The colony's territory expanded in the weeks following Tanya's burial.

A nearby rival colony had been chased off and a good portion of their land was quickly snatched up.

Although Leo eagerly wanted to explore the new areas, he and Max were now being taught by their father the finer points of tunneling.

Sadly, that meant they would spend most of their days underground. Leo was still happy to tag along and learn. Tunneling may be a tad tedious, but he learned quickly that there was always a way to break the monotony. Often the meerkats would break out into song to help the work go faster. Leo didn't much care for the songs. They were all about digging and work, and the looks some of the meerkats had on their faces made him feel uncomfortable with their much-too-happy smiles.

Max seemed to really enjoy the work in the tunnels, and would even join in on some of the work, and sadly, the singing. Max may have a gift for tunneling, but he was far from a good singer. Having to hear his brother try and sing was one of the main reasons Leo had opted lately to stay and be watched-over with his friends.

On an overcast day, odd for the time of year, Leo and his friends were happily playing outside. They would practice their digging, and make up foraging games where they all had to find rocks that looked similar.

Despite all they tried, it was a pretty boring day.

Scruffy's mother, Chio, was supposed to be watching them, but since all the pups in her charge were lying together on the ground struck with boredom no actual watching was necessary at the moment.

"I am so bored!" whined Joey for the fifth time in a row. Joey apparently felt that whining was better than doing absolutely nothing.

"Will you quit saying that?" said Scruffy. "We're all bored. Somebody think of something to do before Joey states the obvious again!"

Leo had not really been listening to his friends' arguing. His mind wandered back to the unexplored to area of land. He still had not gotten the chance to go. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Scruffy's last sentence.

"We could always try to see some of the new land." he suggested.

Scruffy sat up and looked over at his friend. That had not occurred to him. "Oh yeah! We can do that!"

"You better not." said Kavie who was lying with Laita a little farther away from the boys, but close enough to where she could hear them and they could hear her.

"Why not?" Scruffy asked her.

"Because your mom is watching us, and I would think that you wouldn't want to do anything to get in trouble since, out of all of us, you'd get the bigger punishment.

Joey sat up now. He and Scruffy pulled Leo to his feet, and they all looked over at Kavie and Laita.

"I'm sick of listening to you!" Joey said.

"Yeah, Kavie. Leave us alone. We're gonna go, and we don't care what you say or if we get in trouble!" Scruffy said. "Come on, guys."

Scruffy then started, rather angrily, off to explore, with Joey on his tail. Leo was about to follow them, but as the boys were going he looked back at Kavie. She looked incensed since they hadn't listened to her, but on closer inspection he could see that she also looked a little sad. Maybe, even though she had protested, she wanted to be included. There was only one way to find out.

"Hey Kavie," Leo called to her. "Do you and Laita want to come with us?"

You could tell she was not expecting that. She looked surprised, but then changed back to annoyed. "I don't think they want me to." she said looking past them to Scruffy's and Joey's retreating figures.

"Nah, they won't care. I'll talk to them if they say anything. We better hurry up. Come on!"

Kavie looked over at Laita. Laita smiled, and then shrugged. They both stood and followed Scruffy and Joey with Leo.


"Ok, I think we've gone far enough." Kavie said as they ventured farther away from the tunnels and their sitter.

"Come on, we've barely even started!" called Scruffy from the front of the group. He leaned over to Leo. "Why did you have to invite them?"

"We couldn't just leave them."

"Yes we could have. Joey and I have done it loads of times while you were with your dad and brother."

"They wanted to come. Well, at least Kavie did, Laita didn't say anything."

"I don't really care if Laita's here. At least she's quiet. Kavie's too bossy."

"She just cares. Isn't that what she should do?"

Scruffy rolled his eyes. "I should've known. You want her here because you like her."

"I do not!"

"Denying it only makes it truer."

"That doesn't even make sense."

"Whatever, just go walk with your girlfriend, Leo." Scruffy then moved past Leo to walk with Joey, leaving Leo to walk behind them.

They were now much deeper in the dry grasses of the unexplored area.

Leo was sad that he couldn't look everywhere at once. He took in the new area with wide eyed excitement. It didn't matter if the grass and rocks looked like they did at home; just knowing that they weren't the same ones was enough. They were different. They were new, and Leo liked that.

Thinking that they were still a little mad at him for inviting the girls, Leo decided to hang back from Joey and Scruffy.

"Isn't this great?" Leo asked Kavie when the girls had caught up with him. He still couldn't help looking around, but he made himself look at her.

Kavie looked happy to be out, even if she did keep looking back towards home. Laita, as she usually did, walked beside Kavie without speaking, but at least she looked like she was enjoying herself. Her eyes were not looking at her feet.

"I guess." Kavie answered, giving another look back. "I mean, this is pretty fun. I'm enjoying this, but...," she looked at Leo.

"I have a bad feeling."

"You're probably just scared we'll get in trouble." Leo said, trying to reassure her. "Don't worry. We'll keep going for a little longer, than Scruffy will get bored of it and we will start back. I'm sure

Scruffy's mom won't even notice we left."

Kavie looked unsure. "Maybe that's it."

She brightened up more after that. They did continue on for a bit.

Then, like Leo thought, Scruffy and Joey got bored again and they turned around. As they were heading back Leo kept thinking about how he now knew part of what was beyond the colony. It wasn't so bad, he thought.

He was thrilled they had gotten to go here, but he secretly wished they could have gone even farther.

No matter how much fun they had, Leo was thankful they hadn't met anything dangerous. That would have been a tad too thrilling.

He thought maybe he had counted out danger too soon when they heard something rustle ahead of them. They all stopped to listen, hoping it wasn't a predator.

It wasn't a predator, it was worse. Scruffy's mother Chio was running up towards them.

"There you all are!" She yelled. Joey and Scruffy immediately ran up to her apologizing and crying. "None of that now, boys!" She pushed them away from her and went straight to Kavie and Laita. She clasped Kavie close to her. "Come on, all of you!"

Leo had no idea what was going on. He followed Chio as she ran back to the tunnels. Barely anyone could keep up with her, except Kavie. Chio was still pulling her along, keeping her close. Kavie looked just as confused as he was.


They were soon back at the tunnels, where they finally stopped and

Chio turned to them.

"Now, kids, I want you all to go down into the tunnels and find your parents."

"I don't understand." Joey said. "Are we in trouble?"

"No, not if you do as I say." Chio answered, practically pushing them down the nearest hole. Leo noticed that, for once, the above ground over the tunnels and the surrounding area were completely deserted. It was eerily quiet. Something bad had happened.

Kavie tried to follow them down but Chio kept a hold on her. "Kavie, you need to come with me, sweetie."

Kavie looked up at her, then over to Laita and Leo. Leo noticed how scared she looked as she did. Even after she had turned and left with Chio, the image was still in his mind.

The rest of them did as Chio had said. Since Scruffy couldn't go home if his mother was taking Kavie wherever, he went with Joey. Then Laita, looking considerably lonely, headed down the opposite way Leo went when they came to a fork.

When Leo reached his parents, they both rushed over to embrace him.

Max was already there. They all looked so solemn, and Leo still didn't understand.

"What happened, Max?" he asked his brother when nobody had said anything.

"Well, Dad and I didn't see it, we were down here. We only just heard from Mom. Mom, do you want me to tell him?" Max said.

"No, Max. I can." their mother answered. She was using the tone she had used when Grandma Tanya died, and Leo's feeling of unease grew. At least she wasn't crying.

"When I was with Ms. Ruth were out checking on everyone as they were foraging, we noticed that we couldn't find Bami or Clea. Kavie's parents. We began to look for them. We finally found Bami trying to carry Clea out from under a large rock. Bami collapsed in front of us and we saw a snake slither out from where he had come and off into the grass. We feared the worse, so we checked them over. They were both unconscious. They were barely bleeding but we still found puncture wounds on them. Bami woke up enough for him to tell us that they had accidentally come across the snake while looking for their food. Before he fell back out of it he told Ruth he was sorry. That he tried to shield Clea as best he could. We got them back home and when I left Ruth was having some of the others doing all they could, but Bami and Clea were having a very hard time breathing and...," now the tears were forming. "...it doesn't look very good."

She held her sons close to her when she finished. Mel patted her on the back, not sure of what else to do. They were all unsure at this point.


It seemed like forever before Chio appeared in their burrow with Kavie. Kavie was looking much like her best friend, Laita. Although the shyness Laita emitted was replaced by something else.

Chio spoke to the adults. "Mel, Ann. Ruth wants to see you both. She asked me to bring Kavie here. Do you think Max can watch her and your youngest while I take you to Ruth?"

"I think Max could handle it." said Mel.

"Besides, I think it's important we see Ruth right now."

Mel nodded. They waved their pups goodbye and left with Chio.

Leo watched Kavie slowly sit down, not talking to either of them. Her face held such sadness, the saddest face Leo had ever seen.

Leo went to sit next to her, and beckoned for Max to sit next to him.

She didn't even look over at them.

"They're gone." she said. She said it so calmly that if you had not been looking at her, you wouldn't know she was crying. They weren't like Leo remembered his mother's tears either, all coming at once with big gasps. Kavie's tears came one at a time. Maybe she was holding them back. "Both of them. I was there when...they went." The tears started to rush now. "They were lying there together. I got to say goodbye, but I don't know if they heard me. Then Ms. Chio led me away and took me here."

All Max and Leo could do was listen. Leo tried to think of some other way to try and help her, but all he could come up with was to hug her.

The kind of hug his mother had just given to himself and his brother.

He didn't really know if it had helped, but she did speak again.

"I'm never going to see them again."

"Yes you will." Leo said. He said it so assuredly that she looked at him for the first time since she came in. "They just went to that place way up in the sky where everyone goes when they die. That's where our parents said our grandma went when she died. Isn't that right, Max?"

Max looked a little surprised at his younger brother, but he answered him. "Yeah. That's what it is. You'll see them again one day when you leave for there."

"But hopefully not for a long time." Leo added. "Plus they can still see you from there, so they know if you're ok."

This seemed to help her. The flow of tears had slowed down. "Is that true?"

"Yup." said Leo. His unflinching assurance made her smile for the briefest moment.

A slightly smaller silence broke out. They now had to endure more waiting for the adults to return. Leo couldn't decide if this wait was easier or harder than the last.


Author's Note: Well, I hope both of you two people that are actually reading this enjoyed this chapter. I know its sad, but I promise this is as sad as it gets until much later in the story. Although it does get a little sadder after that. But 'cha don't have to worry right now. :-) I still say I'm not great at ending chapters.