Dragoncrest Cliffs and you flutter after andromeda

no posting order!

when erzulie had given the guest all she might, the ruby went to collect her grandson @Caracal. "come. keep your distance from meerkat unless she be invitin' you, family or not," she said in a firm but not unkind voice, and led him along the border a ways.
here she tilted her head and called for the young woman: caracal is here to see you.
politely, erzulie tacked on another summons for @Njord, who had not left the side of his wife since it had all begun. he too would wish to be present.

cameo only!

watching her da stalk around after meerkat annoyed mireille. it was because this was a singularly male attitude exhibited by someone she loved very much.
there was a secondary reason for her bittersweet behavior, and it was the primacy of heading a pack but not being one of the first to conceive.
meerkat's tangling scent interested as well as frustrated the dahomey wolf.
and so when her mother called for him also, the obsidian snorted to herself. she had wanted to catch sight of this relative who had pressed his affect with her, but would not stay for this. to think meerkat not only liked but invited this behavior! she could not imagine being so hemmed in.
as soon as the pair arrived, mireille's red-framed form would be moving away toward the blackpine.

He sprang to his feet when Erzulie—he’d finally recalled her name—came to collect him. He opened his mouth to insist he didn’t necessarily need to bother his sister, though he clapped it shut and obediently trailed after her. He had come all this way, he may as well try to see Meerkat. But mostly he was afraid to cross his grandmother.

He was also incredibly distracted by the unfriendly young redhead. Who was she? Caracal couldn’t stop staring at her, intrigued by her demeanor as much as her looks. It felt a little narcissistic to think so but he found the color of her pelt very fetching.

She’s a downright babe, he caught himself thinking. I wonder if we’re related?

She was at the roja den, keeping watch, when Erzulie called. Meerkat felt a flicker of frustration with her guests’—first Sialuk, now Caracal—timing, though it was fond. Of course she wouldn’t refuse her young brother. She hadn’t seen him in quite some time and he’d likely traveled a ways to come here. And she would never forget that she’d turned him and Phox away from meeting her children the last time they’d come.

Certain that her husband wouldn’t be far behind, she strode toward the borders. She found the Ruby and offered her a grateful smile and nudge. The same were given to Mireille. Then Meerkat’s eyes found her brother and despite her mild exasperation, she beamed at him.

Caracal! It’s so good to see you. What brings you here? she asked, hoping he might understand and forgive her for not going in for a hug.

Njord gave an uncharacteristic grumble when the summons called upon them. He bowed his neck across her withers, willing for these guests to just go away.

Yet he said nary a word. Njord knew how important family was to Meerkat.

He followed her and arrived just in time to see Mireille slip away from sight. His blue gaze flicked to Erzulie and then to the young man who waited.

Caracal, Njord remembered. He had come once before, with Reyes.

It didn’t matter that he was extended family. Every cell in Njord’s body screamed to chase the intruder away. The only thing which tempered him was the sunny tone of Meerkat’s greeting. Njord feigned a wan smile, but the small raise of his hackles betrayed the farce.

erz out! <3

meerkat's new fragrance reminded erzulie that her own years were too long for it. she did not feel old, necessarily: she saw only the chasm of her age and the youth of those around her.
when the younger woman began to speak, erzulie nodded at njord and smoothly pulled away. "i be goin' back to de boys," she excused herself, but paused to bring her warmer gaze over caracal. "i be wantin' to see you before you leave," she said quietly but after that she spoke no more.
her mismatched eyes followed mireille and she moved elegantly after the red daughter. but she did not follow the obsidian far. the ruby instead took a side trail, heading toward the roja den with a jaunty trot.

The red lady disembarked without a proper introduction, so her name—and whether they might be relatives—remained a mystery. Erzulie left too, mentioning “the boys.” His face scrunched, the expression rapidly wiped out by a look of surprise when his grandmother told him she wanted to speak to him later. He nodded dumbly.

Then his attention turned to his sister and the man beside her. This must be his brother-in-law, Njord. He looked vaguely familiar, though he could not recall meeting. Caracal waved at them both, flashing a quick smile. He didn’t notice that Meerkat didn’t come any closer, nor was he aware of her scent for the moment. He was back to thinking about “the boys.”

Hey! I’m here ‘cause Etienne told us—my friend, Heda, and me, I mean—that Swordfish was hurt by a bear? Was Stingray hurt too? he asked, stuck on the plural even though Etienne had indicated otherwise.

There was a lot more to be said between them, including proper introductions, though Caracal didn’t worry about that just now. His eyes flicked between his sister’s face and her husband’s, holding his breath as he waited to hear about his nephews’ fate.

Njord arrived and the two other women departed. Meerkat spared everyone a fond glance, though largely her attention remained on her younger brother. She hoped he was just here to check in and that nothing was amiss in his life or any of their loved ones’. Had life swung a hammer at someone else in their family?

He immediately asked about Swordfish. Meerkat’s heart throbbed. She glanced over at Njord, then back to Caracal. She wished she could hug her brother just for coming all this way to ask that. But she stayed put, taking a deep breath.

Fish and his friend, Quen, went traveling together. They were mauled by a bear but they’re both hanging in there. Ray wasn’t with them, thankfully. They’re in good hands and will hopefully make a full recovery.

Perhaps she could call for their paler son so he could meet his uncle, though first things first: By the way, Caracal, this is my husband, Njord. Njord, this is my younger brother, Caracal.

And then it was the three of them.

Children’s gossip traveled quickly.

Njord's impression of the young man turned. The father was touched Caracal had come when he had heard the news. Yet he could only frown, wishing Swordfish wasn’t injured so. His gaze met Meerkat’s before she began the tale.

His wife concluded their introduction with the nugget of info that Caracal was her brother.

Wait… what? “S'nice tae meet you, Caracal, but..." Njord shot his wife a puzzled look. "Isna he Erzulie and Rosalyn’s grandson?” he asked, a game of connect-the-dots slowly playing out in his mind.

The word “mauled” made Caracal’s blood run cold. It stayed that way even after Meerkat assured him the boys would recover. Would they wear scars, like her husband? He wondered if the man had also fought the bear, though Caracal knew enough about wound care to recognize aging scars. Those injuries weren’t fresh.

The man’s trailing “but…” made him draw in a sharp breath, not sure what to expect to come out of Njord’s mouth. He let it out in a relieved whoosh when he only expressed confusion about Caracal’s lineage. His eyes shifted to Meerkat questioningly, then back to her mate.

Yeah, I am. They’re my dad’s moms, he explained, not bothering to name Reyes. We have the same mom but different dads, he continued, gesturing at Meerkat before suddenly pulling a face and realizing, I don’t actually know who yours is.

Meerkat let Caracal field the question Njord posed, smiling faintly. It grew a bit when he abruptly realized he didn’t know about her sire. She chuckled and shook her head.

Phox, duh, she joshed, aware Caracal would know the nature of that relationship. No, mom didn’t like sharing me, or so I’ve been told, by Towhee herself, so that’s why dad—who’s actually my uncle—raised me with her. My biological father wasn’t involved when I was a kid. I only found out about and met him later on. He was called Kaertok, she told her brother, and he actually lived here, years ago, but he’s since passed away.

She took a breath. Kaertok had been mauled by a bear too, of course. A memory of her recent argument with Njord flickered through her mind before she banished it. Meerkat didn’t want to dwell on all the bad, not with her brother here.

Hey, I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to since we last saw each other. But first, should we call for Ray? Meerkat asked, looking to Njord. To Caracal, she added, I’d call Mercy too but she’s a bit out of earshot; she went traveling some time ago, and gave him a knowing look.

And then the dots formed a picture. Njord followed with small bobs of his muzzle. He appreciated how Meerkat’s relatives all shared a sense of strong family relationship, despite living apart or being raised completely separately. He wondered what the key to holding everything together was… so far, the man felt he lacked a certain je ne sais quois. Hopefully… he would learn it soon enough.

“Aye, it would be good for @Stingray to know his uncle,” Njord agreed. With a short howl, he called for their son.

I hope it’s cool if I go ahead conclude this for us, since I know we could all use a few less threads on the log, lol.

Caracal listened to every word his sister said, though the only thing he could think to say was, Huh!

She prompted him to share his life story of late, though before they got into it, Meerkat wanted to invite along the only one of their kids who could make it. Caracal brightened and nodded, grinning when Njord took it upon himself to summon Ray.

Should I go in chronological order or tell you the latest developments first? he quipped while they waited.

But he didn’t wait for an answer or even for his his nephew. He was suddenly bursting to tell Meerkat about the island and how they were technically neighbors. Caracal wouldn’t mind repeating himself when Stingray came along. He was no storyteller but with his closest friends and family, boy, could he yap!