Totoka River Seidsongen, lint den lokkar hug or ham.

She knew Caracal and Heda wouldn’t mind if she stayed on the island as long as she liked. Maybe they even hoped she would stay close for a while. Her son in particular looked like he could use a break. Poor Caracal now knew what she had felt like raising his litter, she mused with a quiet snort.

But this morning Towhee decided to indulge a more selfish whim, which led her back to the mainland at dawn. The low tide properly revealed the sandbar, which she crossed. She didn’t wander very far inland, content to roam among the many forks of the river there. It was nice, just meandering freely in the morning mist and not worrying about answering to anybody else’s needs for a little while.

She stumbled across a hawk of some kind, feeding on a fish. Even after all this time, she thought of X. Towhee went still, though it was too late. The raptor took wing with a sharp, indignant cry. When it wheeled out of sight, she eyed its catch, abandoned on the shore. Shrugging, she decided it shouldn’t go to waste.

Her paws held the slippery fish as she reposed on the shore, just feet from the water. Towhee glanced around, then dipped her head and began to strip strings of briny meat from the carcass.

Dated for June 11.

Reverie had not traveled this far from the Bay since her family had settled there. She was still wary of leaving for so long, but she gave @Lestan fair warning; each day she ranged further, and brought back with her some new coastal prey she'd learned to hunt. Eventually she would begin to take Blossom with her, but for now she kept her excursions with her daughter limited to the outskirts of their territory. This trip was one she would make alone.
There were no fond memories of this place in her. Hoping to change that, she traveled the length of the river, content to take in the sights and sounds of the seaside — at least, until she found herself quite distracted by a striking dark figure and the scent of fish. Reverie paused, ears pulled forward, and after a few moments angled herself to enter the stranger's line of sight as she approached. She didn't bother to call out; no sense in giving them a false hope that she might be one for a good conversation.

She wouldn’t say she enjoyed the flavor of the fish, though it was definitely different. Towhee pondered on that as she chewed the latest mouthful of salty flesh. Sometimes it was fun to wander off the beaten path a bit, which was sort of what she was doing now. After all, since when was Towhee much of an excursionist, much less a solo sightseer?

Her thoughts were cut short when a pin bone pricked her in the gums. Towhee worked her tongue around her gum line, tasting the rust of her own blood. She swallowed what was left in her mouth, trying to ignore a certain flashback. Fortunately, she did not choke, though she pushed the rinds away from herself and sat up.

She looked around and started at the sight of a pale golden she-wolf in the middle distance. She thought of Niamh for the first time in a very long time, though the longer Towhee looked, the more she was reminded of Meerkat or even Tamar. Mostly it was the stranger’s age. She looked rather young, maybe even the same age as Jack.

They just sort of looked at one another for a long beat before Towhee made shifty eyes and slowly raised a paw in an awkward wave.

The stranger was tall and beautiful, older than Reverie but not so much that she lingered on the thought. For a moment they only regarded one another a little awkwardly; she wasn't sure what to do, and was grateful when the woman waved. A smile lit her features immediately at the sight of it, and she lifted her own paw for a returned wave before eagerly setting off to close the remaining distance between them.
She drifted to a stop alongside where the dark wolf had settled, leaving a small distance between them lest she think Reverie meant to steal the remains of her fish. Her gaze drifted over the expanse of the sea briefly, but she soon found herself turning to look at the other woman with a tilt of her head and a slow sway of her tail. Curiosity lit her gaze, but she made no attempt at speech. She had given up quite quickly on the possibility of anyone understanding what she said.

The instant she lifted her paw and crooked her wrist, the stranger’s face lit up like the recent sunrise. Encouraged by this friendly gesture, she closed the gap between them. Towhee pushed onto all fours to receive her, curious about the svelte stranger whose shift in expression now brought to mind her grandson, Stingray.

-“Hi,”- she offered when the woman came to a stop a short distance away. -“Do you live around here? I’m Towhee.”-

She didn’t bother adding a surname. Maybe it was narcissistic but she knew the Redhawk name was somewhat renowned and she didn’t feel like butting up against any preconceived notions on this pleasant June morning. For the moment, she wasn’t “mother of many Redhawks,” as Sialuk called her. She was just Towhee.

Finally, the moment she'd dreaded: speech. But it was accompanied by strange movements she'd never seen before, and that gave her pause. It seemed... purposeful. What that purpose was, she could only guess. Reverie nodded slowly when Towhee asked if she lived around here, but her eyes were tracing the gestures she made as she spoke.
She went still for a moment, gaze dropping briefly with a thoughtful frown as she considered how she might communicate her lack of speech. Ultimately she decided on her own deliberate gesture: a paw lifted to her throat and a meaningful shake of her head. It wasn't entirely the truth, but it was easier than trying to convey something she could not explain. Reverie refrained from offering her own name for the same reason; it would likely only make things more confusing for both of them.

The she-wolf who resembled so many wolves from Towhee’s past and present nodded, though she didn’t embellish this response verbally. Towhee’s movements seemed to have distracted her, though seconds ticked past and still no words came. They both sported thoughtful frowns, though a single gesture—a delicate paw placed against her throat, paired with a shake of her head—cleared up the one on Towhee’s own face.

No shit? she remarked without thinking, letting out a breath before adding, -“You can’t talk and I can’t hear…”-

If only she knew Ptero, it would be no different than communicating with Jr or anyone else who relied on the conlang. But of course this random stranger wouldn’t know the first thing about signing. Judging by her earlier expression, she probably didn’t even intuit the purpose of Towhee’s movements.

-“But you can understand me when I speak, can’t you?”- she double checked.

Reverie's ears perked at that; she'd never met a wolf who couldn't hear before, though she knew they existed. She wondered next if the strange gestures were a part of that, if it was inherent or learned, but Towhee was still talking and Reverie was very determined to avoid distraction. Her expression had turned briefly unfocused, but the fog in her eyes cleared almost as quickly as it'd gathered.
She nodded as if she hadn't just momentarily spaced out. So Towhee couldn't hear... what a pair they made! Her curiosity grew until it trampled right over any sense of politeness, and Reverie questioningly mimicked some of Towhee's gestures, her head tilting to the opposite side this time. It only occurred to her very belatedly to hope that they were in fact done for a purpose, as it seemed.

Another thought occurred to her on the heels of wishing this stranger knew Ptero. Could she move her lips as if she was speaking, even if no sound came out? She prepared to ask when the young woman suddenly began mimicking some of the signing. Towhee even saw crude version of a few words: “talk” and “hear,” ironically.

-“Can you speak silently?”- Towhee pressed, explaining, -“I’m very good at reading lips. It doesn’t matter one bit if you make any sound, not to me.”-

Something moved at the corner of her eye. Towhee turned distractedly in the direction of the open ocean beyond the delta. There was nothing there but endless blue gray waters beyond the whitecaps rolling nearer to shore. She squinted, prepared to turn back to face her new acquaintance, when something—a great silver fish, by the look of it—abruptly burst out of the water, arcing before disappearing back into the deeps with a soundless splash.

No explanation was forthcoming, but Reverie was relieved to note that Towhee was not offended. Instead, she had another question of her own. Reverie paused to consider this, her gaze following the direction of the woman's movement and drifting beyond. The sudden appearance of some silvery ocean-beast (A fish? Were there fish that big?) startled her more than it should have, but at the same time she was delighted. Her tail stirred the air excitedly, and Reverie lost her grasp on her focus entirely. She stared off into the distance, lost in a million racing thoughts while her heart kept pace.
She truly did love the ocean.

What, she asked, gaze swinging back to her companion, was that?

But even if she knew, would she be able to answer Towhee’s question? The Redhawk’s brow furrowed as she studied the she-wolf in profile, her golden muzzle pointed out to sea. Towhee then looked that way again, just in time to catch another glimpse of that fish leaping out of the water, a spigot of vapor bursting out of its forehead.

That’s some mystical shit, Towhee muttered, mostly to herself.

She’d been to the coast before, though she had never spent a whole lot of time here and certainly hadn’t bothered with much sightseeing. Now she looked around and decided she understood exactly why Caracal and Heda had chosen the island for their home. And why Meerkat and Njord had spent more than a year somewhere along this shoreline too.

Doubtless this stranger—Sunshine, Towhee decided, in a nod to her pal, Reyson—didn’t live on the island with her son and his family. So Towhee eventually brought her fiery gaze back to her, curious and determined.

-“Can you point to where you live?”- she asked.

When Towhee looked back to her with a question on her lips, Reverie could only rejoin with a delighted little laugh. Her ears still stood tall, and she kept looking between the woman and the sea with wide eyes. She didn't quite notice that she was being studied. A small gasp slipped from her at the creature's second appearance, and she stepped toward the water thoughtlessly, but remembered just in time that she had company.
Besides, it wouldn't do to go chasing sea monsters and lose herself in the ocean. Lestan would be very displeased.
She turned back to Towhee when she addressed her again, nodding. Then she pointed in the rough direction of Stavanger Bay, where her family waited for her. Reverie was suddenly anxious to return at the thought of them, but she wanted to hunt before she made her way back. Something new this time. Hunting still bothered her, just a little, but the necessity of it outweighed her discomfort — and it was rapidly becoming her preferred method of getting acquainted with seaside living.

Sunshine pointed to a bay in the distance off to their left. Towhee squinted past her, as if she might see something of note in that direction, then refocused on her face. She wasn’t entirely sure why she’d asked that, except to confirm her belief that Sunshine didn’t live on the island. She wondered if Caracal and Heda knew about her and the pack based just a little ways down the coastline.

As intriguing as this little rendezvous had been, Towhee mulled for a moment before deciding she didn’t particularly want to spend the rest of her morning trying to make the world’s most painful small talk. She was sure Sunshine was an interesting wolf, nevertheless the Redhawk just didn’t feel like spending that type of energy on this endeavor.

My son and his family live there, Towhee said, using her foreleg to point and wondering if the young woman would show any sign of familiarity. I should get back to them, then head home. She turned her head to see if she could make out Moonspear from here, feeling silly when it stuck out like a sore thumb in the distance. There, she supplied in case Sunshine was interested.

Reverie was momentarily caught in bitterness at the mention of the island — the wolves her brother had chosen over her — but that was washed away in disappointment as she realized Towhee was excusing herself. Part of her was very aware she was taking it perhaps a bit too personally. It was just — they'd only just met, and Reverie was accustomed to long talks with new acquaintances. It was one of her greatest joys in life —
Except, she couldn't do that anymore. So it made sense that Towhee would want to leave so quickly. Reverie's ears tilted back and her expression turned slightly somber, but she only nodded and took a step back from her, giving another little wave after a moment's thought. It had been nice to meet someone new, at least. Reverie abruptly abandoned all thoughts of hunting, and decided that she would head straight home — and stay there for awhile.

Sunshine’s face fell at Towhee’s words, though which ones, she couldn’t be sure. Perhaps she rightly sensed that this brief meeting was drawing to a close and was disappointed about that, which made the Redhawk curious… but not curious enough to pursue it.

Well, Towhee said as the ashen-faced woman began to retreat, her leg coming up as if their encounter was being rewound. Take care, she puffed, doing the same by raising her paw in a final farewell salute.

As Sunshine headed back toward the bay, Towhee peered after her, then raised her gaze to the very mountain she’d pointed out a moment ago. Home? she caught herself thinking with a decidedly loud question mark. It was an intrusive thought and she didn’t know what to do with it, so she stowed it as she trotted back toward the land bridge.

As she made the lonely trek back home, Reverie turned the memory of this encounter over and over in her mind. Each time she replayed it, her recollection became more warped, and in it she found a cold sort of certainty. A realization that she was no longer worthwhile company.
In the absence of speech, she was nothing. No one. Reverie had no point of interest beyond the words she could share, and this realization left her feeling strangely empty. How could she hope to raise a daughter, keep the interest of a husband, form lasting relations with her packmates, if she could not even keep a stranger entertained?
She would have to do better.