her recent meeting with the pale man from her past had left teya reeling. it was in this headspace that she searched out
@Eljay, not really comprehending why she was nearing their den at all.
with her she brought her usual offering of fish, pulled from the icy lake outside the den where she and reyes lived.
she hoped that the auspex and maia were planning children. that would please her immensely.
and this brought reyes into her thoughts. she smiled as she waited, fish at her paws and short bark announcing her presence.
slides on in here
Maia had settled comfortably into the Blackthorn den. Normally she didn't think much of it, but occasionally it struck her how weird it was to think of the generations that had been raised here... and how, pretty soon, their family might be a part of that chain.
Oh, Teya! Hi!
Maia poked her head out from where she'd been tidying the space and blew a bit of dirt from her muzzle. Then, spotting the fish, her eyes lit up even as she protested.
If that's for us, you didn't have to do that!
But she smiled appreciatively. She hadn't even thought to stop for a break and a meal yet; the den was wonderful, but any space could always use a little attention when it came to making it more comfortable. She'd gotten so used to the greenery in their old home that she'd sought out softer plants and brush to provide a little cushioning; the only downside was that it would need to be swapped every so often.
Eljay was happy to be back at the Blackthorn den. It'd taken him a while to get settled in here; at first, he was reminded all the time of how he had left Redhawk Caldera, and how Towhee's Caldera was just not a match for him. It made him feel guilty and out of place. But over time, the Caldera became more and more Brecheliant and less and less Redhawk. While it was still winter, Eljay could appreciate the thought of getting to raise the next generation of Blackthorns right here, at the Blackthorn den, where he himself had been raised.
As Teya showed up, Maia was there to greet her first. Eljay smiled as he heard the voices and meandered over to them. Hiya,
he said with a soft, gentle smile as he looked at her.
her tail waved. "hello, maia. i like fishing. but i like sharing more." she grinned and pushed the catch closer. "he was under ice beside island. had to drag him into ground twice."
fishing was her area of expertise, and each time she practiced the skill, teya logged teachable knowledge.
eljay appeared then, and the raven looked to them both with a soft chuckle. "you are settling then?" she asked, but the answer was clear. teya had little idea of what this place had meant to eljay, but her auspex seemed happy. "will i, ah, be auntie again this year?"
Well, thank you!
She reached out to take it, but set it aside. She wanted to eat it right that moment but would share it with her mate once this conversation was over. She sensed Teya had more to say and was correct. Maia heated a little when she asked that. They hadn't had the chance to talk about it yet.
There was, like, zero chance of Eljay not wanting that. And she wanted it, of course, so there wasn't really a lot to talk about was there? Why was it so awkward to say it, then? Teya didn't seem ashamed or nervous at all when she asked.
Um, yeah. I mean.... hopefully?
Even though she knew, she couldn't help looking at Eljay.
Eljay nodded when Teya asked if they were settling. Yeah. Thanks for the suggestion, Teya.
Eljay wouldn't have chosen to move back to Redhawk Caldera if it weren't for Teya's suggestions. He would've thought that everyone in the pack thought his motives were just selfish, and honestly, he himself would've questioned his own decisions for the same reason. It was perfect that Teya had suggested it instead.
The question came as a surprise to Eljay, and it showed on his face. Oh!
he said, clearly taken aback. He looked at Maia as she answered first, and his gaze softened again as she said 'hopefully'. He smiled fondly at Maia before turning back to Teya. Yeah, I think so,
Eljay tacked onto that with a nod. Hopefully a bit more into the spring.
Of course, they were at nature's mercy when it came to timing, but Eljay always preferred when the pregnancy was after the snow melted. March was early for children to be born, and he preferred them to arrive later.
awkward.
teya realized far too belatedly that she had misstepped. or perhaps she had not. but the way that eljay and maia looked at each other made her wonder.
her gaze widened; she tipped it back toward the ground. but when she looked up her eyes were dancing despite the potential tightness of the moment. the fact that neither of them seemed upset helped a lot.
"good. i have many vacations planned for you," teya intoned dryly, snorting a laugh.
she looked around softly. "the caldera more than i expected."
Her insides went fuzzy, just like they always did when Eljay smiled at her like that. Her nerves melted away too, replaced with happiness that warmed her cheeks and brought a smile to her face that she couldn't stop if she wanted to. (She didn't).
Maia was surprised, though, when Teya stopped at vacations. Her tail waved once happily, but then she paused as she realized. Oh. I thought maybe, you and Reyes...
Then, realizing what that implied, she stopped in her tracks. Her and Eljay were one thing, they'd had children before! But asking Teya was something else entirely. She completely missed the comment about the Caldera, because as much as she kicked herself for overstepping, she was curious.
Eljay thought of Reyes and Teya immediately, too. Then he thought of what Teya said about the Caldera, and he wondered what it was more of. However, before he could respond to either comment, Maia almost outright asked about Teya and Reyes. Eljay looked a little shocked himself, and so did Maia, who instantly seemed to realise that she had made heavy implications on a sensitive subject.
Trying to salvage the situation, Eljay scraped his throat and said hastily, Uhm, what Maia wanted to ask, I think, is if you have any plans of your own..? Uhm — but no pressure, of course.
Eljay smiled sheepishly. He did think it would be pretty amazing for his children to have some playmates around their age. He'd always loved it when he was little. Growing up with all the older siblings in Redhawk Caldera had been amazing. However, Eljay didn't want to pressure Teya in any way, so he decided to not talk about that for now.
teya snorted a laugh and waved her tail to signal all was well. she was not ashamed. a year ago she might have blanched and run. "i have no plans. i not considered having children." and reyes was already a father. she assumed he would have suggested it to her by now.
"i think i like being aunt teya," the raven murmured, looking from one beloved face to the next. the previous year she had spent that week with bridget. perhaps she would spend it alone this time.
she hoped they would not be disappointed.
Maia was glad that she hadn't offended her, but she was also slightly disappointed. She hid it though, smiling with relief that Teya at least didn't seem bothered. She'd been so hoping that their children would have someone else this year. And, selfishly, that she would have someone else. Last year she had lost both Wraen and Ibis... Teya had been there, but Maia didn't feel like she could really talk motherhood with anyone outside of Eljay.
Aunt Teya is perfect. I really appreciate it. We both do.
She looked at her warmly, grateful despite her quiet trepidation. She'd been such a good friend and support to them both. She deserved her own happiness, whatever that brought.
Teya laughed off any awkwardness that lingered between them, causing Eljay to smile in relief. She mentioned having no plans for children; that she hadn't considered it. Funny, Eljay thought, since she had a mate and all, but didn't comment on that. If they didn't want children, that was fine for him, however much he liked the thought of his own children having kids to play with growing up. Maia said that aunt Teya sounded perfect, to which Eljay nodded. Yes, you're the best aunt they could wish for.
He was so grateful for all the help Teya had offered them in the hectic first months of Sylvie and Hymnal's existence, when they'd had to deal with so much loss and had adopted three extra children on top of that. He could only try to imagine how great an aunt she'd be when she was feeling much better than she had last year.
neither of them seemed particularly put out by teya's decision. she was filled with love for maia and eljay; it shone in her eyes for a brilliant time.
the raven stepped forward to offer each of them a brief and wolfish embrace. "i want to be that forever. as many babies as fill caldera," she chuckled.
she thought wraen would be proud of them, eljay and her sister specifically. they had made a family bonded not by land but by loyalty and lore.
this can be my last if y'all want to fade this <3
Maia laughed as Teya said 'fill the caldera', and any of the leftover tension from her questions melted away. Teya was amazing - she knew what she wanted, she was sticking to it, and she wasn't worried about answering questions that a lot of wolves probably would have been upset by. Maia's appreciation, and affection, for her was already pretty high. It was also rising higher by the moment she spent actually talking to her.
They are the luckiest pups in the world, then, to have it. We'll do our best.
She turned her smile to Eljay briefly, then back, and couldn't help but think of her own pup sitters way back in the day. It was a little bittersweet to do it.
Do you need to get back to Reyes, or would you like to walk with us for a bit?
She knew that she and her mate often took a roundabout trip home, just to snag a bit of time, and she wanted to extend the offer in case Teya had more she wanted to catch up on. Maybe they could take a short circle around the lake and see if any frogs were starting to burrow from the winter hibernation.
Eljay smiled at Teya and Maia's words, and he nuzzled Maia's cheek as she asked Teya if she wanted a walk with them or if she'd rather get back to Reyes. Then he waited silently for her reply, open to either option himself.
"you two go on."
teya waggled her eyebrows. "i go to find reyes."
embracing both of them for a long moment, the raven turned, heading back to the little island she shared with her mate.