Sun Mote Copse Leaving blood on the paintwork, though primroses grow in circles round his feet.

Her mother took the news in stride and Meerkat decided to take her cue, treat it like it was no big deal. Of course, it was, and she would do everything in her power to accommodate her son if he was blind. But there was no reason to believe he couldn’t lead a happy, fulfilling life even without sight.

Skippy just feels right, Meerkat rejoined with a grin. Hey, how are you feeling? I know you’ve been through a lot…

But she didn’t know quite what her mom had been through and she wondered if Towhee might want to talk about it. If not, that was okay. Either way, she was delighted to have her here in the copse for a little while.

Do you need anything? she tacked on.