Heron Lake Plateau Because I'm the only person around here who looks this cool on a bike

Onoz, mom holds all the puppet strings and can make us all dance to her evil whims!  ;)  Now we're doomed.
lol, Houkie would be singlehandedly running all of Team Girl in this thread in that case...huh.  :P

Owen's wide green eyes spun to follow the surging tide of sisters that went galumphing past him in one fell swoop. Well. At least the puppyeating lake monster would get them first, right? Unless Vasa managed to raise enough of a stench to deter it, which seemed entirely possible. Owen still remembered the way she had stinkbombed the den in days past, although he thought her digestion had settled down by now...hopefully. He scooted a little further to the side and out of her direct path though just in case. Like most everything else in his young life, past experience had made him a little paranoid.

Phoebe was already close enough to bravely be sniffing the waters, and Kite was going a little crookedly... Owen abortively started to take half a step, but his wobbliest sister was getting increasingly good at correcting herself, and so Owen stayed rooted in place, paw hanging there dead in the air in a pathetic half-lifted state. He made another dismayed and uncertain noise in his throat, and jumped just a little as Momma's reassuring breath appeared like magic to tickle his right ear and then offer some additional reassurance. Just water, she said—but Owen was still a little dubious, because of course he was. He was glad that she'd told him it was his choice, that he didn't have to go running after Dad as eagerly as his sisters and was welcome to hang back here instead. Owen gratefully cleaved to his mother's side, transferring his clinginess from Quixote's shadow to his mother's shadowy muzzle.

Owen was greatly puzzled as to how his mother could seem so very relaxed and happy here, though, meantime. Didn't she know they'd left the warm and comfortable and familiar home den way, way behind them? Weren't they not supposed to wander this far from it?! Owen was feeling rather worried that even if they all survived this little adventure they might not be able to find their way back. He gave the air an experimental sniff to make sure their scent trail was still there...which it was, but it did seem to him that it was already starting to fade a little. Owen squirmed uncomfortably, but then—while still keeping his fuzzy body in contact with Raven as much as was caninely possible—took one big brave step forward and craned his neck with interest to see what Quixote was indicating to his sisters. Was he going to tell the pups about the big bad lake monster (which Owen had just about convinced himself had to be lurking somewhere underwater hereabouts, now)...? That sounded kind of exciting and interesting, at least so long as Owen had several other wolves between himself and it that is, and remained safely far back from the shoreline here by Mother's side. But on the other hand... from what Owen could glimpse beyond his father's dark bulk at least one sister seemed to really be liking the water way over there right now.

In spite of what he thought was his better judgement Owen took another venturesome step forward before he could think better of it. His ears were on high alert and his nose was twitching madly overtime as his attention was inexorably snagged by the alluring excitement of almost everyone else dancing about there at the shining waters' nearer edge. Almost everyone else—Owen cranked his neck awkwardly back for a quick glance at his mother. ...'Oo swim too? he asked impulsively, though he could hardly imagine the possibility of her answering yes. Why would anyone want to go all the way over there and into what looked like a very cold and wet expanse: mother's tongue baths were fine but surely nowolf would ever want to get that wet all over! Besides, it was easy for her to tell him not to be afraid...she was probably too big of a mouthful for the resident pondmonster to easily swallow.