Phantom Hollow We're only about twenty miles from Ravenscar here.

O hi!

She combed along the riverside, headed south with the vague notion of dropping by the caldera to let Towhee know... Know what? What are you going to do? Meerkat asked herself, shaking her head and stopping to sniff at a cluster of cattails swaying near the bank. You could tell her the truth, her inner voice whispered and she clenched her teeth, retreating further downriver.

Meerkat bypassed a gorge, though not without stopping to shout some bungled version of Sakhmet's wayward friend's name. She thought of the time she'd found Fennec in a canyon. But if he was down there, he didn't reply. Meerkat's paws scraped audibly on the pebbly shale as she moved on toward the neighboring hollow.

She found someone there, her eyes flying wide in surprise. Then she remembered that Reyes had visited the coast, so he must be on his way home. Perhaps she could send a message along with him, let her mom know she would be away a while longer. That much was true, at least.

"Hey, Reyes!" she called out, trying to grab his attention as she loped toward him.