Heart beat out my chest.

His mother time was precious to him.  He did bat his paw against the mouse, though.  "Eat!"  he encouraged, wanting her to eat the limp creature before they started to walk.  After all, he had caught it for her.  Her or his father, if he had seen Lasher first.  Though he had wanted to give it to his mom, he wouldn't have kept the beta male from eating it if they had come across each other first.

Enthusiastically, he leaped after her when they did begin to walk.  Her paws guiding him toward shinies, he hoped.  His tail wagged back and forth.  There was so much to see in the world that he hadn't seen, and he wanted to see it all.

"Mama, joo see da Bayy?"  he asked, suddenly remembering the wolf he had met on the borders that had told him about the Bay place where she lived.