Phoenix Maplewood Noahtakmiut

He would. Specifically, he would find Meerkat seated beneath a knot of maple trees, staring at a spot of color in the middle distance.

The instant she'd seen the splash of orange in a shady patch ahead and quickly recognized the shapes of the pumpkins, the memories had rushed through her. They'd robbed her of breath, forcing her to slump into a sit as she heard the voices of Toad, Osiris and Antares playing in her memories.

"Wow, that's a lot of squash."

"They're called squash?"

"Desdemona said they're called pumpkins, actually."

Her chest tightened further at the thought of the ghostly guardian. Although she hoped Antares was out there somewhere, alive and well, every other wolf in these recollections was dead. Even after all this time, Meerkat felt the ache of those tragic losses. They would never get to throw their feast.

She still hadn't really caught her breath when the swarthy figure wandered into her visual field. Meerkat made a strange noise low in her throat and then blinked at Issorartuyok. Her mouth opened to say his name but no sound came out. Instead, she lifted one wobbly foreleg and waved in his direction.