Sun Mote Copse “Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.” —Winnie the Pooh

She was still grounded, so Meerkat remained stuck at the rendezvous site. She felt bad for breaking her mom's trust and accepted her punishment without complaint, though she was getting awfully restless. She supposed that was sort of the point; being restricted like this would definitely make her think twice before disobeying again.

With nowhere to put her youthful energy, she tried to express some of it by running laps around the clearing's perimeter. It wasn't long before the summer heat made her stop and seek a drink of water. After that, she sought a patch of shade and flopped to the ground, tongue lolling as she panted.

When she saw @Primrose coming toward her, Meerkat licked her wet chops and sat up a little straighter, grinning at her only little brother. But her face quickly drew into an expression of concern when she saw that he looked upset. When he reached her, he sniffled tellingly.

-"What's the matter?"- Meerkat asked, sitting up all the way and putting an arm around his little shoulders. He didn't say much, though he leaned into her, and the tawny youngster tilted her head to press her snout to the top of his head.