Hoshor Plains some things are in our control (and others not)

When she returned to the caldera, Towhee was back, albeit badly injured and looking down a long road to recovery. As if that news wasn't bad enough, Tierra had traded places with their mother and was now missing. Meerkat promptly glued herself to the ailing Sovereign's side, finally getting the opportunity to update her mother about Phox, Niamh and the kids (if Rue hadn't beaten her to it), and explaining why they weren't back yet. She wasn't sure how Towhee would take the news, especially in her condition, but her mother just begged her to go back out there, round up all their wayward loved ones and bring them home, please.

It was hard to leave with Towhee in such bad shape, though Meerkat reminded herself: this was what her mom and her dad needed her to do, especially since the former literally couldn't join the effort. This was her vocation as a master scout and there had never been a greater call for or test of her skills than this. Besides, she needed the space from the caldera for other reasons, though she hadn't burdened her mother with those, nor given them much thought herself lately. She wasn't entirely sure she ever wanted to settle back there, though there simply wasn't time to dwell on it at present.

She determinedly disembarked into the wilderness once more, her sights set loosely on Reyes. She couldn't help but wonder if he'd absconded with Tierra or whether her sister had simply run to find him or even Towhee. In any case, it was her most promising lead. She unfortunately couldn't locate any fresh traces to track, so Meerkat decided to start close to home and then gradually broaden her sweep, sending out verbal beacons as she went.

"Tierra! Prevost! If you can hear me, please answer!" she shouted at the top of her voice when she ranged toward the edge of a grassy plain somewhere in the great stretch between the caldera and the plateau. The yearling held her breath and pricked her ears for any reply when a thought abruptly hit her over the head: she had completely forgotten about Sakhmet and her search for Kigipigak...

A distant rumble of thunder pushed that thought right back out of her mind. The wind picked up suddenly, making the plain ripple like the ocean. A few cool droplets of rain pattered her head and back, though the real rainfall held off for the moment. Eyeing the thunderheads rolling in from the direction of the coast, Meerkat plunged ahead into the swaying grasses, keen to keep searching unless the weather grew severe enough to force her hand.