Sun Mote Copse It’s been a long day without you, my friend.

Meerkat glanced in the direction her mother had gone with the bairns. Her head slowly turned back toward Njord, though it paused halfway as she stared unseeingly at a spot on the ground. Towhee evidently didn’t want them to go looking for their son. Part of Meerkat wanted to go after him—desperately, even—but she’d learned her lesson about that long ago.

Her lips parted, prepared to ask whether Towhee had at least told Swordfish where to find them. Her husband’s apology distracted her. Meerkat’s whisky eyes finally lifted to his face. Njord explained that he’d expected her to be more upset. She wasn’t entirely sure what to say to that.

“Towhee told me that Swordfish said he killed the bear for ye.”

Now her mouth opened and closed. He had killed the bear? How was that possible? Her mouth fell open as her mind flew backward in time, to one of her last memories of her son. She’d sung the same song she’d sung to Njord on their wedding day, in fact the very song she’d hummed to him only days before.

She blinked and found her eyes blurring with tears. Had Fish been under the impression, back then, that he needed to avenge the bear? For her sake? Was that why they’d lost him? Meerkat’s forepaws came up to cover her horrified face. But he’s alive… her inner voice tried to reassure her in vain as a wretched scream tore out of her mouth.