[Squawks]
Narrator: Previously on "Meerkat Manor,"
Flint was under pressure,
keeping her hakuna matata family
out of harm's way.
While Whiskers boy Lylook cast a roving eye
over her younger sisters.
And Swift's new pups emerged from the burrow
for the very first time.
♪
[MUSIC]
[THUNDER CLAPS]
[SQUEAKING]
They say that home is where the heart is.
But a home must also provide protection
and the means to survive.
When either are lacking,
or fate forces your hand,
sometimes your only choice is to move on.
[BIRDS SING]
[MEERKATS SQUEAK]
[BIRDS SING]
Dawn marks the start of a new adventure
at the Whisker's burrow.
[SQUEAKS]
It's time for the youngest members, Laika, Hachi and Fly
to experience life beyond the burrow.
Everybody is itching to get out and escort them
on this important occasion...
No one more so than their mother, family matriarch Swift.
[SCRATCHES]
Itching being the operative word.
One of the downsides
of staying put in a nursery burrow for more than a month
is it becomes increasingly infested with parasites.
No amount of housework is going to fix this.
It's time to quit...
the flea pit.
When everyone's ready, the family set off.
They don't get very far before hunger gets the better of them.
[SQUAWKS]
Keeping watch as everyone tucks in
is unlucky-in-love, Lilac.
After his failed attempt at roving,
he's back home with mum and dad.
He may need more practice attracting girls,
but he's an old hand at sentry duty.
And he'll do everything he can to protect his baby sisters.
[SQUEAKS]
At five weeks old,
they're now ready for their first lesson in bug-hunting.
[SQUEAKS]
Step one: observe your older siblings.
Big sister Bones has an impressive technique.
Hachi gets the idea,
but discovers that it's not as easy as it looks.
It seems that success is relative to size and strength.
[MEERKATS SQUAWK]
Laika takes a different approach.
One that requires a lot less effort.
That juicy gecko looks big enough for two.
[LOUD SQUAWKS]
Bones turns out to be a soft touch
and gives her the whole thing.
That should keep her little sister quiet for a while.
After the pitstop, Swift is eager to get going.
The wind is picking up,
making it harder to smell or hear predators.
For everyone's safety
she needs to keep her family close and keep them moving.
Partner Brea will bring up the rear,
his eyes may be old but he won't leave anyone behind.
Swift pushes on,
she must find a new home for her family before the sun sets.
[BIRDS SING]
Across the Manor,
another mother is leading her family through the desert.
Hakuna Matata's dominant female Flint Lockwood is...
pregnant again...
but she's struggling to provide for the pups she's already got.
There's little in the way of cooling breeze here.
And in her small, parched territory, pickings are slim.
Three-month-old Azizi is no longer a novice hunter...
there's just nothing here.
Everybody's feeling the pinch,
and it's Flint's job to solve the problem.
She also needs to consider her unborn pups.
Standing at the border of her territory,
Flint faces a dilemma.
Venturing further she could lead her family
to a more secure future...
But if they trespass onto a rival family's patch,
she could land them in serious trouble.
Crossing into potential enemy territory
is the ultimate test of courage for any leader.
For one so inexperienced, and pregnant,
it's a risky move indeed.
But Flint does have one potential asset.
New partner, Finnick.
Though quite the family man now, before hooking up with Flint,
he led a bachelor's life...
roving all over the manor.
His navigational know-how
could be just what this over-stretched mum needs.
But can she rely on Finnick to lead them all to a better life?
As they cross into the unknown, Flint is about to find out.
On the Whiskers' side of the manor,
the pups have now travelled quite a distance.
The blustery wind is making it hard to hear warning calls...
and everyone's getting a little jumpy.
Suddenly...
[ALARM CALL]
Lilac sounds an alarm.
But instead of bolting for cover,
nobody seems to know what to do.
It's not clear what kind of danger.
Is it a bird of prey?
Or something on the ground?
Molerat joins Lilac
to see if he can decipher what the problem is.
Then he spots it.
[ALARM CALL]
A solitary figure 30 yards away.
[FRANTIC SQUEAKS]
There's no question what the threat is now.
The stranger may be alone
but if he's got his family with him,
this could turn into a territorial battle...
...with the weakest picked off first.
It's everyone for themselves
as they search for somewhere to hide.
But where IS the enemy now?
In these bushes, it's impossible to tell.
Lilac finds a bolt hole...
but it turns out to be no entry.
The entrance tunnel has collapsed, blocking access.
Exposed above ground, Swift doesn't have many options.
She goes for stealth...
and, using the undergrowth for cover, leads her family onwards.
She can only hope she is taking them away from danger.
[WIND BLOWS]
Across the dunes,
Flint's hopes for better fortune are falling on stony ground.
In the burning heat of the midday sun,
the pace has dropped to little more than an amble.
Far from navigating up front,
Finnick seems to be dawdling at the back...
[SQUAWKS]
...and there's a distinct lack of discipline in the ranks.
Tired, hot and hungry,
petty squabbles are breaking out over food.
[SQUAWKING]
Plucky Azizi wants her dad's lunch.
But he's having none of it.
All this is undermining Flint's authority.
Time is marching on.
She needs to find a place with better prospects
for her growing family...
and a new burrow to eventually give birth in.
The stakes are extremely high for this inexperienced leader.
After an adrenaline-fuelled morning,
the Whiskers take a moment to catch their breaths.
The wind has dropped
and the menacing stranger seems to have vanished.
Everyone is shaken but at least they're together.
The pups first day away from the burrow
is proving to be unexpectedly arduous
and they are exhausted.
Lilac does his best to comfort his sisters.
Brea offers some fatherly reassurance.
All this running around is taking its toll on his old bones
so he's glad of a rest too.
Swift can't afford such indulgence.
She has to stay focused on the task in hand.
So, where to now?
For the sake of her pups, she'd better have a good plan.
As afternoon turns to early evening,
time is running out on Flint's house-hunting mission.
Finnick's dawdling earlier cost them valuable travelling time.
But his inside track on the Manor has led them
to a new area...
and... a new burrow.
[PARTY MUSIC]
He wastes no time scent-marking the dream home.
It's certainly big enough for the whole family...
And boasts multiple entrances.
Someone's been here before...
but no-one's currently in residence
and it doesn't look like it needs any major renovations.
But the menu choices at the local diner
appear to be rather limited.
And there's an even more significant drawback.
[CAR ENGINE RUMBLES]
Positioned between two roads,
this place is a potential death trap.
[CAR RUSHES]
Finnick might have delivered the best house...
but it's on the worst street.
This is no place to raise a young family.
Flint's hopes of finding a perfect home
have yet to materialise.
But for tonight, at least, it will have to do.
As dusk falls,
it's time for Swift to reveal her plans for her family.
The pups badly need to get their heads down for the night.
So where is their new family home?
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
A derelict water tank is not your typical Manor house.
And it's hard to fathom exactly what it has to offer.
They may have to wait until morning
for this concrete carbuncle to reveal its potential.
For now, they'll simply have to trust their leader.
[SCRATCHING]
[DISTANT SQUEAKS]
After a good night's sleep,
the Whiskers are waking up to their new reality.
A wide-eyed Lilac has never seen anything like it.
But Swift seems very much at home.
Was this her intended destination all along?
It has an excellent sun terrace...
...and Laika, Hachi and Fly seem thrilled
with their adventure playground...
...even if it is very different from what they're used to.
But just look at that view.
It's not the most conventional of locations...
but it is abundant with life.
And there can be no doubt
that Swift has done well bringing her family here.
She has shown a glimpse of who she really is.
A worthy leader with the wisdom and courage of her forebears.
In her, the Whiskers dynasty truly lives on.
But Swift would do well to remember
that when the Kalahari gives with one hand,
it can take with another...
[CRASH OF THUNDER]
Even in the most bountiful paradise,
trouble is never far away...
And every family's fortune can change in a heartbeat.
[THUNDER CRASHES]
♪
Narrator: In this Garden of Eden,
life couldn't get much rosier for the Whiskers.
Across the manor, it's the land-grabbing Ubuntu.
Daisy's got her eye on the neighbor's territory,
Hakuna Matata's burrow.
Pregnant Flint Lockwood has a decision to make --
retreat and surrender her land, or fight to win it back.
[Chirping]
♪
[MUSIC]