Bearclaw Valley well shit

An uneasy silence stretched between them and Lucas' expression fell by the second. He couldn't help wondering what he'd done wrong for her to receive him so dourly. True, he'd only been reunited with his mother for a short time, but he couldn't remember a time when Laurel was ever displeased to see him. He parted his lips to ask again, but she broke the silence then and he remained slack-jawed and stunned.

It was slow to happen, but a beat picked up in his tail and a goofy grin found its home on his raven lips. He didn't stop to think about the logistics of it. He'd never had a father before, so the notion that Laurel was having more cubs without a father didn't faze him. Oh, mom, that's wonderful!! he breathed, and he meant it. When Mona told him about her babies, Lucas was ecstatic, and that was nothing compared to how it felt to know he was going to be, A big brother!

But something was wrong, and he was astute enough to pick up on it. He wasn't always the smartest cookie, but Lucas excelled at reading emotions. Laurel hadn't said it with the giddy excitement that Mona had, and she seemed... down? Knitting his brows together, Lucas wondered, aren't you happy about it too?