He had left her unattended, which was something she had gotten used to, always trusting that he would eventually return, and he was never away too long. Big Wolf had been watchful and consistent, Pine’s trust in him growing deeper just as she grew bigger. There had been times when he had left that she wandered out of the den, never too far, and always returning before Big Wolf had a chance to worry about her. After her first great adventure she was a little more cautious about leaving the protective boundary of Iromar, though she was completely unaware of the dangers she could run into in the misty moors. She was convinced here there was no danger, this was where she had been saved. As cautious as she was though, she could not deny a deep seeded need to explore. Soon after red and white bulk left her small multi-hued body (that was mostly paws) slipped out as well.

She had been planning this outing for days, sometimes even going to far as to asking Big Wolf when he was going to go on one of his patrols again. Staring up at him with her shining green eyes, she thought he must have thought she was up to something, either staying behind or taking her with him. Today she had lost patience and pretending to be too sleepy to come with him on his adventures, begging him to let her stay behind this time. The second his tail vanished from the mouth of the den, she zipped out and in the opposite direction, setting to her task immediately. She took trails that were becoming familiar to her, straying off them only in places she was confident. A wild grin on her face she set herself on the banks of one of the smaller bodies of water, crouching in the mud. Forested vision peered from the muck, waiting. Finally, one of her targets peered back at her. A frog stared at her with its stupid gold eyes. Excited, she launched herself forward, snapping her jaws at the tiny prey. Her teeth closed around it and the fleshy creature exploded in her mouth. A yelp of surprise followed by coughing and choking filled the mini moor. Once her windpipe was clear again she growled at the mangled bits. This was not at all what she had wanted. Eyes narrowed she trotted to another location and burrowed herself into the muck again. This time when her foe showed up she jumped on its head and crushed it in her paws. Barking victoriously, she snatched it up by its leg and moved to yet another ambush spot. Her little heart started to beat faster as she gathered her victims. Once she had a pile of five, she carefully picked them all up and carried them back to the den she shared with Big Wolf. At the mouth, she sniffed around to make sure he had not returned yet. Her tail wagged once and she tossed the frog corpses into the shelter. Tongue rolling out she dashed away again, determined to find more!

On Pine’s second trip her nose brought her across the path of a small rodent like creature. Eyes widened in excitement. This creature was about as big as she had been when she had first come to Iromar! It stared back at her with mean rodent eyes and turned to try to get away. The fierce young pup snarled and dived after it, mouth agape. There was a tussle where the rodent flailed around, whipping its head and its bald tail, trying to get her off it. Pine held onto it with her sharpening teeth and claws, biting viciously at its neck and tearing at it the best she could. Only once did she yelp when it bit at her paws, almost losing it before tackling it again and biting harder. Soon the fight was over and the dead water rat was at her feet. She panted happily, her ribs heaving with the effort of the fight and excitement over the kill. Pleased with herself she picked up her prize and all but pranced back to the den, her banner erect behind her, waving a flag of victory.

Back at the den she piled her prizes in the center, placing the rat on top. Swelling with pride over her gifts for Big Wolf, she plopped her rump down, her face towards the entrance and tail wagging madly behind her. All that mattered was that she did this, and that Big Wolf would be proud of her!