Whitebark Stream The world will be just fine.

He had never gone this far beyond the whelping burrow, and literally everything filled him with excitement. Winter's scruffy little tail never ceased its wagging as he investigated each new sight with enthusiasm. A tasty looking pile of dirt, a funny-coloured leaf on the ground, even the hairy little body of a caterpillar that munched happily through a tall blade of grass.

Juniper tagged along too, much to the ashen cub's delight. It meant he was not alone in sticking his nose into places where it shouldn't be, and he could easily point the blame at her if he needed to. She also saw things differently from him, drawn to other curiosities that Winter initially missed but simply could not lose out on.

He was about to follow his sister in the direction of a strange, furry insect that buzzed around the wildflowers when their father called out. Winter turned attention on the adult at once, feigning innocence as he made a sudden shift to quicken in the ranger's direction so that he might catch up. Juniper was not far behind him, and she reached out to chomp at his face - hard enough to warrant a shriek of objection from her unsuspecting sibling. Artyom's scold nipped this potential altercation in the bud, and the duo blinked innocently up at the golden leader as though nothing had ever transpired between them.

Deep down, however, Winter harboured a grudge. He would give his littermate the stink eye as soon as dad glanced away.