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

The world was fun. Lucas liked it immensely, but he knew his boundaries. That little tuft of grass poking out of the roots of a shrub, and that overturned pebble, and the puddle over to the far left—he was not allowed to venture beyond those. He stumbled a couple of steps away from the larger pup he'd collided with and sat down heavily in the grass, tail sweeping the young blades as he cracked a large yawn. It was going to be warm, and he was happy to sit outside with the new arrival and soak up the sun.

He was already letting his folds and bulk settle out around him when Piper emerged as well, far more energetic and driven than him in that moment. His tail gave a few welcoming wags, perfectly rhythmic as always, but his attention ultimately remained on Nunataq because she was doing an Unwelcome Thing. He watched as her posture lifted and her chest went out and a weird feeling descended over him, but he was unable to describe it or react appropriately; Lucas hadn't had a single negative emotion in his life and this new sense of wrongness coming from the new arrival wasn't something he was capable of sorting out in the moment.

It didn't matter, for soon her Unwelcome Thing became a Bad Thing as she stepped past the pebble that marked Lucas' threshold and he froze on the spot, the quiet music in his head that dictated his life turning up as anxiety suddenly made his heart beat faster. He glanced at Piper—was she going to do that, too? Lucas had made plain his own stance; he was a good pup who only wanted to dance and be happy, not a rule breaker.