The Heartwood You want me to stay

The sudden burst of laughter made her flinch, her eyes widening only to narrow an instant later. She remained mum as he teased her some more, trying to get a reaction out of her. Meerkat recoiled when he leaned in closer, though her eyes maintained a sharp focus on his maimed face.

"No," she replied with more fortitude than she actually felt. The small quiver in her legs might give her away. "No, thank you." Meerkat wished she was brave enough to turn and go, yet she remained rooted to the spot, fearful that any action of hers would invite a reaction from him.

Surely if she turned her back and tried to walk away, he wouldn't just let her leave. Meerkat still hoped he would disembark on his own. Hopefully if she refused to play along, he would get bored and leave. She didn't hold her breath, though, and began contemplating the merits of making a run for it.

Then another option occurred to her. Before she could think it through, Meerkat blurted, "I'm going to go back to Redhawk Caldera now. You're going to leave me alone, so there won't be any trouble between our packs. Does that sound like a plan?" She hated the shakiness in her voice, her limbs feeling like jelly as she essentially threatened him.