Firefly Ravine black thunder

She hadn’t set foot outside the territory since before giving birth. Meerkat felt a bit guilty about leaving her kids, especially with their da absent, but they were old enough to be left alone for a while. And they wouldn’t be truly alone, not with the foot traffic that passed through the rendezvous site each day.

As her feet carried her outside the pack’s claim, she wondered if they might take advantage of the lack of supervision and leave the rendezvous site to explore more of the territory. So long as they didn’t leave Sapphique, Meerkat supposed she couldn’t blame them, nor did she really mind the thought. They were growing swiftly, becoming more independent every day.

She refocused on her own independence, ignoring the niggle of grief whenever she thought of how lonely she felt without her mate. Meerkat stopped midstride to assess her surroundings. She could see the edge of Firefly Ravine just ahead and trotted toward it, perching on its lip to gaze down into the gorge.

Her gaze then flicked upward to the mountains jutting into the western skyline. Perhaps she should pay a visit to Mereo soon. She ached at the thought of reuniting with her mother and meeting her younger siblings. Meerkat shifted her weight, wondering if she could bring her kids along or if she should go alone and arrange for a playdate somewhere in between, like they’d talked about doing.

A distant rumble of thunder scattered her thoughts.