Duskfire Glacier young right now

After he made sure his brothers had not overheard his emasculating exclamation, Veteran nodded conspiratorially to Meerkat's statement. It had been very pretty. The sunlight dancing in the copse had reminded him of the way the light caught Samani's strawberry blonde pelt. 

"Mmhmm," Veteran would confirm about Auntie Rue. Ruenna had been a caregiver to Lane when she was a pup, and she was not technically related by blood (unbeknownst to Veteran). Lane did not consider the lack of blood relation to be a noteworthy distinction, and so Veteran would not either. 

"'S just a lot." He sniffled, letting his chin fall against Meerkat's shoulder. He was almost as tall as her now. "Dad and Tzila. Moving. N-new pups coming. Ensio.." Veteran's eyes burned a hole in the ground. "Ensio's better than me at everything. Issorartuyok likes him better now. Everyone does." Heda especially. The last statements were unsubstantiated, of course. But it was how Veteran felt.