Chapter Four

 Life is a game of chance where sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. We all have to play regardless of whether we want to or not. Life is a game of chance where sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. We all have to play regardless of whether we want to or not. The rules might be set in stone, but sometimes can be bent or broken.

The odds of Telemachus and Pysche keeping all seven pups alive are low, the odds are that one pup in five does not make it to their first birthday. Yet Anthousa, Eritha, Diona, Roxana, Erinna, Kleio, and Damalis are all alive and well. They are weaned off milk and most can find their own meals, though it never hurts to try appealing to dad or Psyche for a free handout.

Surrounded by her family, Psyche could not be any happier. She has led the group through several encounters with both rival mobs and nobody has been badly hurt or killed. The only thing she has not done is found a mate. There is no shortage of suitors in the area who would love nothing more than to be a dominant male and have the right to breed with the boss. Telemachus may not be able to help his daughter in this area, but he will gladly see off any rover who gets too close. 

Today there are two boys in town who want to try their luck with the Sun Mob. Phobos and Deimos come from the Valentine gang and they have a reputation for being fierce, just like their dear old dad. Telemachus is on guard and begins the dance of hide and seek. These two are rather persistence and Deimos is bold enough to openly challenge Telemachus. As he gets his tail handed to him, Phobos slips in and guides young Anthousa away from her family. Meerkats are sexually mature between twelve months of age and one year. It is unlikely that anything will come from this mating, but at least he is getting some action today.

Deimos sees the pair together and is determined to get lucky as well. He waits until Telemachus is distracted by some vultures circling in the distance, then moves in. Psyche is foraging at the edge of the group and being a dominant female means that she is the bigger prize. Deimos, unfortunately, won't get the chance to know her company. He is spotted by Eritha and would not be foolish enough to turn her down.

After the deed is done, Phobos and Deimos decide to call it a day. They slip off into the sunset and leave Anthousa and Eritha to return to the group, coated with the scent of unrelated males. The group gathers around them, with Telemachus stirred into a frenzy of scent-marking the area. Psyche is not pleased with either girl, but she only scent-marks them both and then takes the Sun home.

Despite their young age, both Anthousa and Eritha turn out to be pregnant. This is quite an uncommon occurrence given that most meerkats are not able to breed until between twelve months to a year. Antousa and Eritha are only four months old but will be five months by the time they give birth so long as neither litter is aborted.

Psyche should probably do something before she ends up with a massive baby boom on her hands. The problem with subordinates having pups is that each pregnancy and birth will be a boost and could one day make them bold enough to challenge her for dominance of the group. For now Anthousa and Eritha are both young, enough to not really be seen as a threat by Psyche yet. If they are smart, then the pair will count their blessings and do best to ensure there will not be a repeat of this offense.

Psyche might be okay with the double pregnancies, but not everyone in the group is happy. Anthousa and Eritha are capable of finding their own food, yet it saves time and energy to just simply steal it from somebody else.

Anthousa is an intelligent meerkat who takes advantage of any distractions. When Roxana and Kleio start to fight over a millipede, Anthousa goes in and snatches it from under both their noses. By the time a winner, Kleio, is decided the millipede is almost gone and Anthousa has no intention of sharing the last bite.

Eritha’s method is straight forward. She goes in and muscles Diona out of the way and claims her sister’s scorpion for herself. Diona is obviously upset and a brawl breaks out between the littermates. Psyche pauses her digging in order to sort the pair out, then goes back to work. Eritha and Diona glare at each other, but then go off to forage in difference areas that is far away from each other. The rest of the day goes by smoothly and Psyche soon leads everyone home for the evening. While Anthousa and Eritha keep watch and Diona broods in the corner, Telemachus is enjoying a game of wrestling with Roxana, Erinna, and Kleio.

Their lives may have just gotten a little wilder, but so far everyone is doing well and Psyche has been keeping them together. As night falls the Sun’s future is still looking bright.