The Heartwood You want me to stay

Only when he offered a name did Meerkat recollect that he'd said something in a strange tongue a moment prior. Now he said another word that she didn't recognize: "cariña." Although it was a pretty word, his use of it sent a little shiver down her spine, especially considering the subsequent question.

The alarm bells in her head really began ringing then, because in the best case scenario, he was teasing her and in the worst case scenario, he had ill intent; either option was malicious. The yearling could feel her fight-or-flight response building, though she stood firm for the moment. Her eyes bored into him, wary of any movement, trying not to look too directly at that terrible smirk on his face.

"Why," she wondered, voice even, "is that what you're trying to do? Make me nervous?" Meerkat felt her heart beating hard in her chest as she hitched in a breath and tried to stay calm and steady.