Hushed Willows uncloak

The seafarer listened to his wife with a thoughtful mind. It felt like they were approaching a turning point in their lives – and Njord couldn’t quite see around the corner. Everything was predicated on one thing: would the pack permit them to have a litter this season? If the answer was no, Meerkat and Njord would leave with, or without, their support… and the lack of control in this decision sent a feeling of powerlessness snake through the redtail’s veins.

Yet his wife appeared practical and optimistic. There was no doubt Meerkat had a better grasp on the packs of Teekon Valley. Every season saw new clans come and go. Sagtannet, The Saints, Redtail Rise, Natigvik, Duskfire Glacier… What were the upstarts, he wondered. Was there a new home meant for them somewhere out there?

She spoke of a distant pack with a militant structure. Moreo… the name sounded familiar. Suddenly he remembered. “Moreo is where yer kin lives? Where ye took tha children ta visit?” he asked. Though it was an enticing notion to be near Meerkat’s family, it didn’t seem like his wife chomped at the bit to jump into a new pack with such a rigid structure. With a chuckle, he titled her “my love, tha world seer. I dinnae ken how we’d fair in a place with officers an’ lieutenants. You are tha only one with tha authority ta order me ‘round,” he said in an animated tone.

He stood up as if to punctuate the conversation. There was no use spinning their wheels until they spoke with Mireille. Njord watched Meerkat look around at the willows in the wind. Seeing her with such a beautiful backdrop made his heart jump. “Tis a bonny place,” he hummed as his gaze drank her up deeply.

Njord took a step forward as his posture tightened up. A light shone in his eye. His red tail flagged against his back. An invitation to play.