Sunbeam Lair i promised i wouldn’t do it again

Mother said she had brought him here to escape from all the rain, but Thade didn't believe her. Not for a second. He saw her limping; he knew she was exhausted. She panted without having run anywhere, and each step further seemed to make her legs quiver more and more. Eventually, she couldn't walk anymore. 

And, not long after that, she stopped breathing entirely.

The stolen boy stayed close to her body—unsure of what to do with himself—and tried to ignore the hunger and thirst that crept up on him dully. He stayed through the night, and the morning after, until the smell of rot became too unbearable and drove him away from the scene.

He began to sniff around the lair without much enthusiasm, or know-how, and confusion seemed to be the pervading emotion of his thoughts. Thade would look back in the direction of Mother every so often, and whine softly to himself, but he kept moving forward—unwittingly following the trail of another wolf.

Thade stopped alertly as he heard the rustling of a bush nearby, and he narrowed his eyes trying to spot the noise-maker through the leaves.