Wheeling Gull Isle tiritchik ⌮

Her heart started pounding the instant Aiolos said her father's name with some measure of familiarity. Meerkat hung on to his every word as he spoke of Neema coming here to rest. She met this information with a blink, her limbs feeling so shaky she sank into a sit as he concluded by saying both Niamh and Phox had come and gone.

It was information. It was a lead. Meerkat sat in silence for a moment, processing, and missed the look Aiolos gave Mou. But her attention snapped to him as he rasped something that added a whole new layer of intrigue to the situation. If Phox and Mou were brothers, that meant he was her uncle.

This revelation surely would've captured her entire fascination in different circumstances. But Meerkat had about one thousand questions about Phox, Niamh and... "What about the pups? Did she have them with her when she came here?" "Niamh had come here for rest and renewal..." "Why did she leave? Where would she go...?" It didn't make any sense, whether the pups were still in utero or newborn. None of it did, truly.

Although it was a relief to get some news after so much time and effort, Meerkat was left with as many questions as answers. Tears actually pricked at her eyes as they shifted wildly between Aiolos and Mou, now much more full of both desperation and hope.