Role Play- 8th of December

Maple takes a chance to stretch out her slender body. After making sure all her muscles were stretched, she resumes her sentry duty and scans the area for any signs of predators or anything else that looked like a threat.

The prestine beauty of the landscape has lulled Carnation into a state of complacency. Realizing this, she snaps herself out of it and returns to being on high alert. If she allows herself to become too non chalant it could cost a pup their life and place her position in the group in jeopardy.

PK looks around warily.

Sacha looks around calmly, not bothered by the landscape.

Kal looks around bored.

Sandy remains at her perch on the dead tree. Sentry duty is beginning to bore her.

Carnation maintains her stern vigilance, no longer distracted by the astonishing landscape.

Kal watches a vulture fly over head, unnerved.

PK and Sacha keep looking around.

Sandy sees the vulture too, but knows it's no threat. With so many guards on duty, there's no need for her to continue being sentry. Sandy jumps down from the dead tree and forages for last-minute meals before Starburst leads the mob back to the main burrow when night draws in.

Sharp eyed Carnation spots the far distanct vulture but isn't alarmed. She's learned at a young age they aren't a threat to meerkats so resumes her vigilant scan of the landscape and sky for more concerning adversaries.

Maple watches the vulture as well. Even though she was aware it wasn't a threat, its ugly appearance still made her shudder.

Sandy uncovers a grub, which she quickly gobbles down.

Carnation can't help to make a few wary glances at the distant vulture. It DOES have an eery appearance about it. It often means death has occured which is never a good thing in the Kalahari. She tries not to dwell on the possibility something is laying dead somewhere and regains her focus on keeping watch for real dangers.

Kal continues watching the vulture, smirking.

Satisfied with her grub, Sandy explores, leaping and nipping at a drongo.

Carnation's sharp eyes drift across the horizon and sky. The quiet tranquility is relaxing and can easily woo a sentry into complacency but she must try her best to resist letting her gaurd down. The precious pups below are depending on the babysitters to keep them safe. For the pups' sake, she maintains her alertness.

Maple decides to go into the burrow and check on the pups. With others outside doing sentry duty, she'd be right back, she just wanted to ensure the pups didn't need anything. She goes inside, heading off to check on the young pups that dwell inside.

Bored with the drongo, Sandy settles down under the cool shade of a looming tree.

Carnation watches Maple decend into the burrow for a brief moment before returning her sharp eyes to the horizon and sky but she concentrates more on the fore and distant ground. Cobras and other kinds of ground predators pose more of a threat than aerial predators to burrow confined pups. She trusts if a cobra or something else were to successfully over power her, Maple would defend the pups with her life.

Sandy grooms herself in the shade. She glances at the sky, wondering when Starburst will lead the Oreos back to the main burrow.

Several hours have gone by. It may have felt like eternity for Carnation and the other babysitters but they'd gratefully take a tranquil, tidious day of care giving duty over a day filled with constant predator scares that's for sure. Carnation sits contendedly on her haunches, postured in a slouched fashion as she gazes at the prestine landscape. It looks so astoningly beautiful in the setting sun's shine. She sighs in content feeling a warm non chalant sensation over come her.

Maple checks in on the pups within the burrow, ensuring they didn't need anything. She began to groom some that had gotten some unneeded pests, such as fleas, that had gotten onto them. She chrrs in an adorable way, finding the pups cute. After finishing with removing the fleas and other unwanted pests off the pups and making sure they didn't need anything else, she comes out of the burrow to resume sentry duty.

Carnation glances at Maple briefly as she heard her exit the burrow then resumes admiring the beauty of the landscape as well as keeping watch for danger and the return of the Oreos.

Sandy sighs, spreads out under the shade, and relaxes.

Carnation begins spacing out as she continues to gaze off into the distance.

Ruby sits at the burrow, waiting for the group to come home. (I'm assuming she's still not ready to forage.)

Kal looks around. It was getting late, much to his amusement.

PK waits for Starburst to lead the group home, nervously.

Sacha also waits.

Carnation suddenly snaps back to reality, realizing the group hasn't arrived home yet. She gazes at the distant landscape before her, hopeful. They're most likely on their way home now and should be appearing on the horizon at any minute now.