Ghost Lion Crag Alone

Meerkat really didn’t want to visit the coast. Even after all this time, the thought of sand and salt soured her stomach. But she hadn’t seen Towhee or @Phox in weeks and soon she would be restricted to the copse. After several days of going back and forth with herself—and probably exhausting @Njord with her fretting aloud—she decided her mother was certainly worth the trouble.

Within moments of reuniting with Towhee, Meerkat was immensely glad she’d decided to come. Her mother seemed so dejected. They stayed at the plateau’s inland border—despite an invitation to visit her mother’s tepee—and she could tell how much this visit meant to the Redhawk matriarch. They talked for hours, mostly about Meerkat’s next litter.

She left after making sure Towhee knew she was always welcome at the copse. Meerkat didn’t mind that it was just her and Njord there, though as she made her way back home, she caught herself wondering about the pair @Heph had mentioned to her. Were @Void and @Meylodi going to make their way to the hinterlands?

Darkness fell and it began to snow. She hadn’t meant to stay out so late. Meerkat picked up the pace, though the wind picked up even faster. Soon it was a veritable snowstorm. The rock corridor below Alpine Lake provided some relief from the elements, though as soon as she made a right at the end of the pass, the wind sank its frigid teeth into her.

It wasn’t often Meerkat cursed, though she muttered a choice few words as she squinted through the flurries. She made for a low rock ledge, where she planned to stow away until the worst of it passed. She didn’t register the fresh scent of a wolf at all, until she ducked her head inside and found herself practically nose to nose with a stranger.