Ouroboros Spine nature of life on earth

After a scenic detour through the mountains and a serendipitous rendezvous with her half-sister, Meerkat made another pit stop: the hot springs. She didn't get into any of the warm pools of water, mostly because the odor was rather off-putting. But she did linger, enjoying the raised ambient temperature. She even took a short nap before waking, refreshed, and turning south to complete the journey home to the glen.

As she passed close to Neverwinter Forest, she considered calling for Kyr just to say "hi." But she really needed to get back. Soon the trees were in her rear view mirror as she passed beneath the shadow of Ouroboros Spine. Meerkat could see the glen's familiar fringe from here, as well as Moonspear looming beyond, though she only spared either a passing glimpse.

Something tickled in her throat suddenly and she coughed. The sensation persisted, so she stopped and dipped her head into the crook of her foreleg as she began hacking inexplicably.

@Sialuk