Phoenix Maplewood would you be so kind

her mother had not seemed as impressed as she'd hoped, when she'd successfully crept out after her as she had slipped away in search of lunch. still, Dawn had let her stay with only a short warning about creeping off on her own, referencing one of the tales she'd told the brood not long after it'd become apparent that they were capable of doing just that. "you remember the story I told you, about Sunny and your grandfather?" she did, and she certainly did not want any of her parents getting bit by a snake. 

and so she pretended to be on her own adventure, as if she were big enough and seasoned enough to be out here on her own. her mother's short barks every time she drifted a little too far shattered the illusion briefly until she hurried back within range of the matriarch. as her mother paused to examine something unseen, the pup veered off the game trail as a flash of movement caught her attention, eyes glued to a bird painted in vivid crimson as it flit through the canopy.

hare, not as fresh as she'd like, but recent enough to warrant a search. gaze flits back to her daughter, only to find the place she'd stood a moment ago to be empty. her hackles prickle, that familiar panic edging in, and she calls, sharply, for the girl. five seconds pass without movement before she moves, finding her daughter's scent swiftly and charging after it. for a second, she loses it. 

she calls again, sharply, and in the moment it takes her to account for her daughter's swift change of direction she is overtaken by panic. the scent morphs, and she is a year younger, following desperately after another pup, long ago. and then there is her daughter, ears tight against her crown and tail tucked as she takes in her mother's face. "b--juniper! don't do that. I told you to stay close." the last word fades into a growl, stalking forward to nose over her daughter, as if to assure herself she is real. her heart pounds, jaw tightening as she stands over the girl.

the first call is ignored in favour of following after the brightly coloured lure. when it bursts through the canopy and out of sight, however, juniper turns back sheepishly to heed the second call. the expression writ across her mother's face, however, is enough to turn sheepishness into guilt, and she comes to a stop as her tail plummets. "I was!" she promises, twisting to place nervous, placating licks on her mother's muzzle. "I was just -- I was just following the birdy, then come back!" her tail flicks nervously, picking up on her mother's nervous energy and mirroring it swiftly.

her daughter's placating licks, her worried tone, strike a chord -- but her panic does not falter, and anger flares a moment. she opens her maw, closes it. despite it all, she's managed to remain steadfast for her children, and she can not allow that to change now. so she waits a moment, until the panic seizes to lodge in her throat and instead slips down to settle in her chest. "no," she says, tampering down the fear and anger and carving sternness onto her features. "you can't go off like that, not when I've told you to stay close. definitely not outside the territory. it's dangerous, juniper -- even for someone big, like me or отец." 

"I need you to be safe. you've got to stay close, and you've got to listen, or you can't leave the territory. do you understand, juniper?" she eyes the girl, wanting very much to draw her close but remaining stiff until she can be sure the lesson is somewhat imparted. she knows very well, however, how easy it is to disregard instruction if you've young and sheltered and much like she had been, years ago on the Cuesta.

dangerous is just a word, and empty concept she's yet to experience. her mother's words have less weight than she probably had hoped them to have, though juniper understands the concept of not-being-allowed very well. the girl nods, and in the moment is entirely certain that she will not, under any circumstances, not listen. "yeah. I'll listen, promise." 

the situation is markedly uncomfortable, and she shifts beneath her mother's scrutiny. "can we go look for more pretty birdy?" she suggests, hoping the rather sneaky attempt at redirecting her mother's attention will save her from any further lecturing.