She made a decision about five minutes after departing the canyon back in the direction of the spine. But Towhee kept to her word. She thought about it the whole walk home, then as soon as she arrived at the borders, she called for
@Kukutux. Hopefully the Alpha female would have time for a quick conversation.
Towhee sighed as she gazed up at the spine and thought of little Cowstep, of Shikoba, of the other wolves she'd met here. She liked them all. But they weren't
family, which was what she needed right now. She still shied away from the idea of infringing on her kids while they were trying to build their own lives, but Ruenna was hardly a consolation prize. Every time Towhee thought about living with her again, it made her heavy heart lighter.
No homo, Rue, she thought fondly as she patiently waited for the "moon woman."
The Alpha female came, greeting her with words that surprised Towhee a little and made her insides twist with guilt. She took a breath, dipping her head to the "moon woman" and waving her tail. She managed a genuine smile.
"I just returned from Mereo, where my—our, I mean—friend, Rue, is the Matrona. She invited me to stay there." Towhee paused. "And I would like to go. Rue's actually more than a friend." She didn't even bother correcting how that sounded. "She's family. And she could use my help training soldiers. Apparently, they want to be prepared to wage war on none other than Nyra."
That was quite a lot to drop on Kukutux at once, so Towhee stopped herself there. Her orange eyes passed curiously over her fair features, wondering what she was thinking and what she might say.
"Go to Rue," Kukutux said and Towhee felt herself welling with quite a strange mixture of emotions. There was gratitude and an immense sense of relief. Her belly even did a little flip.
But the "moon woman" had more to say on the matter of Mereo, specifically some very interesting intel. Towhee's eyes narrowed as she hung on every word on Kukutux's lips. She nodded her head. Kynareth was the other name Rue had mentioned. This was the first she'd heard of Ursus. Was that a person? Or a place? She would have to ask her new Matrona...
Kukutux had a habit of disarming Towhee. She did it again now. Towhee blinked, then looked right into the pale woman's eyes and said, "I want to thank you. It means a lot to me, that you—well, you give a shit. And that you offered me a place. Even a special title."
Maybe an apology should be forthcoming, though she fell quiet for a moment before saying instead, "Of course. I'm not an expert on alliances but maybe we should strike one? Mereo and Moonglow? Maybe you could still send some of your older kids my way for mentoring...? I ran a boot camp once before."
She felt another jab of guilt at the "moon woman's" astute observation. It was true, though as she'd said to Ruenna, it was nobody's fault. It wasn't a good fit, that was all. Her stay with Moonglow had been valuable, as it had demonstrated to her what she needed most from pack life.
Kukutux mentioned her mate, which made Towhee abruptly wonder if they were officially expecting. Her eyes grazed over the woman's midsection, though there was no telling yet. She supposed it wasn't any of her business, much as she'd enjoyed her brief stint as Kukutux's kisisak.
"I'll let Rue and Germanicus know," Towhee said, nodding. "I didn't have a chance to get to know your 'sun man' well but will you tell him I said thanks? And if Shikoba or Cowstep wonder where I went, please tell them I said goodbye..." It didn't even occur to her that Cowstep wasn't the kid's actual name right at the moment.
"And," she continued after a pondering pause, "if any of my kids or anybody else comes by to visit, let them know where I am?" Caracal might come back, maybe Killdeer next time too. Maybe Meerkat or some of the older ones might drop by too. She didn't want to thwart any attempts they might make to visit her.
"Funnily enough, it's a straight shot east from here, just past the yuge lake," Towhee answered Kukutux's question, glancing over her shoulder in that direction. Of course, they couldn't see the canyon from here, just Sunspire's peaks against the skyline.
Facing Kukutux again, Towhee said, "I'll be heading out soon. Thank you again. If you ever need anything from Mereo—or, hell, just me—please don't hesitate to ask."