The sound of a death scream stopped the puppy in her tracks as her ears shot up and turned in the directions of the horrible noise. Then, just as quickly as it had started, it stopped, and the field returned to the eerie silence of before. Heart hammering in her little chest, Inari's dirty emerald eyes scanned the tall grass as she searched for the source of that sound. It had come in the same direction where the fox had disappeared. Had it…

A sudden voice broke the silence and Inari yelped in surprise. Towering over her was the face of her mother! The familiar red face peered down at her as those teal eyes glared at her in disapproval. At once, the child's tail tucked under her belly as she lowered herself to the ground. What was Mom doing out here? Inari had been sure she had sneaked away without anyone seeing her! Wait… something wasn't right. The longer she looked at Mom, she began to see Dad hidden beneath her gaze. Those were his stripes, right?

He spoke again, confirming without a doubt that he was indeed a male, talking about the fox that had attacked her. But the aggressive canine was the last thing she was thinking about now. Slowly, Inari rose to her paws again as she continued to stare at the wolf. Her nose twitched as she inhaled his scent. Her eyes grew wide as she realized there was something uncanny about the smell wafting from that all too familiar coat. Already she had forgotten what he had said as she felt her brows lower in a suspicious glare. "Who are you and why do you look like my parents?"