His eye lids fluttered, lifting slowly. But he didn't need his eyes to tell him what he already knew. Warm-mum was gone, she had left him. Before his warm-mum would never leave his side and he could always nuzzle deeper into her soft warm-mum belly, but these past few days she had started going away for minutes... hours. Where was she? He could sense a presence outside: that watchful shadow that Gus had yet to meet face to face. No matter how he cried and yipped, the sentinel would not come any closer, would not hold him and cuddle him like mom did. Sometimes he could hear the guardian shuffle around and readjust his shadow in response to Gus' whines. But that was it.
"Muuuummmm," the dusky boy cried from inside the darkness of the bear den, "Whur muuuuuum. Want mum. MUM MUMMMMMMM."
Outside of the den he watched the silhouette of the mysterious den-watcher. Its ears twitched. Encouraged by thi small response, the boy raised his voice, "MY MUM. GET MUM. WUR MUM. HELPHELP. MUM." The guardian shuddered, but gave no other indication that he had heard Gus. Pouting, the pudgy heir to Grizzly Hollow relented. Suddenly he found himself wobbling, his eyelids heavy again. But he didn't want to go to bed, not without warm-mum. Shaking himself violently, the child resolved to stay awake.
9pm - 10:30pm EST weekdays
Weekends sporadically.