Sun Mote Copse Can the child within my heart rise above

When her big sister greeted her, Meerkat smiled broadly and plopped onto her hindquarters, tail skittering to and fro as she simply gazed up in adoration. When she heard footsteps approaching from the rear, her right ear twitched but her attention remained riveted upon Fen. Only when she heard a strange rumble pitched much lower than Towhee's voice did the pup blink and snap her head sideways to appraise Bronco.

"BUNCO!" the child exclaimed, then remembered to throw in the sign for his name she so loved making. -Bronco!- Her eyes glittered with interest as she noted the hunk of venison in his mouth. The smell filled her nostrils, activating her salivary glands. Meerkat started to drool, licking her chops reflexively even as she kept staring at the meat.

Towhee sidled closer to the young trio and said, "Hey, would you guys mind keeping an eye on her for a few?" She didn't give a reason, just made a jerky gesture before striding away, trusting the yearlings could look out for Meerkat while she took a few minutes to herself.

Meerkat didn't pay much attention to her mother, her focus finally shifting from the chunk of meat in Bronco's mouth back to Fennec. She was too young to be particularly perceptive, so she didn't notice her sister's black mood. But she did note her lack of a smile, something which she wanted to see. Better yet, Meerkat wanted to make her smile. So, apropos of nothing, she stretched out a foreleg and began to wiggle her toes against Fen's ribs with a playful, "Ticka, ticka, ticka!"