Dragoncrest Cliffs Spindrift

Njord listened thoughtfully as Meerkat spoke her mind, surprised by the turn her story took. He was thankful that there was enough trust left between them to be candid with one another, despite all the time apart. Finished with his plucking job, Njord nosed the forest bird, russet red breast revealed, to his partner. Perhaps a bit of food would help keep the tears at bay.

He kissed her cheek, afraid that he had sowed the seeds of trauma of abandonment in Meerkat’s heart. “Och, Mercy me," he quoted. "Dinna fash, my love… tis a big step worth cryin’ about,” he assured her – an attempt to validate her worries. “It’s been a hard week full o’ change. An’ we ‘av only been back together for a short time,” he added.

He bent down and picked up two tail feathers from the grass and began to twist them in the long ruff of Meerkat’s neck. “She has tha heart of her mother. An’ apparently some of her Da, too,” he joked darkly. Njord couldn’t help but wonder what their path would look like if he had never swam away. Would Mercy be more rooted in Sapphique? Would Meerkat feel better prepared for her departure? He kept these thoughts private.

“If there’s no stoppin’ the lass, one of us could travel with her for a while. Watch over her,” Njord suggested.