Duskfire Glacier when the summer dies

Meerkat's day = made. :D

She received a clear and simple, "No," from young Veteran. She laughed under her breath, wondering why his mother wasn't with him, though she could hardly dwell on it for long. The pups noticed each other and their exchange was pretty darn endearing. Still thrilled that they were here at all, Meerkat beamed as she bore witness. Was this the first time they were meeting one another?

When Imaq spoke, the sandy yearling looked to her. Though her words were directed at Veteran, her ears twitched as she listened and processed these interpersonal details. It sounded like Imaq had been there for Veteran's (and Wayfarer's) birth, not long before retreating to her own whelping den to bring little Liak earthside.

Somewhere during Veteran's excited cries of "jah!" a second she-wolf arrived, with yet another puppy in tow! Meerkat dipped her head as the woman greeted her. She realized she didn't know if this was Tzila or Lane, as she didn't offer a name. Before she could think of asking, her small boy with a smudged face stole Meerkat's attention by flinging himself at her. She leaned down to say hi, then nudged him toward the other two pups.

When she looked up from that, the newcomer was greeting Imaq. When she was certain she wouldn't be interrupting the two of them, she replied, "Yes, I'm Meerkat. You guys have no idea how thrilled I am to have you all here." She was still missing one mother and, by her count, three of the pups. At least she'd met Arius before this. In any case, she wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. This was a greater turnout than she'd expected!

She paused momentarily to watch the three little boys playing before drawing her attention back to their mothers. Meerkat stood, moving a little closer to her fellow she-wolves to give the children room to play while the grownups held a conversation. One of her forelegs accidentally bumped one of the pups—she couldn't be sure which—and she stopped to apologize before finally mustering her focus.

"Anyway, thanks so much for coming! I basically wanted to introduce myself and let you know I'm working hard to achieve my mastery in coaching. I'd love to help you with the pups whenever you and they are ready for that sort of thing. I'm happy to play, teach, whatever you guys need..."