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If'n you have the time. If he's welcome, then of course the babs are welcome to join into this as well!
He wasn't sure if he felt more alive, or more exhausted at any other point in his life. He felt both simultaneously, which forced him to persevere through his aching muscles and lack of sleep so that he could keep up with Fennec's demands. As soon as she disappeared to find something to eat or check in on Towhee and her kids, he often passed out cold, instantly. But after a fairly fitful nap, and waking up to find himself still alone, he yawned and pushed himself up onto his feet. His coat was a mess, having not been groomed properly in days- but he kind of liked the bedhead look. 

He figured Fennec might have gone to visit @Towhee, and also figured that he was overdue a visit as well. He wasn't entirely certain how Towhee was feeling, in the wake of her Regent's departure, but he hoped that having a litter of healthy children might have put her in a better state of mind. So he spent a few hours tracking down a gangly hare, which he carried with him to Towhee's chosen nesting place as an offering. 

He had visited Towhee with her infant daughter the year previously, but still had some misgivings about assuming he was welcome- as his mother had been very hostile within the first week at least after giving birth. So, with some trepidation, he approached, wishing he could simply call out with a gentle boof to get her attention. He didn't want to stick his head into her den either, so he approached, allowing his body to cast a shadow that might catch her attention. He settled the hare down, and began slowly, pushing it forward, hoping she'd notice it, and take it as bait- which might win him a welcome.
She kept forgetting that Bronco was living here now, partly because she hadn't actually seen or spoken to him yet. But when someone darkened her doorstep this afternoon, she sniffed at the air and bounced to her feet in practically the same instant upon recognizing the scents. This swift movement swiftly unlatched a couple of the pups who were nursing and Towhee even stepped on one. She immediately felt terrible and paused to soothe him with a few passes of her tongue before nuzzling him toward his litter mates and scurrying to the threshold of the Hobbit Hole.

"Hey, I'd heard you were lurking around these parts," the Sovereign said in way of greeting, orange eyes dropping hungrily to the rabbit. She licked her lips but did not make a grab for it, her gaze moving back up to Bronco's familiar face. It was good to see him, though she felt vaguely guilty and a little sheepish as she couldn't help but remember the circumstances of their last rendezvous.
The thought that Towhee might see him differently, following everything his mother had done, weighed heavily on him. Not so much so that it chased him from the pack, as there was nothing that could come up, he thought, that would force him to abandon Fennec. He heard movement from within the den almost within a second of his arrival and he stepped back, sheepishly wondering if he might be warded off. Towhee had never chased him off before- but he wouldn't have begrudged her for feeling slighted by his part of the family simply because of how much drama his mother had caused. 

She looked better than she had the last time he'd seen her. And she smelled nice too- something about puppies and motherhood suited her. Sheepishly, he nudged the rabbit toward her, cringing inwardly when he saw how thin it was. Probably a buck which had spent too much chasing does around, and not enough time eating the fresh grass. He shrugged and chuckled softly. The truth was probably obvious- as he figured by now that Towhee would've gleaned some bits of it from Fennec. He'd hardly left her side to do little other than hunt, so even the glowing, guilty look on his face would have said enough. -"Yeah, well. I know when I've been missed."- He said. After all- both Meerkat and Fennec had wanted him to join them on the Caldera. -"You look good, Towhee,"- He said with a soft smile.
She appreciated how Bronco almost always made the effort of signing as well as speaking. Towhee laughed openly at his words, if only because she felt like a dirty diaper most of the time. It wasn't that far from the truth, considering how many times a day her pups voided on her. But she appreciated the sentiment and gave him a careworn smile.

"You too," she rejoined, aware how lame that probably sounded. "I'm glad you're back. And..." Towhee paused, swirling her tongue around her mouth as she carefully chose her words. "I know you and your mom didn't necessarily get along but, for what it's worth, I'm sorry about the... circumstances." Those pups she'd run off with were his baby siblings, after all.

For the nth time, she wondered if Niamh had been forced to stop who-knows-where to give birth and that's what was keeping Phox: he was tending to her and their newborns. That was probably the best case scenario. Hopefully they would get word soon, one way or another. Towhee couldn't quite envision a future where everyone was one big, happy family again, but... well, she didn't want to dwell or speculate right now.

"I bet both my daughters shat their britches when you rejoined," Towhee thought aloud, changing the subject. "I'm referring to the two elder ones, though the babies deifnitely shat themselves too. And me. And the entire den." Suddenly her eyes grew distant and unfocused. "So. Much. Shit. Bronco."
He knew it would come up- but it didn't come up the way he'd expected. He'd thought that Towhee might have had more to say from her perspective about Niamh's disappearance, considering their fallout. He didn't stop to consider that she might ever suspect that he had done something, after having made an offer- albeit jokingly- to slay his mother and make it look like an accident. He wondered why perhaps she hadn't said how she felt about Niamh wandering off, probably because she had mixed feelings about it, same as him. He wasn't so much concerned about his mother, though he had every right to be. She was pregnant, and she'd had a broken leg- there was a high chance that something bad could have happened to her, and that she wouldn't have had the strength or speed to fight it off. But what did cause him to fret and worry was the fact that his siblings had been taken with her. Whatever consequences Niamh suffered were directly caused by her own actions- but it was incredibly unfair for her to have jeopardized the lives of the kids by leaving. It wasn't fair. Those were Phox's children too- just as they were Towhee's niblings, and his siblings. 

-"Phox'll find them,"- He said. After all- how far could Niamh have gone in that state? It went without having to say that he wasn't sure what state Phox would find them in if and when he did find them...But all they could do was hope that he found them in time. He clenched his jaw slightly; unwilling to speak much more about a situation that he couldn't possibly control or fix. But he did appreciate Towhee's sympathy, even if he wasn't able to say it. 

So when Towhee alluded to Meerkat and Fennec, his posture relaxed a bit, and he smiled- though it was a bit of a guilty smile. He'd yet to see Meerkat, and he did feel a bit bad that he hadn't intentionally tracked her down yet. As it was, he was quite preoccupied with Towhee's eldest daughter, and that realization made his cheeks grow a bit warm. Maybe he should tell Towhee- but he also probably should have asked permission...He'd missed that boat, though, several times over, so he figured he should probably just try and hide some of his current, guilty pleasure to avoid getting booted out of the pack so soon after joining. Fortunately, he thought he could get away with the somewhat ashamed smile and nod- before latching on easily to the topic of Towhee's newest children, and their abundant excrement. -"Yeah, I kind of forgot about that part, with babies. Even shitty babies are cute, though,"- He said. -"Fennec says you have four of them this year?"- He asked, with an eager smile. That was quite an impressive batch of kids, as far as he knew.
She liked to think Bronco was right. But Towhee knew from experience how difficult it was to find someone in the wilderness, especially someone who very likely didn't want to be found. But either he had found her and he was staying elsewhere with her and the litter, or he hadn't and he was still out looking. Either way, Phox had been gone long enough that Towhee grew increasingly concerned. One way or another, he would come back... right?

Towhee pushed those thoughts aside, choosing to focus on lighter things. Bronco didn't seem phased by the mention of shit. She randomly wondered if he still found the whole idea of procreation nauseating, though she didn't ask. She did feel her stomach turn a little as an intrusive thought crossed her mind: if Niamh had disapproved so strongly of Reyes, what might she have done if Towhee had ever acted on her brief crush on Bronco?

That didn't really bear thinking about any more than her Regents' current whereabouts. "Yes, two boys and two girls. The girls are identical twins. You're welcome to come inside and meet them," Towhee said, turning partly so she stood perpendicularly in the Hobbit Hole's doorway.
He had to smile faintly when Towhee mentioned that the girls were identical. Just like Alyx and Quetzal, he thought; and even just thinking of them made his heart ache a bit. He missed them, and wondered how long it might take for them to take a trip back to the Caldera for a visit. He also found the idea of the girls being absolutely identical to be amusing- considering the fact that his sisters were in fact identical twins, but how easy it had been to tell them apart within a few moments of being in their presence. They might've looked scarily similar, but his sisters were definitely unique. 

So he moved forward when she invited him to come in and see them, his posture naturally softening to show that as always, he was as gentle as he could be as he moved quietly and carefully into the dark den, pausing for a moment to allow his eyes to adjust, and allowing some room for Towhee to move in as well, as he assumed she might want to introduce them one by one.
Watching Bronco stride toward her young made her think back on all the times he'd looked after or played with a baby Meerkat. The recollection put a soft smile on her face, though it quickly fell. Compared to the present, raising Meerkat had been a breeze. She kind of ached for the ease and simplicity of having one, then immediately felt her insides clench with guilt. She'd always wanted kids, but four at once was just so many...

Following him just inside the doorway, Towhee was a little surprised to find all four of them sound asleep. "The brownish boy is Marten," she said, pointing a toe at the pup who twitched gently in his sleep, "and the reddish one is Caracal. The girls are called Sapsucker and Sphyrapicus, which is the sort of bird they resemble. Don't ask me which is which."

She gave Bronco a moment, then backpedaled to slip out of the Hobbit Hole. She knew she could count on him to keep quiet and let the youngsters sleep. Towhee could use a few moments of peace. And a conversation with another adult would be welcome, though she would be totally fine with it if Bronco simply stood there and marveled for as long as he liked.
"Awwwwwwwwwwwww!" He breathed quietly as he stepped into the soft bedding where the pups were nestled, still warm in their tangled up embrace. They made soft little sounds, and occasionally would flick their tongue out over their little pugged nose, or would squirm against a sibling only to settle up against or on them in a position that looked like it had to be uncomfortable. He looked from one to the next as Towhee pointed out the two boys- a dark brown one and a sandy one- and then he looked to the two girls who were not only impossible to tell apart, but impossible to tell where one pup began and the other ended, being all snuggled up. He circled around them and then curled up so that his sturdy legs framed their little nest, and they could get warmth from his belly. 

"Oh Towhee, they're beautiful," He breathed, but she had already stepped out of the den. He was a bit surprised- he wanted to ask questions about how their birth had gone, about their father, and about how each pup had begun to act but it made total sense too that she might instead want a bit of time alone. He chuckled softly, and calmly, carefully began to fuss gently over each pup. Even just the smell of pups was almost intoxicating, and made him wish that someday, he might have some of his own that he could fuss over. Fortunately, though, it seemed Towhee had already welcomed him as a nanny, and he breathed a happy sigh as he spent some time snuggling with the newest additions to the pack.