Duskfire Glacier moth to a flame

Her stomach fluttered when Issorartuyok submitted his bid. Meerkat tensed, wondering what the others would say in response. Lane was the first to speak, immediately offering her support. Although this was what the yearling wanted to hear, she felt an almost queasy feeling when Lane called him Tatkret. Tzila raised her voice in unity with the decision, which was the ideal outcome of this whole scenario, yet Meerkat felt as if her insides were curdling as she realized that Issorartuyok and Lane would become the Alpha pair.

Makatza's outburst startled her, though it wasn't particularly surprising, was it? Meerkat's lips parted when the girl ranted before fleeing the scene. She blinked. Had it been any other pup, she might've felt the urge to go after her. But the yearling remained rooted to the spot, gaze shifting over to the girl's mother to gauge her reaction. She decided to take Tzila's lead and ignore the dramatics entirely.

Fighting the ache in her belly, Meerkat nodded to no one in particular. "Well, we all seem to be on the same page. I'm glad," she said a little stiffly. She suddenly hoped Wintersbane would recover quickly and reprise his role, which was a decidedly selfish thought. Her skin felt warm and she wanted to be done here.

But Tzila wanted to confer with them. She glanced at Eldritch and Ensio, wondering whether they'd spoken and she'd missed it in her distraction. What did they think of how this had played out? How did Ensio feel about his sister's erratic nomination? And why did Tzila want to speak with her rather than the new leadership? Now that they'd elected the two of them, Meerkat's job here was done.

"Actually, I'm going to go check on her," the coach replied, glancing in the direction Makatza had gone before her eyes lowered. She had no intention of doing that but it was a handy if somewhat unlikely excuse. After all, who in their right mind would go looking for a raging Makatza? "Don't feel like you have to wait on me," Meerkat added, not quite looking at anyone in particular before quickly taking her leave.