Winter blew it course through the Kalahari and despite the conditions all the group manage to survive, with all four pups now old enough being five months, to fend for themselves.
During the winter, Saignee and Fritz often went off to rove, but both always returned, Fritz himself had been force to return early after a nasty wound from a unknown mob male.
With August here and the rains back, the Isikaras can now focus on raising the groups numbers once more. As they sunned on a warm morning while the four youngsters; Copycat, Firefly, Spice, and Bronze playfight, there are more surprises in store.
Both Sundance and Izzy are standing side by side, with their plump bellies showing that they are both expecting pups, Indus and the males had been nervious and despite everything a rover had mated with Izzy. Now Izzy was expecting her first litter.
Any normal group the Dominant female would either evict the expecting mother or kill the pups. But Sundance hadn't been a leader for long and with the Isikaras so small, she can't take any risks, so for now she tolerates Izzy.
September and October soon resulted in four new members, a male and a female in each litter. In Septemember, Sundance gave birth to her son Inky and daughter Envy, in the following month, Izzy gave birth to her first daughter Teacup and son Dudley. Both pups had been accepted and Indus must show some tough love when Spice and Bronze get a little to interested in the new arrivals.
But the foragers soon go out to forage with the four older pups leaving Fritz in charge of both litters.
While foraging, the four pups show their age. The oldest pup, Copycat gets the first luck and by herself catches a scorpion, and munches on the tasty prize and is not about to let anyone take it.
Spice and Bronze are wrestling, though they are young, they are vicious. Bronze had managed to dig up a gecko, but mean Spice, being lazy, wants it for herself.
While the two fight it out, clever little Firefly steals the gecko and is the second pup who gets fed. Leaving a sore Spice and Bronze angry at each other.
Sundance nor Indus has done nothing for it, the pups are merely learning lessions that will help them in later life.
Izzy also doesn't try to do anything, she is more focused with trying to find food for her pups, since the four pups with them aren't hers, she isn't going to worry about them now.
The Isikaras soon head home leaving Izzy to forage alone. Sundance's two pups who are small enough that they have to stay behind with Fritz, but seeing their mother both Inky and Envy go to greet them.
November soon presents both litters as aboveground. But Sundance's two pups are much older and they even have been out foraging, this means that Izzy's pups might have to learn the tough policies of meerkat life.
Sundance made lead calls and then nudged all four pups, she knew that they needed the food and Izzy's pups couldn't have any special treatment. Izzy seemed to understood and gathered her pups for their first lession.
While foraging, Izzy's little daughter Teacup is about to learn her place in the pecking order.
Fritz brings the little female a wiggly grub and just before Teacup can take it, her older cousin Envy charges in and attacks the little pup and few times before she claims the grub.
Teacup doesn't move, the fight was serious as it was if they had been older but it left the little pup shocked, confused, and shaken up, when Copycat tries to give her a beetle, Teacup is too afraid to accept it.
Sundance had observed all this but since they were pups she couldn't do anything, rough treatment now meant that Teacup would need to be more wiser and try to hold her own.
Izzy sees her poor pup and gives Teacup a loving cuddle, she too can't do anything about Envy's behavior since Envy is the dominant female's pup, but at least she can be motherly.
Inky and Envy meanwhile give the same treatment to Husk, but unlike Teacup, Husk tries to hold his own and even taunts them into a big playfighting session, Teacup can only watch under her mother's arms, she will need to be careful.
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