The Heartwood You want me to stay

His confession made the fur along her backbone stand on end. He was toying with her on purpose, which made Meerkat's stomach clench. But there was another feeling that came over her, swelling in her chest. It was something like indignation. It intensified when he moved away, the whole thing clearly just a game to him, which made Meerkat his plaything.

The yearling tried to lean into this sentiment, build up some bravado to combat the inner quailing. But then he made a remark about his own distorted features. There was no bitterness in his voice, though it gave her pause as she reconsidered her earlier thought. What had happened to him to disfigure him so badly? Was he simply the victim of a cruel world, lashing out at someone he perceived to be weaker in preemptive self-defense?

It probably wasn't that simple (or clichéd). Perhaps he didn't deserve the benefit of the doubt. Regardless, Meerkat knew it wasn't worth the risk. She didn't want to get herself hurt trying to kill some scary stranger with kindness. Still, she didn't know what options she had at the moment and just sort of stood there, unresponsive but watchful. She wished he would go back to the gloom he'd come from.