"All right. Either you're shy, or those vocal chords aren't of the complex variety," Axel waved it off. "Either way," he motioned towards Ma, "you see this? Not food. Got it memorized? Talking meerkat equals not dinner."

He leaned forward, grabbing the journal that belonged to her and offering it back to Ma. "Yours?"

And then he turned back to Toboe, "If you're hungry, I'm sure there's got to be some creatures of lesser intelligence roaming in one of the forests. Maybe you oughta try there, lassie."