herding cats in a hurricance

For as quickly as Whittier attempted to clamber to the entrance of the den, his sister suddenly appeared at his side, shooting past him like a dart. The boy saw her scoot past him and instantly he began to grumble indignantly. How dare she just waggle on past like this wasn't the greatest struggle of her lifetime, which it obviously was.

Whittier paused for a moment, his sides heaving breathlessly. He couldn't really remember what he was annoyed with in the first place, but it didn't matter now. He had a new target. Sucking in a deep breath, he began his forward charge again and eventually wriggled up behind her. With a grunt, he jumped at her, aiming to clamp her ear in his jaws, but instead hitting her somewhere around the muzzle and then tumbling ineffectively onto the ground beside her, his thick arms flailing uselessly about him.