the little pup was completely oblivious to the not-so-subtle cues the Alphess was attempting to give her. It was her personality, and her personality only that had her sit attentively in front of Aithne now instead of jumping back into the den to explore. She looked up at the woman, her face completely innocent of any malintent. Her respect for Big Wolf transferred to a respect for Aithne. She could not explain why, and it was obvious on some level she really did not care. Innate friendliness transformed to automatic respect for those who did not insult or actively attempt to injure her. Whether she could describe it to someone, or whether it could actually be considered ‘manners’ was a completely different debate.

Her lolling tongue rolled back into her mouth and her fur bristled. Barely weeks old she had tried to fight off Maverick, at nearly a year she would prove herself to this woman, too. She would not be so easily discredited! “I can still try!” Her milk teeth bared at the non-existent foe. She eyed Aithne, wondering if this strange woman would challenge her, or have her rise to a challenge. Even as a pup, she would take it. No one could claim Pine backed down from anything.

Ignoring her relation to fleas, Pine’s attention was snapped onto the pup. Her grin was stretched from ear to ear and her eyes shined excitedly. Tail in the air, she watched the Aster closely, eager to play with her. As the small form ambled forward, Pine opened her mouth in play defense. She was careful to keep her lips firmly covering her blunt teeth, as extra precaution when she tossed her head from side to side she made sure her jaws stayed a safe distance from the young thing. Her body kept close to the ground, giving Aster as much of an opportunity to climb up her as she could. The grin shined in every line of her face.