Cedar Sweep the empty bowl

Her jaw dropped before she could stop it. Meerkat quickly caught herself and closed her mouth, then schooled her expression into a polite smile. She was caught off guard, certainly, but this wasn’t a bad thing, was it?

But then Asivaq asked what had brought her this way and she couldn’t help it. She stared. Had she not clearly given this woman directions to the copse? Had she actually decided to claim the forest just next door without being aware that it was, in fact, right next door?

I live here, Meerkat eventually managed. This is the copse, she added, gesturing at the stretch of trees just behind her.

For a moment, she said nothing else. She tried to collect herself, organize her thoughts and formulate a response. In the meantime, perhaps it would give Asivaq a chance to explain more about how this had come about.