Sun Mote Copse Starchaser

She gladly eased into his embrace, tucking herself against her mate’s larger body and basking in his heat as she pondered his question. Meerkat’s eyes slipped closed as she tried to picture it, in order to describe it to him.

I don’t know where this idea came from, really, I guess I… She paused, eyes still shut, murmuring thoughtfully under her breath before articulating, I want to maybe offer something else, try something new. Or old, depending on how you think of it, she acknowledged, thinking once more of the Hobbit Hole.

Her eyes opened, rolling to seek Njord’s gaze as she leaned against him. Did that make any sense? Was there any merit to it? Meerkat liked some traditions, though she supposed now that it was their time to call the shots, she wanted to embrace the opportunity to shape their village.

I feel like, she continued, not forgetting that Njord had wanted her to paint him a picture, we should find another pair to help us settle it. That’s probably very idealistic and all, not to mention it flies in the face of what I said earlier. But imagine if we built the village around our families. We’d still welcome others, of course, and do everything we can to make them feel like they’re just as important, because they are.

Meerkat paused for a moment, shifting her weight a little. Although she had enjoyed relaxing in her husband’s arms, she stiffened her spine and sat up a bit to better look him in the face.

We’d have to vet newcomers very carefully and perhaps only allow them to live here in The Taigh once they’ve achieved a certain rank… along with our trust. But imagine having another pair of parents to help sit the pups. Don’t they say, ‘it takes a village’? Then some others—hunters and guardians, a healer too—all living under one roof, sharing everything. There’s room to store some supplies here, along with other caches.