Sheepeater Cliff even though I can no longer reach you

Poor little tyke. He had a name that reminded her of her own lineage. He seemed so small and helpless; his stained cheeks and soft innocence pressed upon her nurturing instincts. As he explained that his mother had gone missing, she rested her chin on the ground, looking up at him. She wanted to cuddle him and purr and lick him until he felt better, but these weren't appropriate or particularly helpful.

So, as Haruki stared at the ground, the cat lifted herself back up and took a slow but protective step toward him, stepping sideways as though to shield him from the wind. Well, let's go find her then. What's she look like? Umi figured that it couldn't hurt to help him try to find her.

She realized that based on his use of we, his mother might have been missing for a longer period than an hour. Part of her hoped that the wolf cub might have simply been separated from her for a short spell, but worried it just wasn't so.
Regardless, she could always bring him back wherever they came from if they failed in their quest. Surely he had more family looking after him — that was how wolves worked, right?

She took a step toward the slopes, watching and waiting for the little cub to follow and fill her in on the details.