confusion as her Ma bent down to her level. The little pup knew what she was meant to say, that she'd been naughty and broken the rules, but she just didn't feel as though she'd done anything wrong. Ruin couldn't, or rather didn't want to, understand where her Ma was coming from, was she supposed to remain in the plains forever? Like some princess stuck in a tower. Her nose wrinkled at that thought, she loved her Ma soso much and wanted to make her happy-sometimes- but it didn't seem fair for her to expect Ruin to live such a boring life. Instead she played dumb, her ears flicked to the sides in a show of uncertainty as she shifted her weight from one paw to the next in a little worried dance.

"No ma." She moved in close, offering puppy kisses to the bottom of Samara's chin, a gentle apology without needing to say it aloud.

Samara Klein Samara sighed again as Ruin responded, her resolution flagging a little as her daughter offered her a few tiny apology kisses. But no she had to try and help her daughter understand. She gently nosed back at Ruin, knowing that things were going to get a little heavy. "I was angry because I was scared." She said softly, trying to meet her daughter's mismatched eyes. "I know it seems like sometimes your father and I just want to ruin the fun but our rules are there to protect you and your siblings. Not all wolves or places are as safe as Abaven." She paused for a moment, not wanting to scare her daughter but needing to make sure Ruin understood why it scared her so much. "I was scared because when I realized you'd left the pack lands I was scared I wouldn't ever see you again. That cliff is dangerous because if you'd fallen off you could have gotten hurt, and I might not have been able to make it better." She didn't want to scare Ruin to bad so the best she could offer was a simplified version of the mangled image of her daughter she'd been plagued with. "And you were found by my sister, your aunt. But that doesn't mean that you can necessarily trust her. I know my sister and she's not as friendly as your family in Abaven." She wanted to make it clear she wasn't just worried about Hela though. "And that's true of other strangers, sometimes strangers can be dangerous, they could take you away from your father and I." She sighed again, fishing out a paw to try pull her daughter into an embrace. "I got angry because I love you so much, and the idea of not seeing you again was scary. Sometimes adults act angry when they're scared." "Speech", Thoughts & You

Ruin tipped her head, waiting for her Ma to let her off the hook. She'd been in trouble before and aside from a stern word or two she'd never been given an ultimatum, or at least one that stuck out in her mind. Her parents and other family member's reprimands just didn't seem to land, went in one ear and out the other as if Ruin couldn't care less. But when her Ma sighed Ruin couldn't help but feel as if this was different, that her Ma wouldn't just drop it and leave her be, that she'd have to at the very least listen to what her Ma had to say. Her ear flicked when Ma sighed as she sat down too, worming between her Ma's legs so there was one either side of her little frame. If she had to listen she might as well get comfy, right?

Ruin wasn't sure why anger was linked with being scared, but she simply nodded and met her Ma's gaze. And good thing too as Ma clearly had a lot on her mind. She hit the nail right on the head, that's exactly what it seemed like! She wanted to have all the fun and it was very unfair that all these rules were put in place to stop her. Ma claimed safety was important and all but Ruin still didn't exactly understand what dangers the wider world and strangers posed, nothing bad had happened so why had she gotten so upset? Ruin had to admit though...she'd be really sad if she never saw her Ma again. Her siblings and Da too. Okay so maybe she had a point. Kinda. Only that Ruin didn't wanna say so, cause then she'd have to be good and careful and that sounded awful, like she'd turn into a slightly bigger copy of Suspense. That stuff about her aunt was interesting though, information she'd think about later.

Letting her Ma pull her into a hug, Ruin leaned into the fluff of her chest. She was getting older and a little more independent but she still liked hugs, for now.

"I'll be good. Promise." That was a lie, but a very nice sounding one, and something she thought her Ma needed to hear.