Hyaenodon's Last Stand Part 2

The mother hyaenodon had caught a disturbing scent. It was that left by a large male hyaenodon. If he found her pups, they would be killed. To keep her family safe, she had to keep moving. At this point even in the night they continued moving. During the night, it rained for a short few minutes. Once the smell of the rival hyaenodon was out of her nose, she became more relaxed. But the reality was, the only place they could afford to set up a den was at a watering hole. All this moving meant that they needed to feed frequently. The morning started off with more rain. But all it did for the hyaenodon family was wash away the scent and tracks of possible prey. Fortunately, her injured paw had mended. All day they went without a kill. As the day went by, her and her pups lay together. One of her pups, missing the taste of milk, attempted to suckle. But she abruptly pushed him away with a growl. The two female pups just wanted to get some sleep,  and their mother decided they’d rest here. She curled herself protectively around them, and lay half awake, half asleep. The rain soon ceased. As afternoon rolled around and the sun reached its peak strength, even the male pup got tired. It was at this point in the day that hyaenodons became the most lazy. It was hot, so hunting wouldn’t be very effective. The adult got up and roused her pups. They had to go find shade. They trudged tiredly over to a fallen tree and lay next to it. They settled in, preparing to rest. Then, out of the corner of her eye, one of the pups spotted another hyaenodon passing by. This was a stranger male. He was rather young, a nomad just like the family. Wanting to get to shade, he moved towards the fallen tree. Suddenly freezing, he sniffed the air. Having caught their scent, he came near to investigate. But without standing up, the mother hyaenodon snarled, baring her teeth and pressing back her ears. The stranger backed up, curious. He immediately felt a strange attachment to the female. The more he looked at her, the more she seemed familiar to him. He crept closer, getting a good sniff. That was when the memories came flooding like water from a busted dam. His BirthDen, the first tantalizing taste of milk... She was his mother! However, she didn't recognize him. She growled, wanting him gone.