Sun Mote Copse everybody's waiting—everybody's watching

She ducked her head down to nuzzle Otter’s cheek, then eased into a sphinx pose to make herself more accessible to her daughter. She caught a glimpse of sapphire blue and her heart thrummed. Was there anything more wonderful than watching one’s children hit such milestones?

Oh, sweetheart, it’s so nice to see you, she murmured.

Of course, she’d looked at her little girl a thousand times by now. But it was different, once they could look back. Meerkat didn’t have to put any effort into smiling, to be sure that was the first expression Otter would ever see on her face.