Dragoncrest Cliffs Spindrift

Meerkat sprawled in a patch of sunshine, staring down at the tufts of dry grass between her forelegs. When Njord approached, she snapped out of her trance and smiled up at her husband and his catch. The expression did not quite reach her eyes.

But that had nothing to do with him and everything to do with their daughter. “Mom, I think I want to go traveling,” Mercy had told her just this morning. When Meerkat expressed dismay at the timing—her da had only just turned up again—the girl had looked away guiltily before coming back with,“I’ll come back! Anyway, you left your pack when you were my age, didn’t you?”

She would have to tell Njord about that conversation. For now, she sat up to properly admire the dead grouse he’d brought her and then slip her muzzle alongside her mate’s. She left little kisses along his jaw, expressing her gratitude not just for the food but for his presence.