Sun Mote Copse “Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.” —Winnie the Pooh

An explanation for Prim's downtrodden mood did not come and Meerkat did not press him. She simply held onto the frail young boy, until he slipped from her grasp and settled on the ground at her feet. She eyed the top of his head thoughtfully, though her gaze drew upward when the boy's mother approached.

-"Hi, Neema!"- Meerkat greeted with her usual enthusiasm. She jumped to her feet, wove around her cousling and romped toward Niamh. She stopped about a yard away and craned her neck to sniff without touching. A throaty little laugh escaped her as she watched her Neema pluck the fur, some of it drifting toward her and tickling her nose.