Bearclaw Valley Bees, bees, bees - everywhere - bees!

Nunataq continued on but Piper stopped, and that was enough for Lucas. The th-thump of his heart began to wind back down to normal levels as he watched her falter, but still refused to move from his spot. Their new playmate was a welcome addition to his life but he didn't feel for her quite the same way he did for his mother or his siblings. She could disappear into the wilds and would leave hardly a trace on his long-term memory. They were scarcely even acquaintainces, after all, and if she left, so would the feeling of wrongness that her authoritative actions elicited. Lucas wouldn't say no to negativity being quashed.

His posture sharpened up and he whipped his head to the side when Piper yawped. He hadn't been expecting it and it set his nearest ear to ringing. He flicked it—that buzzing noise didn't jive well with the beat that was his life—and then tilted his head so far back when Laurel emerged from the den that he lost his balance and tumbled backward over himself. A huge smile broke his face at the sight of his mama and his tail beat strongly against the ground—Nunataq's Bad Thing was forgotten, just like that.