Verdigris Ravine i'll be your mother and i'll hold your hand

In the aftermath of her one child's existence only beginning, the only connection she had to the small boy's father she had, she cleaned and held him close to nurse. 

It was only then Kusuma realized that she had yet to pick out a suitable name for her litter of one (which irked her as her being correct, that Talis had seen Wolfmother's larger belly and preferred the wolf over the coyjackal for giving him more children). Darkwoman had wanted it to be special, and between fits of guilt and waves of torment that had flaked her lonely soul, had she settled upon a name fitting of such a child.

Har-ta, she whispered each syllable, another lick of her tongue between his closed eyes. He needed dried, and warm. At least, she hadn't had a child before, but he still looked rather wet- which made sense, he was just born - 

And his mother was still no better than when she had discovered his existence. She was a dutiful worker - in her eyes - but her own mother had not given her much thought beyond survival. The pack she had been born into was not one of familial connection. The furless tall ones had taken care of her litter more than Kusuma-ma did. 

Kusuma still shied away from others. Other prying eyes that could be lurking outside the mouth of the den she'd dug in the days prior to this moment. Her speech quivered with the next line.

And no matter what others say or do, Harta is loved and welcomed always in Kusuma's heart. Forever. Promise.