On a warm and sunny day in March, most of the Isikaras were up. Indus was on guard as usual while Saignee, Fritz, and Izzy worked on the burrow, but Sundance hadn't came up yet.
But soon the golden form of Sundance came up, she looked different and now they knew she was expecting pups, this litter would be the first born as Isikaras members, not meerkats from another group.
Izzy went over and groomed Sundance, rolling onto her back in submission, Sundance had truly claim the top spot as the matriarch of the Isikaras and therefore one of the few threats to the pups is if Izzy were to get pregnant, then she would most likely kill the pups, and for the little group that could be fatal.
But Sundance needs Izzy, since there are only two females in the group, Sundance will need Izzy to feed her pups and ensure that they survived.
But right now Sundance is more focused on tidying up the burrow with the other meerkats, this burrow would be the one she would give birth in and it needed to be perfect.
While the workers threw up dirt in their work while Indus made himself useful, taking a pause from sentry duty to scent mark his group's territory. As Dominant male, he finally claimed the duties that are reserve for males that are Dominant, now that there was no older male competition, he could relax.
But the two males must be watched constantly, but both Saignee and Fritz know that Izzy is not to be touched, only one female can breed, and with Indus in charge, no male wants to get on his bad side.
Sundance soon led the group out to another patch to forage, it rained the day before so now there were more choices which was a relief for Sundance. But this meant that the pups would be her first and last litter of this year.
But if all the pups survived then it would be worth it, the little Isikaras need the pups, but usually one in four pups will end up dying.
But Sundance didn't want to think of that right now, the group needed to eat and Sundance had to feed her unborn young.
On April 14, Sundance didn't surface with the others. Indus, Izzy, Saignee, and Fritz worked on the burrow but that was finished hours ago, and now all they could do was wait.
Indus decided that this was another chance to remind his two companions their place, Saignee and Fritz aren't daring to argue they roll on their backs and let Indus scent mark them and a hip-slam cuts it.
Soon the tiny sounds of pups come from below ground in the deep and coolness of the burrow. Indus is the first to investigate and to lay proud eyes on his first litter.
Though as a rover he most likely had more pups, if they weren't lost, killed, or abandoned, but he never laid eyes on those pups, but now as Dominant male he could view and be proud of his first litter.
In the main chamber, Sundance was laying curled on her side with four tiny nearly furless little pups at her belly. Indus sniffed each pup curious and soon indentified three females and one male, four pups would be a challege to raise, but the Isikaras' future depended on it.
Izzy came below ground and with Sundance, helped wash the new arrivals. Izzy felt relieve to be useful. Sundance knew that Izzy wouldn't harm her pups and Izzy is the only meerkat who can feed them.
So leaving Izzy tucked around her pups, a slimmer Sundance goes above ground. She shakes out the sand from her fur and paused to take in the sights and sound, with the new scent of pups on her fur, all three males are scent marking, they want to make sure nothing threatens these fragile bundles of life.
Saignee and Fritz must now help ensure that Sundance is protected and is able to get enough food to feed her babies, unfortunetly, Fritz ends up find this out the hard way when he loses his toad to the ravenous Sundance, but he'll have to put up with it.
At the end of the day the foragers return with bellies full and tends to her pups, three weeks later the four pups will come aboveground and the Isikaras and truly count on four new members.
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