Dragoncrest Cliffs our hands are tied here if we stay

Two wolves approached, neither of them Kaertok. Meerkat licked her lips as she studied the first, a woman who vaguely reminded her of Nǚwū's mother, the Empress she'd only met in passing. A male soon flanked her, his bright red tail immediately drawing the visitor's eye. She then dropped her gaze as they came closer, walking in tandem.

Her breath caught in her throat at the stranger's words. She heard nothing after the word "bear" as her mind flickered like a computer hitting an error screen. She'd hardly known the man, though the knowledge that he'd also been killed by a bear hit her like a punch right to the solar plexus. Meerkat sank into a hard sit.

Her eyelids fluttered for a moment as she tried to swallow around the sudden pressure in her throat. "Oh," she replied inarticulately, then tried to gather her wits. At least you didn't know him that well, a soft, insidious voice reminded her in the back of her head. Meerkat choked out a harsh breath.

All thoughts of Arielle and Kaistleoki's whereabouts had fled her mind entirely as she finally found her words. "I—thanks for letting me know. Um." A shaky breath quivered from her. "I'm Meerkat, from Firefly Glen," she offered. "I didn't actually know him well. I barely knew him at all," Meerkat whispered, aware that she was babbling a little.