My last post! 
WC: 300+
The impatient pup suddenly bubbled over with energy, prancing circles around her and bounding to show the way. All children seemed to have that limitless exuberance - where did it go when they grew up? Coli could distinctly remember how adults seemed slow and boring, how she could move at the speed of light when she was that small. And somewhere along the way, she had ended up slow and boring like everyone else did when they got big. Maybe it would be good for Zana to stay small. Maybe it meant she could retain her youthful energy.
They reached a sandy grove outside the scent markers, ratty shrubs and inhospitable thorn bushes surrounding the wizened trunks of the oak trees they sought. Careful not to touch the leaves, Coli rose on her tip-toes, stretching her slender arms to snap off a whippy twig in each hand. The fresh woody scent reached her sensitive nostrils as she brought the branches together, the bouquet of vivid-green leaves fluttering as her fingers firmly secured their twiggy handles. Before she could speak, Zana's attention had been caught by the growing berries replacing the moulting petals of flowers by-gone. "Those? Oh, those aren't ripe yet, Zana. We're better off with these leaves for now, but in the fall when the leaves have fallen, those berries will be a perfect substitute. Good catch!" Her instinct was to ruffle the girl's ears, but she curbed her affection, not about to forget her vehement denial of contact any time soon.
The tentative werewolf explained patiently to the little coyote how she could set up bait. Gather dead fish that had washed up onshore, and stuff them with the oak leaves. The greedy birds would still shun the vegetation, but would consume enough residue of the tannins to invoke the thirst and digestive upset. It might take several tries, but eventually they would associate the sickening meal with where the pygmy girl lived, and would choose a different stretch of coastline. A basic trick, one she was happy to pass along. Still, she must always take care not to swallow any of the leaves herself, because the same components could hurt her stomach as well. Coli hoped that her lesson would do more help than harm; if teaching poisons to a child ended up twisting her in some way, she would never forgive herself.
