Arrow Lake didn't see that coming

For his puppy task!

Mesa had returned time and again to one particular path within the territory's heart; it was where he felt secluded enough to feel things without reprimand, and where he'd been working to clear some of the saplings as a form of stress relief. The past few hours had been spent clearing away some of the fresh leaves that had fallen, sweeping them away in places or rolling in them until they were pulverized in to tiny pieces. It was his space, nobody knew about it - well, except his mother. Takiyok had found him at some point while trying to drag a particularly large branch free, and it had made him feel powerful.

Today as he worked at his space, something kept getting in his way. He was more lethargic than usual and didn't have the patience required to clear away the newest leaf-fall, but more importantly... He had an audience. A small ground squirrel (which looked too young and pithy to be made a meal of) was quietly chattering from high up in a tree. Mesa could've let it go - it was easy enough to let the sound fade in to the forest's constant hum, but... He was naturally in an antagonistic state of mind lately.

When he caught sight of its tiny red shape, he lunged upwards against a tree, balancing awkwardly on his hindquarters, and snapped his teeth (as if that would be warning enough). Rather than spook and run, the squirrel raced from one tree to another in a crescent, forcing Mesa to follow - and then when he was upright again (hoisted on a nearby tree a few seconds later) the creature threw a half-formed acorn which grazed his brow.