Duskfire Glacier everyone hail to the pumpkin song

I want to keep this moving, though I welcome the others to hop in anytime!

Also, let's do an open posting order. I'll post a new round every week or so.

"Hope you're right," Meerkat replied to Issorartuyok's remark. If it had only been the two of them, her gaze might have lingered on him a bit longer. But her attention remained on their surroundings, anticipating the others joining them, though she did make a point to glance over and offer him a smile every now and again.

When Lane materialized with Veteran in tow, Meerkat opened her mouth to welcome them, only for her jaw to fall slack at the boy's wounds. She hadn't seen Vet or his sister much since their mother's return and she had assumed Lane was simply (and understandably) keeping them all to herself after being away.

She shot the woman a stricken look, meaning to mouth, What happened...? But before she could do that, Lane greeted Issorartuyok with a certain measure of fond familiarity. This took Meerkat by surprise as much as Vet's injuries. Tatkret? she repeated in her head, brown eyes shifting questioningly to his face before drifting back to Lane, then Veteran.

"Hey there, young padawan," she said belatedly, right about the time the boy began rolling his pumpkin. She jumped forward in case he needed the assistance, though her focus split as Arius arrived.

"Hi, Arius," Meerkat said, marveling at how much he'd grown since that day she'd found him waddling around outside the den, smelling like pee. "They're called pumpkins. You can play with them, or eat them, or simply smash them. Whatever you like," she answered him, though she made sure to include the rest of the group by sweeping it with her eyes.

"By the way, this is Issorartuyok," she said. Or Tatkret? "Issorartuyok, this is Lane and her son, Veteran. And that's Arius." Meerkat motioned at the paler pup with a paw, smiling, before her eyes fixed on Lane's face and she wondered, "Is Wayfarer coming too?"

And what about the rest of the gang? Would anyone else come or would it just be the five of them? Meerkat hoped some others might join them, especially so Issorartuyok could acquaint with the pups and vice versa. But she saw no reason to wait on them—they could show up at their leisure—and she motioned enthusiastically to encourage the pups to keep playing with the orange gourds.