The pain in his heart was unbearable now. As he sat there and stared at F

Foresta, yet more painful tears fell from his sweet brown eyes. All around him, bodies were bustling, trying to wake Foresta, or trying to control the rampaging pups. But Faible just sat there, staring at her lifeless body, crying until his tears were dry and his heart was numb. Wasn’t it his fault, after all that Foresta had decided to split? He had wanted to be dominant, but he was not about to challenge Foresta’s father, and he knew that Foresta too wanted to be dominant. So together, they had planned the day when they would round up some of the family members and make a break for it.

The stress on Foresta had been intolerable, and Foresta was stronger in heart and head that Faible was, yet how could he still be sitting there, a gash in his cheek and pain in his heart? These questions were unanswerable.

From behind Faible came a flash of fur. It flew at Faible and the force of the attack knocked him to the ground. Lying above him, peering down, challenging him was the figure of Foresta’s father, Tyraith.

Faible gasped in pain as Tyraith dug his claws into his stomach.

‘How dare you split my family apart! I aught to tear you limb from limb right now! Look at my daughter… My poor daughter has been driven to her death by your stupidity!’ snarled Tyraith.

Faible let out a sharp breath as Tyraith’s claws were dug further into his tiny body. All around them, Tyraith’s family were appearing and one by one, the meerkats in the splinter group rejoined the main group. Tyraith smiled maniacally as he realised that Faible had no protection. Further in the claws went and as Faible began to black out with the pain of his cut and the pressure on his stomach, Tyraith finally began to let up.

But as Faible realised the reason why Tyraith had stopped in killing him, he was even more horrified. There, standing by Foresta’s body, was Justar. He was crying and shaking terribly, he was standing over his aunties body and as he stood there fire seemed to flare from his heart into his eyes.

‘Leave us alone father! We are happy as we are, a family together, me auntie, Faible and Plato!’ he cried.

‘How dare you Justar! I am your father and I always will be! Besides, there is only you and Faible left out of all the meerkats that you named!’ growled Tyraith.

Justar stepped towards his father menacingly. The flames in his eyes were burning fiercely now and as he looked towards Zhen, his brother joined him in protecting Faible.

Faible smiled towards the young meerkats who were saving his life. He softly padded towards them and stood between their tiny forms. Together, Justar and Zhen made a team. They could not be separated. The tiny pups clung to one another in front of Faible. They seemed to join paws and at the moment they looked towards Tyraith, there was a flash of lightening from above and immediately a bush fire started. Tyraith and his freshly formed clan fled in terror, while Faible Justar and Zhen stood united in triumph. They had saved their burrow from being overrun and had kept their pride. The pups lowered their paws and the bush fire stopped. Faible padded closely towards the pups and nudged them to Foresta. He slunk off into the long grass and left Justar and Zhen in the open, he now knew they would be safe.

Justar gazed lovingly at his auntie and then as tiny tears fell from his eyes, he and Zhen both cuddled up together around Foresta’s now cold body.

Faible reached the water trough where the body of Plato now lay. He began to dig a small ditch alongside the water and softly laid Plato inside it before burying him in the soft sand. He then turned and ran back to the burrow where the pups were waiting.

Though the night, Faible, Justar and Zhen worked endlessly on the graves of Plato and Foresta. They had managed to get Foresta from the burrow, to alongside Plato’s grave and now there they sat on the edge of the clearing, cuddled together watching the sun slowly sink and the moon appear.

As darkness fell upon them, each meerkat turned and left Plato and Foresta. And as they walked, the moon’s eerie light fell upon the shallow graves and showed life in a new way. As the meerkats walked on, the land that had nurtured Foresta and Plato since they were born, now held them in one final, loving embrace…