THE TERMINOLOGY
Giants: elephants
Titans: rhinoceros
Gods: giraffes
Understudy: a young meer of approximately three moons of age who is training with an adult meer
High Sun: midday
High Moon: midnight
Half-grown: meer that is between the ages of one season (six moons) and one year
Yearling: meer that is one year or two seasons old; are officially adults but very inexperienced
Unnatural: anything human made
Night Blossoms: healing flowers
The Way Way Back: ancient history of the meer; the ages from the beginning of time
The Before Us: the name given to dead meer who have passed on
The Starlands: where good meer go when they die
The Catacombs: where bad meer go when they die
The Firstbloods: the first animals to inhabit the desert according to meer lore; meer (meerkats), cobras, greatwings (eagle owls), clawbeasts (wild cats), stormbirds (goshawks), and black foxes (bat eared foxes)
The Insight: prophetic visions often involving close contact with one’s ancestors
The Grand Spirit, Sky Mother, Vast Father, The Poisoner: benevolent creator spirit
The Great Hunters: most powerful predators in Vast; lions, leopards, hyenas, wild dogs, cheetahs
The King Beasts: most powerful creatures in Vast; elephants, rhinos, hippos, giraffes, lions, and hyenas
The High Current: Where Greatwings fly when their souls depart
Eviction: usually only happens to female meer; when a dominant feels one is a threat to their family/pups that meer will be forcibly cast out of the group
Roamer/Rover: male who purposefully leaves group looking for a mate, normally returns to original group
The Path of The Sun: meer whose main goal or skill is to perform duties such as acting as sentry, fighting for the family, foraging, and helping the dominants raise pups
The Path of The Moon: meer whose main goal or skill is to acquire knowledge of healing and communicate with The Before Us
Way: referring to whichever path a meer choses to follow; that is their ‘Way’
Clans: There are six clans of cats (though Claw is thought to be extinct) that trace their lineage by their name; Claw, Tail, Tooth, Jaw, Pelt, and Gaze
Cave of Records or NoEnd: an ancient moving cave that is the only known way for a live meer to cross into the Starlands, also where Night Blossoms grow
Vast: the known world; consisting of The Desert, The Outlands, The Savannah, The Forest, The Mountains, and The Shores
Dwellers: small creatures that live in the ground; i.e. burrows
Furless/Deities: humans
THE LANGUAGE i.e. CALLS
Alarm = rr-up = danger
Lead = mrru = follow
Distress = muu = help
Pain = imm = hurts
Close = muu = stay near
Spit/Threat = chu-rp = leave or else
