Moonspear Fram, ber med bare føt, den tunge børi.

Meerkat didn’t realize both their daughters weren’t right behind them until she ducked into the ulaq and spun. She ushered in Seal but saw no sign of Orca. Her sister quickly explained and Meerkat would not have worried much if not for the fact that the storm very rapidly gained intensity.

I’m going to go— Meerkat said, voice cutting off sharply at the sound of a cry over the noise of the storm.

Before she could get much further than a few footsteps outside the ulaq, a soaking went Orca came careening toward her. Meerkat threw out an arm, slinging it over her shoulders and tugging her into the den. She gently pulled the bone from her daughter’s mouth and fetched a worn-out skin to toss over her shoulders.

What happened? she asked, fairly certain Orca didn’t fear storms, so there must be another reason she looked so very fraught.

But before the little girl could explain, there was a loud BOOM! in the distance and a particularly bright flash of lightning. Meerkat cringed, then looked over to Njord with a bewildered expression on her face. Her mind immediately went to those old scars on the mountain’s face, the marks of a strange storm of yore…

Towhee’s wavering cry for help scattered her thoughts, prompting Meerkat to bark, Keep an eye on the girls, please! as she darted out into the storm.

It took her longer than she liked to locate Towhee, though she felt some measure of relief when she saw Alaric standing over her. Meerkat rushed to his side, then crouched down beside her mother, a look of horror crawling over her face when she saw steam rising from Towhee’s back and smelled what could only be burnt flesh.

What happened? she cried for the second time in so many minutes.