How many seasons had it been since she had been to Hallowed lands? It had been right when her half-brother had gotten married, so a full year? Juniper hadn't realized how much time had flown between now and then. Living the nomadic lifestyle of her father had given the young girl a lot of life lessons, and she had become highly independent as a result, learning to live off the land and survive with nothing but nature and her own wits to keep her alive. Of course her parents kept her and her siblings cared for, so there was no real danger, just a life full of adventure and exploration. As she and her siblings became yearlings, their parents had urged them to begin exploring on their own, allowing them the freedoms to spread out and begin having their own experiences. Although June was eagerly looking forward to getting to tread her path all across Boreas and Auster, she knew the one place she wanted to start—the home of her family.

She really should have waited at the border. She really should have called for Artorias or let him know she was here to visit. But that wasn't Juniper's style. Instead, the small wolf trotted past the Hallows border and into the grassy summer plains as if she owned the place, keen mint green eyes taking in the rolling dips of hills and vast fields she recalled so well from her early childhood. The summer wasn't particularly a hot one, and the mugginess was chased off by the cool coastal breeze rolling in from the nearby western shore, ruffling her dark silver-marked fur as she walked. She didn't see anyone around, no guards patrolling the border—at least not near where she was presently—so Juniper just continued to saunter through the fields, parting the grasses with long, slender legs while she drank in her surroundings.

"Juniper of the Sea"

The plains that border the castle have always called to the hodgepodge colored girl and today is no different. Long stalks tickle her sensitive belly and she giggles with joy. They also conceal the pup who is currently bouncing around, enjoying the warmth that the sun offers and the cool kiss of the ocean breeze that ruffles her fur. Life is simple for Callie and, while it can be extremely boring, she knows that she is safe within the pack’s borders.

Or, so she thought.

The sound of someone close by has the girl quieting and hunkering down, mismatched eyes moving to observe the wolf that stalks closer. Usually there are patrols that run the length of this place but someone seems to be slacking today since there is a stranger sauntering toward the castle! Small jaw unhinges in disbelief as she watches the black and silver wolf part the grass with long, slender legs. Eyes narrow as watches the lady’s progress and Callie lifts her nose to sniff at the air, making sure what she suspected at first glance is correct.

Sure enough, there is no scent of the Hallows on this stranger and Caladia knows this wolf is trespassing. The thought of making her uncle Art proud stirs the pup into action as she puffs out her little chest and springs up from her hiding place. With a shrill bark to get the intruder’s attention, Caladia races forward, placing herself in the stranger’s path and bristling like a tiny hedgehog. With as commanding a voice the small pup can muster, she squeaks, “Stop! You’re not suppos’ to be here! Who are you?!”

Body practically bounces with tension and more than a little excitement. Oh, maybe uncle Art will give her a special gift for stopping them!


"Caladia Carpathius"

Juniper's walk hadn't progressed far into Hallows territory before the shrill yipping sound of something sounding an alarm caught her attention. Pricked ears flicked back in the direction of the sound, the young woman's strides pausing mid-step, and she glanced back over her shoulder to find the source of the sound. What she saw she almost didn't believe at first. A pup, as small as could be, came bounding towards her from the long grasses. Juniper smiled at the little girl, highly amused by the energetic little fuzzball. "Well hello there, cutie pie!" she greeted the pup, but her words were swiftly cut off when the child cut in front of her and bristled her fur in what June supposed was her best attempt at being intimidating. In a flurry of excited words, the pup demanded she identify herself, and the yearling nearly burst into laughter.

"Whoa, hey! Easy, tiger. I'm allowed to be here," explained Juniper, settling back onto her haunches and raising her forepaws in mock surrender to the "fearsome soldier" that had intercepted her. Did Artorias know there were puppies just roaming around the pack borders? "I'm Juniper. My brother is the alpha, so how about we just take a breather and you stow those pointy teeth away, mmkay?" Juniper was legitimately unafraid and unintimidated by the pup, but she also didn't relish the idea of being gnawed on by needly puppy teeth today. Looking over the small girl before her, Juniper could safely determine that the child wasn't one of Artorias'—the colors were all wrong—but that did leave the question of who she was. Raising a suspicious brow, June turned the interrogation around on her. "Do your parents know you're out wandering the borders by yourself?"

"Juniper of the Sea"

The tiny pup jumps out of her hiding spot, and… the lady calls her a cutie pie. Callie falters for a moment as she thinks that isn’t going for cute but fierce. Is she doing something wrong? Moving into their path, she bristles and demands to know who they are why they are here. The stranger’s words have the girl blinking her mismatched gaze in surprise as she called a tiger and the pup can’t stop the grin that spreads across her curled lips at the recognition of her being scary. They settle back, lifting their paws in surrender and she stands tall, tail wagging at the fact that has caught her first prisoner! Wait, did she say she is allowed to be here?

Brows knit together in confusion but the pretty lady explains that Art is her brother and suggests that the girl should put her teeth away. Another, slow blink is given but her lips fall down to cover her teeth and she tilts her head. After a moment, she chirps, “K! You’re really my uncle’s sister? Not trying to lie, are you?” Head tilts as she looks at Juniper, trying to determine if she can trust this wolf. A brow is raised at her as little Caladia looks at the lady and a question is posed to her. A sheepish grin spreads across her tiny lips as she says, “Uh, maybe not…”

Ears slick back a moment before an idea has her bouncing slightly in place. “Listen, I’ll take you to the castle if you promise not to tell my parents about this. Please?” Callie has been warned by her mother not to be out near the borders by herself but the girl doesn’t see any harm in it. Still, she doesn’t want her to worry so maybe it is best for her not to know. With a shy smile, she adds, “I’m Callie. Your dad and my dad are brothers! That makes you… my… aunt?” She poses it as questions since she is uncertain about how the whole relations thing works.


"Caladia Carpathius"

Juniper watches the gamut of emotions from confusion to curiosity and suspicion cross over the pup's face before finally settling on happy acceptance. The girl asked if she was really her uncle's sister, to which Juniper raised a paw while crossing her chest with the other. "I swear upon the moon and stars," she reassured the pup with a playful smile. Not that lying to a child would really be a difficult thing to do, but in this case, she was telling the truth. When the tawny pup gives her a sheepish grin and admits to breaking the rules herself by being out here with a stranger on her own, June shoots her a knowing look and a smirk. Yeah, she didn't think so, but what fun was life if you didn't misbehave at least a little bit every now and then? She wasn't going to narc on the girl though. Snitches and stitches and all that good stuff.

The girl proposes a deal—Juniper kept her mouth shut about the pup's rule breaking and in turn she would be escorted to the castle. A light laugh escaped June and she replied with a giggling, "All right, deal!" Rising to her paws again, she followed the girl who introduced herself as Callie across the lush grass plains in the direction of the monolithic castle in the distance. "Nice to meet you, Callie. I'm Juniper. But you can call me June, and I'm still gonna call you Tiger, just so ya know," she teased the pup with a playful wink. She was still pretty young herself, so she knew how to excite and delight the younglings. Callie made a comment how her dad was also brothers with Artorias, which tipped her off as to whose offspring she was. So she was Rudyard's kid, eh? "Ehh, technically... It's a bit messy, but basically Tamsyn is my mom and your dad's mom, but we have different dads, so I'm your half-aunt." Yeah, she didn't really get the whole intricacies of their family tree either. The Carpathius lot was a screwy bunch, but hey, they were family!

"Juniper of the Sea"