The Great Slugcat Migration

Andrew: It's my thought that Gourmand's "true ending" (completing the food tracker) triggered the later events of Survivor and Monk.

Andrew: I see slugcats as a nomadic species. They may congregate and live in an area for a while,
but they are open to moving en masse when there is promise of better food and resources.

Andrew: When Gourmand came back with tales of the large variety of food sources he found beyond
the bounds of their current territory, the slugcats began to prepare for a big migration.

Andrew: Survivor and Monk's intro takes place during this migration, and they
get separated from their family while travelling away from their old home.

Andrew: It's also why going back to the tree later on in the timeline, you find it abandoned.

Andrew: Maybe some of the pups you find during Survivor's campaign were
also poor children who got separated and left behind during that process.