Duskfire Glacier everyone hail to the pumpkin song

It happened so fast. One minute, Makatza was yelling hysterically, and the next she was ducking through Lane's barrier to reach her brother. Lane snapped after the girl, but she quickly darted out of reach after delivering the bite to Ensio. Lane felt like she was spinning in circles, trying to keep her eyes on both pups and keep in between them. They each shouted some rather ugly parting words before Makatza (thankfully) ran off. 

Lane let the quiet settle over her for a long moment. Where were Tzila and Wintersbane? How were the rest of the pack supposed to know how to handle Makatza and her brothers without direction from their parents? 

"You're bleeding," Meerkat's voice drifted in, breaking through Lane's heavy thoughts. She sighed, watching for a minute as Meerkat tended to Ensio. "Ensio, would you show Meerkat where I keep the poultice..?" she volunteered weakly. With the frequency that the pups seemed to obtain bites and scratches --likely much of it attributable to Makatza-- Lane had just started keeping her topical antiseptic premixed and on-hand in the medicine den. All the pups knew where to find it. 

The fact that the pups needed free access to wound care supplies was evidence enough of the problem, Lane felt. They were growing up in a nightmare. 

Meerkat ended the party, which Lane agreed was likely beyond saving. "Veteran, would you like to stay a little longer and play with Sikuliak?" Lane asked her boy. She glanced to Imaq to make sure that was okay with the other mother. With Tzila's brood gone, the remaining children stood a chance of just being able to play and have fun, and be.. children. 

Before Meerkat could usher Ensio away, Lane spoke to her. "Hey, um.. thanks for doing this. Veteran got a real kick out of the pumpkins, and I'm sure Wayfarer will like them too..." Where was her youngest, anyway? She sure was living up to her name...