Ankyra Sound we ain’t spoken for weeks and so much has changed

Rodyn seemed to be thinking aloud. Meerkat glanced at him, listening, meeting his words with a blink. He could catch a deer all on his own? She began to shake her head.

That’s really not necessary… she tried to say, only he kept talking, convincing himself that Meerkat evidently required venison.

She snorted a good-natured chuckle and shook her head again, saying, Rodyn. Please let me get a word in edgewise. Fish is fine… or maybe some nice driftwood if you find some.

She didn’t really need anything from him, beyond a pleasant distraction. But she understood how trading worked and didn’t intend to refute his sense of purpose.

Meerkat stirred a paw in the shallows, sifting through several broken shells, even a few sand dollars. She couldn’t say why the sight of them made her think of something, though maybe it was nothing more than an astute if errant thought.

You know what you could do for my pack, actually? One of our youngest members, Requiem, went missing. He was taken by an eagle, Meerkat said quietly. He’s still quite small, with a dark brown coat. I know it’s unlikely he’s alive out there… but just in case, if you could keep an eye out for him or spread the word while you’re going around trading…