Dragoncrest Cliffs I tread on careful feet

He accepted her company and soon the two were plodding around Sapphique’s perimeter. Meerkat listened to his low timbre even as she looked around, appreciating the sights of the homeland she’d missed these past two months. The smells were wonderful out here too, delivered to her on a pleasant seabreeze.

The reverent way Gunnar mentioned the sea—she could almost hear the capital “S”—made her glance at his face, wondering how he’d ended up here in particular. Did he know that men were valued less than women here? Had he signed up willingly, deferring to the matriarchy?

Of course, Meerkat didn’t ask any of that, instead answering, I have two boys and a girl. Their given names are Stingray, Swordfish and Vixen, though I mostly call them Ray, Fish and Mercy. They’re getting close to two months old now. We’ve just taken our first field trip to the beach not too long ago.

Soon, they would move to Corsair Beach and everyone in the pack would be able to interact with her pups. Meerkat would be a little sad to say goodbye to the cozy little burrow she’d shared with Njord since her arrival, though she looked forward to overseeing this milestone in her children’s lives. She couldn’t wait to see what they made of themselves as they developed and grew.

Focusing on the flow of the conversation, Meerkat wondered, Have you met my mate, Njord? He’s often out here, patrolling.