Grouse Thicket steel in our veins

The woman's sudden cry of "Wait!" made all her muscles freeze, even though she was already stationary. It turned out she did know Raleska. Meerkat hung on her every word, though ultimately there wasn't a whole lot of actionable information in there. Nonetheless, she smiled in thanks and repeated Bridget's name in her head, her inner voice tacking on an inquisitive, Fairy?

"Thank you for the information! Again, it was nice meeting you both. I'll definitely let Charles know you said 'hello' the next time I see him," Meerkat rejoined cheerfully. She sort of wished she could stay and chat a little longer, though she was a girl on a mission! She offered both Bridget and Draper one last parting bow of her head and a smile before she dipped.

Her body felt a little stiff from her nap, so she threw in some stretches as she began to walk. Soon, her muscles warmed and she made good time as she circumvented the slough and approached the coastline. Idly, she wondered about Bridget's mention of the mountains and willows, though she tucked that thought into her back pocket for the time being.

When she retraced her steps about two hours later, Meerkat felt a little baffled. If they weren't at the moors, where was Rusalka now? Just to cover her bases, she swung by Heron Lake Plateau, not expecting to find much of anything there. And she didn't.

All of Towhee's geographical leads were a dead end then. Meerkat scratched her head, metaphorically speaking, as she roamed homeward. Maybe she should've felt frustrated by this plot twist, though mostly she was equal parts stumped and intrigued. In any case, she would not give up on finding Kaertok. Perhaps starting with Bridget's leads.