Sonora bit back a smile as the cub dashed forward, her lips twitching as he splashed her with river water and then darted away again. She wished she could engage with him, she truly did, but Grayson would kill her for disobeying, quite possibly literally. "Look, I know you want to play, but--" The gunshot in the distance had her head whipping around all her senses going on high alert. Sitting up, she frowned in that direction and wondered who would be stupid enough to disengage a firearm out here.<br/><br/>The soft whine from the little cub brought her attention back to him, which confronted her with another problem: what to do about him. Not knowing the situation made her wary of sending him off on his own even if it was in the opposite direction, and after a moment of indecision, she sighed and hoped that Grayson wouldn't kill her for what she was about to do. Motioning to the cub, she rose to her feet. "Come over here, then. We'd best find you a good hiding place for a little while." Waiting for the cub to cross the river, Sonora glanced around for a moment and then led him to a number of large rocks, one of which overhung the river a little. "Hide under here, and<em>don't move</em>from this spot unless I or someone else from your pack comes to get you. Understand?"<br/><br/>After waiting for his answer, she shifted again, her protective instinct making her wolf want to snarl. A soft whine from the cub, however, had her turning to nuzzle the little one, even going so far as licking him, just once. Backing away from his hiding place, she released a low, warning growl to ensure he would stay put and then loped off in the direction the shot had come from.