Sun Mote Copse Starchaser

Once, the two of them had chased one another across a sandy beach, the surf licking at their paws. Later on, they had pursued each other up and down the slopes of a snowy mountain. Now they ran in tandem through the sleepy copse, frosted leaves crunching underfoot to break the silence. And Meerkat felt a joyful sense of peace as they traversed their final frontier.

An owl swooped past overhead, a silent specter. Meerkat grounded to a halt, taking care to sidestep lest her husband bump into her. Without saying a word or making a sound, she pointed upward as the ghostly bird drifted through the trees and quickly disappeared into the dusk.

Still catching her wind, she caught Njord’s eye a moment later and breathlessly asked, Well, what should we do now, mo chride?