Whitewater Gorge Let's see if it's possible to pinpoint its origin.

100% okay :)

He followed, tongue-tied. Unable to breach the topic, he remained silent as they wandered, and eventually he became too tired to ask, anyway. When he looked back over his shoulder, the plateau in the distance grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared altogether, hidden by trees and clouds and the rolling hills they had passed over. The lands grew flat and plain, and the caldera was so far behind them that even the expanse of the flatlands revealed nothing. 

Every now and again he would say her name softly; he received no answer and no explanation. Eventually, he stopped saying it- and only thought it in his mind. 

Why haven't we stopped yet?

Aren't we far enough?

What was chasing you- and whose blood is that?

His busy thoughts kept him quiet, compliant with her silent order to keep going forward. Snowflakes fell, and the sky grew grey. When the wind picked up, he lowered his head and fought on against it, squinting to keep the fluttering snowflakes out of his eyes. He pulled his lips tight, and finally glanced toward Anathema when she spoke. A quiet nod was all he gave, as he glanced toward the sky and saw no sign that the storm would break soon. 

Hope grew thin as they bunkered down together, and Ponyboy remained quiet. He worried what his mother must be thinking- but he wasn't willing to bring it up. He felt paralyzed- fearing what Anathema might have to say, but hungering for the answer all the same. 

Anathema was the first to break through the snowy wall that had settled, locking them into quiet but insulated darkness for the night. He blinked against the streaming light as it filtered in, and carefully gathered his paws beneath himself- willing to go out into the open, but Anathema's confession gave him reason to pause. 

"We'll find our way back," He said softly. "We've been gone too long, and I didn't get time to explain to Mom..." He said. He didn't want to aim for the ocean anymore- not when they were potentially lost.