The boy peeked from inside his warm den, nosing the covering of the entrance away. The few sun rays that broke through the clouds were bright against the snow, and he immediately had to squint; his nap had been quite wonderful, and he was hesitant to venture out in the deceiving spring day. He stood for a few moments, large ears twitching here and there as he started to shrug the grogginess of his nap off and wake up further. His sisters were either preoccupied or still napping, so Poetry had a rare moment of quiet. As he watched from inside the den, he had to admit that the snow was kind of pretty; it sparkled where the sun landed. He watched it for another moment or two before another thought raced into his mind - where was momma? The boy took a deep breath before he plunged outside, his quiet time swiftly over.

He knew the easiest way to find his mother would be to call for her, but that was something babies did. It was time he start putting his skills to the test, if he were to live up to the great hunters and warriors of the pack! Black nose twitched as he sniffed the air, then bent his neck to sniff the ground instead. He suddenly sneezed, a few loose snowflakes traveling up his nostrils from his great big inhales. He rubbed at his nose with a paw before getting back to business, trying to find his mother's scent among his sisters'. A step this way, then that, and... There! Poetry's lips split into a big grin as he followed his mother's scent as best he could, glancing up constantly to see if he could spot her before she did him. It was quite hard following Poem's trail though, and he wandered off track a time or two. White-tipped tail wagged high in the air behind him as he trodded along, holding back the urge to call out for his mother. He could do this!

Poem was slowly getting back to her duties but most of them included her children. At least one of them if not more. She went out with Shae a little earlier, but not long after they left she had caught sight of Poetry following. Her little shadow. She had smiled when she noticed him, but remained silent and continued walking with her first born towards the rapids themselves. The children were already learning as much information as she and their father could feed them. No doubt they’d been getting up in all of their relatives' business. She knew Rhyme and Rhythm both welcomed the bother.

The new mom wasn’t sure if Poetry was trying to be sneaky or what he was up to, but she decided to let him be the one to sneak up on her if he wanted. Usually he was bolder with his affection for her, but she didn’t want to ruin his game. Shae raced ahead in the snow and Poem called out to her, ”Shae, be careful!” She shook her head with a grin and continued on slowly, half waiting for Poet to catch up.

Along his plodding way, Poetry realized something - his mother’s tracks were right there with her scent trail! Now he had two senses to go off of, and his maw split into a broad grin. It was only a matter of time now! Dark ears flickered at a familiar voice, and he glanced up to look in its direction. No visible sign of Poem yet, but he was certainly getting close. And one of his sisters was there, too. Bright eyes fell back to the snow and he studied for a moment, wanting to pick her prints from the snow too. Satisfied, the boy set off again - this time, at a quicker pace.

Poetry trotted along, following his mother’s steps and trying so very hard to be quiet. The crunch crunch underpaw didn’t help much, but he was hoping it was at least quiet enough. A glimpse of a tail around a pile of snow up ahead almost made him yelp, but he was able to keep it together. He quickly moved to the side of the snow bank, creeping forward to peek around the side. Poem’s back was to him, completely unaware she was being stalked - at least, in his eyes. Devilish grin tugged at the corners of his lips as he aimed for his mother’s tail. One, two, three... jump!

The boy leapt from his hiding spot and ran the last few paces until he hit his target, sharp teeth aiming to grasp Poem’s tail. “Raawwrrr!!” he growled like the great hunting beast he was. “Found you, found you!” His singsong voice was full of pride, even if a little muffled from his mother’s tail. He held his head high, his own tail wagging furiously.

Poem heard Shae reply from ahead, assuring her mother she was watching her step and wouldn’t get too close to the water. Now that the pups were out and about the new mom wasn’t sure she’d made the right decision. She wanted to keep them protected inside the den. Forever. She was forever grateful for the many eyes that were around to look out for wandering puppies. Behind her Poem could hear the soft crunch of snow beneath tiny paws. Poet was right behind them. She couldn’t help the playful grin on her features as she paced forward slowly.

She nearly stopped when the sound of him was nearly close enough to touch, and with only… three moments hesitation the boy was suddenly attached to her tail. ”Eep!” She didn’t have to fake crying out, his teeth were sharp and she was reminded of how nice it was to have them weaned. ”You did! What a good tracker you are!” She told him as she ignored the piercing little teeth. She curled around and mussed his head with her chin, ”Would my smart boy like to patrol with Shae and Mom?” She chuckled and pulled back, making sure he released her poor tail at the same time with a kiss.

His mother's cry of surprise was real to him, and it made him giggle. His ears slicked back as he stood there proudly with his prize in his jaws, soaking in the praise from Poem. His whole body nearly wiggled right along with his tail. He was going to be the best tracker in the pack! When Poem reached to pat his head, he let go of his mother's tail to sort of half jump to nuzzle into her. When she asked if he wanted to come along with her and Shae, the boy was wriggling right along with his tail. "Yeah! Please!" he added after a moment, trying to remember to be polite. He pranced forward underneath Poem, curling around her legs before bouncing a few strides ahead.

Truth be told, he didn't much care where they went - he was just so excited to be able to go anywhere. The siblings still had some rules they had to follow, which got in the way of the real good fun, but Poet was just fine hanging with his mother. She had a lot he could teach her, and if he was going to be the best at anything, he certainly had to learn from the best he knew. The boy spun and crouched down into a play bow. "Where are we going??"

Poem was scarcely startled by the boy but it seemed like she put on a good enough performance for him, Poet giggled innocently in his victory. He was such a happy puppy, Poem still had trouble believing how much joy her children brought into her life. After living through such harrowing events having this new little life looking up to her made everything and more worth it. She would have given everything she lost again just for her little boy’s smile. He was even more eager as she offered him a place beside her and his sister.

The boy rubbed through her legs and eagerly raced ahead, not quite enough to catch up with Shae, but the girl was already gone. Poem padded forward, pale white paws keeping up with her boy quite well. He spun around, another question on his mind as he spoke and asked about where exactly they were going. A very good question though.

”We don’t really have a destination,” she told him, offering a gentle nuzzle to his cheek as she walked beside him. ”This is a patrol, we’ll walk along the border and make sure nothing is amiss. No strange scents crossing and no threats lingering around the border.” She explained to him as they continued onward.