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Meerkat's shouting interrupted Lane from her task of arranging traveling herbs in bundles. Lane hurried to meet the pack's master scout, her heartbeat accelerated with worry. Meerkat had been under the weather recently, she'd heard. Lane hoped that the young Redhawk's illness hadn't developed into anything concerning... sickness within the ranks was the last thing they needed, when they were about to all be on the road. 

Lane approached Meerkat quickly, with concern etched into her brow that quickly morphed into confusion as Meerkat voiced her impatient question. 

"Oh.. you mean with that howl?" she asked, recalling vaguely that Issorartuyok had howled to gather the scouting party. 

"It's.. well, I was going to call the pack together to tell everyone at the same time, but..." Since Meerkat was here in front of her demanding answers, and looking very much opposed to waiting any longer for them, Lane revealed the plan with a sigh. 

"There was a resurgence of the sickness in the herd. It's completely wiped out." Lane's features darkened. "The pack needs to move, and Issorartuyok volunteered to put together a scouting party including some of the kids." 

Lane hesitated a bit awkwardly, and then she added, "Honestly, I'm surprised he didn't talk to you about it. I thought you'd be the first person he'd ask." Meerkat was a master scout after all, and a coach to boot. Lane could think of no wolf more suited to leading a scouting party of young wolves. 

"Did something go wrong between you on your last trip...?" Lane asked, realizing that she and Meerkat hadn't really caught up since she and Issorartuyok returned. She assumed that the pair would grow closer on the road, but maybe the close quarters had instead worked to highlight their differences? It was the only reason Lane could think of to explain why Meerkat would have been left out of Issorartuyok's scouting party.