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

And there it was- proof that Meerkat had been spending far too much time with Bronco. 

Niamh remained in a defensive position for a moment or two, hoping that maybe Meerkat was trying some sort of unusual diversion to distract her so that she could attack when Niamh let her guard down...But the shimmying and footwork- while fancy- wasn't what Niamh had asked for, and while she wasn't aware of it, she'd begun to frown softly in consternation. The future of the pack would be in the hands of their young- which meant that it'd be left to her ineffective son, and his dance-fighting younger sister. She'd never imagined that @Nellie would be the spitfire that she'd become, but she would have to simply wait and hope for her daughter to return so that she could have some faith in the pack's future. 

She wouldn't have thought twice about snapping at the child had Meerkat been born as one of her own. While she saw all the children as being siblings, she did defer to Towhee's parenting methods for Meerkat, and wouldn't implement training techniques that she wasn't absolutely certain that Towhee would do herself. So she restrained herself, though it took every ounce of her patience to do so. 

-No, Meerkat,- Niamh said calmly. It was painful, seeing how eagerly Meerkat looked to her for a reaction, hoping maybe for a laugh or for applause. But she wouldn't get that from Niamh, though she tried to temper her disappointment a bit, and put on a tiny bit of a smile. -I meant your fighting moves, not...That,- She said. She lowered her chest a bit, hoping to invite the child into a spar, without having to prompt her further.