Dragoncrest Cliffs a boy named stargazer

Still she didn’t move, staring ever upward as she found herself guessing at the moon’s phase. If memory served, it had been a little slenderer a few nights past, which meant…

Waxing gibbons? she whispered, picturing her dad’s face with a fond twitch of her lips.

“WAUGH!”

Meerkat jumped, face whipping toward the source of the nearby cry. She squinted at the dark shape near where she’d been digging earlier, trying to discern details in the moonlight. She thought she saw a glimpse of neon blue eyes right before the yelling started, her son’s voice a dead giveaway despite the angst in his tone.

She blinked at the accusation he hurled into the dark, then quickly swept to her feet with a sotto voce, No, Ray, it’s me.

Meerkat paused and then hastened toward his silhouette. She suspected he might’ve stumbled across her dig site, which was confirmed as she came closer. She let out a breath, guilt quivering in her gut even as her snout moved to touch Stingray’s face.

Shoot, she apologized against his golden cheekbone. Are you alright?