Sun Mote Copse We get wild like a safari.

It would be some time yet before Meerkat could articulate well enough that she and Towhee could converse easily, so it delighted her immensely that her daughter had picked up on some key signs. However, -"You just ate, like, five minutes ago,"- Towhee reminded the pup, reaching out to fondly muss up the sandy fur between her ears. -"Go play,"- she urged, knowing Meerkat understood a lot more than she could speak herself.

But before Meerkat could recommence her frolicking, a guest appeared. Towhee stiffened, then relaxed, then went rigid again at Pippin's words. "No," she replied instantly, "we don't." She knew that came off as coldly dismissive but the Regent needed Pippin to understand that Meerkat didn't belong to him and any claim he tried to make would be rebuffed. "Especially not right now," she added, shooting her child a meaningful look. "She only knows how to sign a few words but she picks up on a lot." There was no reason to risk confusing Meerkat, even if most of the topic would go right over her small head.

Speaking of her, Meerkat had taken notice of their visitor and waved, -Hi!- Unlike with Arcturus, Towhee didn't move to interfere when the youngster began to shuffle toward Pippin, her body language happy and submissive, her bottom crouched and wriggling along with her tail. Towhee might not allow Pippin to claim fatherhood of her little girl, yet he was still the Regent's friend and pack mate, which made him Meerkat's friend and pack mate too.

Accordingly, Towhee introduced, -"Meerkat, this is Pippin. Pippin, Meerkat."- She signed as well as spoke even though Meerkat's back was turned to her. She had fallen out of the habit somewhere along the way and only really consistently picked it up again since her daughter's birth. But the Regent wanted to work on signing everything she said again, particularly while Meerkat was still young and especially with Niamh's pups arriving soon too.