Haruma was all snuggled into a slumbering pile with her brother and sister. It was early morning, not long before the sun would rise, and prime sleeping time. Soon the bright and fearsome sun would rise and suck the energy from them. They had spent the night before playing under the cool stars, though they had all succumbed to weariness long before morning drew near.
But something woke her. She groggily raised her head, paws tangled with her sister's, and her brother's chin resting on her rump. She yawned wide, tongue curling in a small yowl. What was it that had awakened her. Then it came again, a sound that had wound its way into her dreams and pulled her into the waking world.
It was the cry of a very young cub. It sounded so lonely, so sad, and so frightened! It broke Haruma's heart to hear such a wail. She carefully extricated herself from the warm pile of bodies, and moved quietly out of the den. Her ears swiveled as she located where the cries originated, and followed them to their source.
