The forest was dark and eerily quiet. It made the sharp crunch and crackle of brittle leaves and the sound of small twigs snapping underfoot echo that much louder through the cedar trees as he moved. A result of the forest debris having grown dry beneath the scorching heat of the midday sun, it made his attempts to travel through the area unnoticed practically impossible.

Traipsing quickly, in the hope that he would avoid drawing too much attention from the pack which he could smell nearby, the dark male continued to meander his way through the tall redwoods towards the lagoon, a thick twisted tree root clenched possessively between his jaws.

When Miska finally reached the edge of the lagoon, he took care to place the moss-covered root down safely on the muddy bank, far enough away from the crumbling water's edge that there was no risk of it accidentally falling in. Stepping out into the sun, with his back turned to the shadowy forest, the male moved to lap at the cool, refreshing water, though his ears remained upright and alert for any suspicious rustling that could sound out behind him.

The cool water of the lagoon helped to soothe his throat. The scorching hot temperatures and subsequent lack of moisture in the air had caused it to grow dry, sore and irritable. As his salmon pink tongue lapped eagerly at the water, his dark tail swayed contentedly behind him and his shoulders sagged with relief.

Miska was unable to enjoy the feeling for long though, as a damp and earthy scent reached his nose and immediately drew his attention away from the ripping water at his lips. It was the same scent that had been lingering in the air, the one belonging to pack he had smelled nearby. Now it was much more pungent however, more distinct, and he could pick out accents of pine, cedar and the musky whiff of beaver mixed in.

A cold shiver ran up his spine, causing the dark fur along his back to stand on end. Convinced that he had been spotted, his ears flattened anxiously and his stance became rigid as he proceeded to lift his head from the water and slowly turn around. Amber eyes inspected the dark forest with suspicion as the sound of rustling reached his ears, causing his heartbeat to quicken.

Amber eyes narrowed, then widened in surprise, as caught sight of a small silver pup – no older than a few months – slip out from the shadows of the tall cedar trees. Miska relaxed a little and observed the girl curiously as she bound towards him, attempting to greet her with a tentative wave of his tail. However, as she moved to grab the moss-covered root he had placed down on the bank, his posture changed.

“Hey, no, wait!” He called after her as she began to scramble away, hoping that it would encourage her to stop for a moment, long enough for him to catch up. Dark paws stepped after her, his ears pressed back awkwardly against his head as he tried to chase after her without seeming too threatening to the small pup. “Be careful with it, that’s mine.” He informed her as calmly as he could manage.

Miska had hoped that maybe, if he remained calm and non-threatening, the small pup would take pity on him and return the twisted moss covered root to his possession. He moved after the girl, his head low and tail swaying at his ankles, as she attempted to scramble away with it. As his long legs drew him closer, however, it became obvious that the pup had no intention of giving it back. The root may have fallen from her jaws, but she now positioned her body possessively over it and fiercely claimed it as her own.

The male gave a huff in irritation, a frown creasing his brow and his shoulders sagged down, as his amber eyes gazed down to the root between her tiny paws. Eyeing her with a narrowed gaze, he contemplated what to do next. It would have been easy to snatch it back off of her there and then, but Miska had no intention of physically overpowering the pup.

Clicking his teeth together, he took a large step back before calmly settling down onto his haunches, thick tail sweeping over to settle over his dust covered paws as he scanned the area around them. Perhaps he could convince her to trade it for something else, something of potentially much greater value. “Okay...” He murmured, his amber gaze returning to the small silver girl. “What do you want for it?” A single brow lifted as he gave a sharp tilt of his head, curious to hear what she might be willing to trade for the root.

Dark ears pricked up as he heard the small girl murmur, excited that she was actually taking his offer of a trade into consideration. The tip of his tail flicked up and down upon his neatly collected forepaws as he waited the few moments it took the pup to decide on an item worthy of such a deal. Her suggestion of a large fish in exchange for his twisted tree root was not what Miska had expected, but he nodded nonetheless in agreement, a small smile slipping across his charcoal lips as he glimpsed the excitement in her bright blue-grey eyes.

“Sure, I can get you a fish…” He said, perhaps a little too confidently, for he had little experience of fishing. “First, we have to spot one though.” He explained, moving to stand up and face back towards the glistening water of the lagoon. Stepping over, his forepaws came to stand at the muddy water’s edge where he had taken a drink before, his amber eyes staring down into the lagoon’s murky depths in search of fish-shaped shadows.

“Tell me if you see one.” Miska said quietly, as he continued to stare hard into the water, his tail swaying slowly behind him in concentration.

A few moments later however, a sudden gust of wind stole his attention away from the water. Snapping his head up quickly, Miska sniffed at the air and identified the scent of several coyotes on the breeze. Usually the yearling would not have paid much notice to them, but with the pup hanging around him, he was inclined to feel somewhat responsible for her safety. He glanced down at the small silver girl now, his brows pinching together anxiously.

“Hey, uh, actually this might take me a while. There’s no point you sitting around getting all bored. Why don’t I take you back to your parents and bring you the big fish later?” He suggested, a nervous smile pulling at the corners of his charcoal lips, as he backed away from the water and turned to face the part of the forest where she had appeared from.