What does maternal mean

Which sentence from the story is an example of conflict? “here were many men, and countless dogs, and buck found them all at work.” “buck had been purposely placed between dave and sol-leks so that he might receive instruction.” “by afternoon, perrault, who was in a hurry to be on the trail with his despatches, returned with two more dogs.” “that night buck faced the great problem of sleeping.”

1) each morning , dew glistens on the grass. 2) the sun yawns , scanning the horizon for companion clouds. 3) perched high ancient oak trees, startlings and sparrows announce a new day.

Which best explains the role that the theme of freedom plays in this excerpt