Duskfire Glacier ground zeroes

She snorted a laugh at his insistence that he'd breakfasted ages ago, then motioned for him to lead the way. It proved unnecessary, since Veteran bounded ahead of his own volition, leading her away from the more central parts of the territory. It made her curious, though she didn't ask. Meerkat liked to give the children as much agency as possible when it came to their training.

She didn't expect him to bring up the caldera. The mention of her family's name made her a little homesick, though Meerkat smiled at the youngster as she teased gently, "I came here to train you, silly," which was sort of the truth. She struck out a paw as if to tickle him, which would also test his reflexes. "I wanted to expand my horizons," she added a smidgen more seriously, "and see if I fit in somewhere other than with my own family. Think I'm succeeding?"