Previously, on Meerkat Manor...
At the Whiskers, Swift faced more turmoil...
when all five of her daughters
revealed they were in the 'family way'.
Tragedy struck Hakuna Matata
when a violent storm caused the family to split...
leading to the death of Munchkin's newborn pups.
And the torrential downpours sent a shockwave
through the heart of Ubuntu territory...
as the river flowed for the first time in 25 years.
An uneasy calm descends over the Kalahari at night.
But the chilling consequences of recent events
are not yet laid to rest.
While some sleep peacefully underground...
...others will be lucky to wake at all.
At times of great change,
the endurance of a dynasty relies upon family unity.
And hope is being able to see that there is light,
despite all of the darkness.
A river now flows through the desert.
Water gives life...
but it can also take it away.
The riverbed was once home to Daisy's Ubuntu clan.
But their burrows took the full force of the flood.
And the family hasn't been seen since.
Nothing drowns Daisy's fighting spirit.
The family had a very lucky escape.
When the flood waters rose,
Daisy led her gang to higher ground
where they sought refuge overnight.
A strategy adopted by other escapees too.
These new elevated premises,
offer a delightful view of the river.
But there are some serious drawbacks.
Firstly, the burrow is a tight squeeze for fourteen.
And secondly,
with much of their land cut-off or underwater,
they appear to be stuck with it.
This downsizing couldn't have come
at a more inconvenient time for Daisy...
...or indeed for Magali and Mameuf.
All of whom are about to give birth.
Daisy's customary tactic
of stealing a neighbour's burrow is no longer an option,
now they're cut off from Hakuna Matata land!
leaving them right back where they started a year ago,
with an expanding family,
in a home barely big enough to accommodate them.
Daisy may be short on options,
but where there's a will, there'll always be a way.
A mile south of the river...
Bel-Hurricane is first up at the Whiskers burrow.
Each new day brings greater anxiety for this mother-to-be.
One of five pregnant sisters whose due dates coincide,
her sole concern is ensuring that her pups
have the greatest chance of survival.
This situation has arisen because Swift has failed to act.
By choosing not to evict her pregnant daughters,
she has set them on a collision course
that could threaten the stability of the whole family.
Yet she seems curiously relaxed about it all.
SO relaxed in fact
that she is in danger of undermining her own status.
As eldest daughter,
Bel-Hurricane is well-placed
to exploit any weakness in leadership.
And she knows it.
As the others get stuck into the morning chores...
the fifth sister, Laika,
has yet to surface.
While no-one's watching,
Bel-Hurricane quietly slips below ground.
When she re-emerges,
she carries with her a lifeless newborn pup.
It's now clear that Laika gave birth overnight.
She stayed with her litter
but was powerless to stop Bel-Hurricane.
Pup deaths - whether or not at the hand of another -
are sadly inevitable.
Bel-Hurricane has simply ensured
that the family will focus on raising her pups,
not her sisters'.
That is precisely why Swift evicts
anyone who could pose a threat,
just before giving birth herself.
Perhaps emboldened by her ruthless actions,
Bel-Hurricane leads the family out.
Everyone dutifully falls in behind her
with Swift being the last to leave.
Laika finally surfaces to face her harsh reality.
Her loss is any mother's worst nightmare.
Her readiness to leave the burrow
almost certainly means that Bel-Hurricane left no survivors.
and now, the family has left without her.
At the Hakuna Matata burrow,
Flint is eager to leave her family troubles behind.
Following the tragic loss of Munchkin's pups,
she's moving everyone to a new home.
It's the first time that her youngsters
have attempted a major journey,
and it'll be tough on their little legs.
But the kids are ready for an adventure!
The journey starts well enough...
...but things soon start to unravel
as the long grass causes confusion
and makes sticking together almost impossible.
When they reach the road, Flint spots an escape from the grass.
Finnick is dubious of taking such a perilous step.
But Flint has no such qualms.
The road will enable them to move quickly as a group...
...but out here they are dangerously exposed
to predators and vehicles.
They're making good progress
but one pup is struggling to keep up.
Munchkin offers Mooncake some encouragement.
It's not long before little Mae falls behind too.
Once again, it's Munchkin who steps up to help
Since the loss of her own pups...
..she's doing everything she can to protect Flint's.
And that means getting them to the new burrow
as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, further south,
the Whiskers have followed Bel-Hurricane
all the way to a shady midday pit stop.
The mood has lifted since this morning's grisly start.
Seemingly unburdened of her responsibilities as leader,
Swift uncharacteristically joins in the rough and tumble
with Ragnar, Rollo and Floki.
It's far too hot for her heavily pregnant daughters
who have neither the energy nor the inclination to join in.
So instead, Swift indulges them with a bit of pampering.
Perhaps she is softening in her old age.
But allowing five daughters to breed
is unusual to say the least
and it could well be a sign that Swift is losing control.
Bel-Hurricane, meanwhile,
is beginning to show the qualities required
to replace her.
She has a ruthless streak...
and a presence that others have started to follow.
Could a shift in power from mother to daughter
be on its way?
Or is Swift's apparent nonchalance
due to something else entirely?
Back on the road,
Hakuna Matata continue to make good progress
on their journey to a new burrow.
Even little Mae is now keeping up,
as everyone follows Munchkin's caring example.
Mooncake has a tendency to get distracted.
But Sencha is now keeping a watchful eye over her.
Gurke has taken charge of Reef.
Even Finnick has involved himself in the childcare,
taking parental responsibility for Seymour.
No one will be left behind today!
As they draw closer to their destination,
Munchkin moves up front with Flint,
who's looking for the exit off the road.
It's here somewhere.
Now they just have to find the burrow.
Munchkin helps Mae with the final push.
And there it is.
Their new home.
Flint's pups will stay here
until all five are capable of standing on their own two feet.
Behind every great leader is a great support team
and Flint has one she can count on.
Munchkin, having put her own personal tragedy behind her
has blossomed into a loyal sister and protective aunt.
Finnick has grown from a hapless first-time dad
to a dependable father... finally.
And Flint -
having successfully raised thirteen pups in one year...
...has transformed Hakuna Matata
into the largest of the three family dynasties.
Proving herself worthy of her illustrious bloodline.
Flower's legacy truly lives on here.
As a tumultuous day draws to a close...
...the Whiskers head back towards their burrow
where Laika is waiting patiently for them.
With more births imminent, change is coming.
Swift has now led the Whiskers
for longer than even her great-grandmother Flower did.
Six glorious years.
Always with one constant at her side.
Her ever-faithful... Brea.
Together, the devoted grandparents-to-be
have produced no fewer than 54 pups
and built the dynasty to be stronger
than when Swift first took command.
But The Whiskers have never raised four litters
at the same time.
What happens tonight,
will determine the scale of change to come.
A new dawn heralds new life
And the wait is finally over
for another of the expectant sisters.
Bel-Hurricane is once again the early bird.
She won't venture far from her newborns below.
Their arrival may now strengthen her leadership ambitions
and she will do whatever it takes to protect them.
But when Swift rises,
it appears she has been concealing a secret all along.
She too has more life to deliver...
...and is nowhere near ready to relinquish her crown.
The fate of a family is determined by its unity
and the strength of its leader.
The fight for the dynasty...
...continues.