Moonspear telepath

Seal’s words of reassurance helped to further calm Meerkat, though Orca’s unexpected absence still threw a wretched pall over her heart. She swallowed thickly and tried to marshal herself so she wouldn’t waste this entire visit sulking over her wayward daughter. Seal deserved better than that.

She nodded wordlessly at Seal’s invitation, plucking up her gift and following the young woman along a very familiar footpath. When they arrived at the family’s former ulaq—now Seal’s alone—Meerkat was glad for the bundle in her mouth. She hadn’t expected this swell of emotion, including a powerful homesickness.

Gently, she set the item on the ground and took in a breath, eyes turning to the skin her daughter had been prepping. She actually laughed at the sight, despite her inner turmoil, then finally drew Seal’s attention to her gift. It was a rabbit skin held together by a piece of switch grass pinched around it like a twist tie. This Meerkat clipped with a tooth, allowing the wrap to fall open.

Inside was an array of flowers, herbs and other such things she had gathered from around the copse. Meerkat had taken care to choose two of everything: one for each daughter. She tried not to dwell on that as she motioned for Seal to take a closer look.

Your skin looks much better than mine, she noted with another light laugh, looking between the two. You’ll have to teach me how to get those smooth edges. Mine are so ragged. It gets the job done, I suppose, but I would love to make it look as nice as yours.