Moonspear Chipper and Loud

What could drive a wolf to leave their family? Kindle contemplated this through Kinusi's explanation, finding himself at a loss. It couldn't be that they were all just morally bankrupt. Apparently, they'd loved each other, and had tried to love each other well. The mystery of it unsettled him, and as a result, he was especially vehement when he said, "Me neither."

He did not speak on Katmai's behalf. The kid had up and left his own family, after all. That was none of Kindle's business, though, and he hoped he wouldn't do that to a family that he made himself.

"Was Treepie's momma... y'know. Like her?" he asked, giving few hints about what exactly he meant by this question. A moment later, he walked the question back and said instead, "She seems like she'd be a real dedicated mother."

She'd said as much, but Kindle didn't think he needed to repeat that to Kinusi, either.

"Kat's all about gettin' some kids up here," he told her, hoping to shift conversation away from Treepie entirely.