Dragoncrest Cliffs here comes the sound

When Njord had failed to return, Meerkat had been too wrapped up in herself and their children to consider how the rest of the pack felt about his absence. She had eventually remembered to express her condolences to Mireille, though mostly everyone had been trying to comfort her, not the other way around.

And until now, she hadn’t thought about how his return might be perceived from those who hadn’t missed him in the same way as his family. What did wolves like Jorunn make of Njord? A bit of dread settled in Meerkat’s stomach like a stone. Chacal  had welcomed him home, yet that did not mean others would be as quick to look past his prolonged leave. Even if they knew the story, it didn’t necessarily mean they would accept him so readily.

In Jorunn’s case, she just seemed happy that Meerkat was happy. A smile flitted across the Laramite’s face as the woman took a seat beside her, placing the fish at her feet. She sounded interested to hear the details of Njord’s prodigal return, though the Laramite bit her lip. Was it a genuine, open-minded question or was Jorunn probing to discover whether the reasons for Njord’s truancy were sufficient?

But it wasn’t really her story to tell, so she replied, It’s kind of a long story. Njord will have to tell you himself sometime. But all that matters to me is that he’s home. Her voice softened on the last few words, her concern about Jorunn’s (and the rest of the pack’s) opinion mingling with her absolute joy at having her husband back.