Blacktail Deer Plateau i told you i didn't want to go to this dinner

Mou quietly countered with four words that made no sense to her. Meerkat simply didn't understand the connection, though before she could attempt to sort it out, Maegi snapped at her. The yearling instinctively recoiled at the sharp tone, letting out a high-pitched and even more highly inappropriate giggle out of sheer stupefaction.

But of course this concerned her! They were talking about her Neema! This wasn't their family, it was hers! And her dad had called her here! Her body flashed hot again, her skin suddenly burning with indignation. It felt pulled too tight against her bones and there was a moment where Meerkat actually wondered if her insides might invert.

The hurt rapidly eclipsed every other feeling. More and more with every passing moment and every additional detail, it swallowed her. "She died," Maegi repeated, the impact of that statement hitting her like a blow to the stomach. Meerkat flinched, then sagged. It wounded her that her saviors—her own uncle—had betrayed her by hiding Niamh's death for months, of course. But what truly stung was the loss itself.

She didn't know what to think, what to say. Meerkat looked to Phox, her heart stinging for him. If this loss felt huge to her, then she could only imagine what it must feel like for him. And then there were the pups to consider. She could barely wrap her mind around Niamh's death, much less what had become of her offspring.

If Phox was struggling, he didn't show it. Her jaw dropped, admiring his stoicism in this impossible situation as he gathered all the tension crackling in the air and grounded it, forcing all of them to focus on the two missing children. Peregrine and Prevost were their names. Meerkat swallowed at this bit of information. Wasn't that her grandfather's name? Her head was starting to feel like a carousel set to hyper-speed.

A small voice cut into her thoughts. "You... lied?" As Meerkat beheld her little sister(!?), she hitched in a breath that caught in her throat. She immediately wanted to clutch her to her chest and hug her, comfort her: the first step in making up for so much time lost. She twitched toward her, raising a paw abortively, but managed to restrain herself, though not so much her thoughts. Who are you? and Of course we'll keep you safe! and I love you already...