Greatwater Lake dripping in solid gold

"I am Kaertok," he said and Meerkat sucked in a breath, marveling at this serendipitous meeting. Her lips parted but she found herself momentarily speechless. Somehow, she hadn't thought about what to say to the man if she found him. Or maybe she had and the words simply fled her at the moment. She was having trouble thinking.

She realized he'd asked her a rather pointed question, so Meerkat started there after doing a quick mental reboot. "Towhee," she said, "Redhawk. I'm her daughter, Meerkat, and she—we—have reason to believe..." She paused, eyes big, heart thudding. "You might be my father."