Moonspear doomed

Sialuk asked her if she was certain. Meerkat didn’t reply right away. It wasn’t the future she had been envisioning lately, so to speak, but before she and Njord had begun to seriously entertain the idea of moving to the copse, she had already been moved to step up again. She reflected on that conversation now, giving the head’s question the weight it deserved.

I shouldn’t have stepped down in the first place, she admitted. Looking back, I was overthinking the weight of my responsibilities. I think I would’ve been able to handle them then and I know I can handle them now. I was prepared to lead beside Njord, in the copse, when the time came. But now…

There was that phrase again. This wasn’t the original plan. Perhaps Sialuk didn’t vibe with being Meerkat’s backup plan. That was entirely valid. In a sense, Meerkat had already let her down once before. But Meerkat believed this whole thing was a sign, or at the very least a cruel twist of fate. Perhaps there was some entity out there, hamfisted in its attempt to keep things interesting, so that she would never know lasting peace.

Meerkat realized she was getting lost in her thoughts. She shook her head lightly and sought Sialuk’s gaze. Although she did want to cover for Njord, that was actually the least of her reasons for offering. Although it wasn’t the path she’d chosen, it was the one she’d been given, and she was going to walk it now.

It’s up to you and I totally understand if you decline, Meerkat said, squaring her shoulders, but I really do want to give leadership another chance.