Miska’s tail swayed behind him with enthusiasm, and a small smile tugged at the corners of his charcoal lips, as he watched the silver pup drag the twisted tree root towards the edge of the water where he was standing. His smile widened into a grin as he noticed how the girl continued to stake her claim over his root. Even as she leaned forwards to stare into the murky water in search of fish, her limbs remained spread over it defensively, as if she were standing over a fresh kill.

When the scent of the coyotes caught his attention, Miska had attempted to remain calm and had tried to distract the pup, making up excuses as to why she should return home immediately. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her and let her in on how potentially serious that situation was. However, the girl was not easily fooled and she was soon posturing aggressively at the three coyotes who had suddenly appeared from the shadows. Furthermore, she demanded that they continue to fish, despite the presence of the hungry scavengers.

Sensing her immediate danger, Miska moved to place himself in front of the girl. His tail rose to stiffen aggressively above his back, whilst his dark lips curled back to display sharp, pearl white fangs. One of the coyotes growled, though before he could respond, a howl rung out and a dark shape emerged from the forest, moving at speed. Amber eyes took a second to focus on the dark female with the peach-orange stare, and breathe in her scent – enough time for him to sense her authority before she began barking orders at him.

Miska wasn’t going to argue.

The male’s attention returned to the silver pup, his eyes wide. “Come on, you heard her, go!” He insisted, turning around to try and nudge the girl with his muzzle in an attempt to get her to move. “I’ll take this.” There was really no time to argue, and allowing the girl the option to carry the tree root would only slow them down. He snatched the root hurriedly between his jaws before glancing back, long enough to catch sight of the pale female and offer her a quick nod, before he began to move away – a muffled bark erupting from him as he paused, waiting for the silver pup to lead the way.

As the group of coyotes closed in on them, Miska’s worries about hurting the pup’s feelings were replaced with the need to get her out of harm’s way. No matter how tough she thought she was, the silver girl was no match for the three hungry scavengers. Ignoring her loud protest, the dark male proceeded to retrieve the twisted tree root and clamped it securely between his jaws. Lifting his chin up high, he made sure that she would be unable to reach up and grab it. A small growl was given for good measure, just to prove that this time he was being serious.

Focusing completely on the silver pup, despite the loud growls and yelps going on behind them, Miska tried to encourage the small girl to lead him to the territorial borders, as she had been instructed. Following closely behind her, the dark male weaved his way between the trees, away from the fighting. Swiftly they towards an area of uneven ground, hidden away beneath a thick canopy, and scattered with moss-covered rocks. The scent of moss and the way the light struggled to filter down between the cedar trees in some ways reminded him of his old home.

Blinking his amber eyes, he gave a sharp inhale of the marked borders as they approached them and gradually slowed to a stop, pausing a few lengths away from the invisible boundary. Glancing back down to the pup, he offered a small huff to her, his head nodding with encouragement towards the territory beyond. She was safe now. Meanwhile, his attention went back to the two females, and his ears began to flicker atop his head as he listened out for sounds of the fight going on back by the edge of the water, wondering if he should dare to leave the pup alone to get a piece of the action.