Wheeling Gull Isle When sea foam green is in fashion.

Towhee remained on the island for more than a week. She felt guilty for leaving Meerkat et al in the lurch, especially so soon after breaking the news about Swordfish. But that chain of events had led her here, reuniting her with her other wayward grandchildren, and Towhee could not simply leave them, not when these ones seemed so happy to have her.

She paid one last visit to Caracal’s grave, then perched on the plinths of stone overlooking the land bridge. It was high tide, so there was no sign of the sandbar. Towhee peered at the mainland, then spent a few minutes watching a pair of gulls chasing one another over the surf.

She’d already told @Simeon, @Judah and @Dinah that she must return to the copse eventually. Towhee had of course encouraged them to accompany her there. But would they come? The time had come to find out for certain. She sat upright on the warm rocks and summoned them with an affectionate if horrisonant call.

!!!

dinah wanted to tell her everything.
about rivenwood. about mama and her tryst. about how she'd worked to keep what remained of her family alive, only to be cast aside by the newer, prettier children who did not have daddy's face, nor his name. about the rise, and mulherin, and how long it had been now since she last saw him; how badly she wanted to go to him again. about how she could not, because — of judah.
thoughts raced about the girl's mind in a constant whirlwind. she was quieter than normal, tending still to her brothers and waiting for the right time to sweep them to the mainland. to escape from the ghosts which haunted them here. 
she approaches her grandmother in silence, beachswept and billowing in the way her mama once was. she smiles, but it does not reach her eyes.

How peacefully she’d entered the island. While she stayed they shared meals, slept on the same bedding, laughed. There was much sweetness, there was little pain.

But when she calls he knows her meaning. The island had a clock, it seemed. A bell tolled. Time's up.

From his place tucked beside Dinah, Judah rises and crosses the salted sweep towards Towhee, stopping short of the rocks. He thought he’d already cried so hard that there’d be nothing left inside him. But somehow the tears begin again, one for each day he’d had her.

And if she vowed to come back… well, his mother had once made that promise, too.

He stands hollow.

I wanted to ping @Malakai now that he’s in the other thread! He and Simeon are welcome to hop in anytime.

Towhee’s heart lodged in her throat when Dinah appeared because, for a moment, she mistook her for Caracal. The resemblance really was striking. Swallowing the grief that leeched up from deep inside her, the elder Redhawk pushed onto all fours and carefully stepped down to the beach proper. Sand shifted beneath her paws as she strode up to her granddaughter and immediately pulled her into a loose hug.

By the time she pulled away, Judah was there too. Towhee’s breath hitched as she looked at him. She still couldn’t believe he’d been alive this entire time, same as @Swordfish. But unlike his cousin—and his own twin—Judah seemed to embrace his grandmother’s presence alongside Dinah and Simeon. Three out of four ain’t bad, Towhee marveled, orange eyes grazing over Judah’s stump before she embraced him too.

When she pulled apart this time, she looked for any sign of Simeon or even Malakai before focusing on the two sweet faces in front of her and saying, I need to check in at the copse, like I mentioned. Towhee paused, hoping they understood why she couldn’t remain here then or now. But this time, she spoke plainly when she said, Come with me.

Malakai had stayed mostly away. He didn't eat with them, sleep with them. Some of which because he nearly couldn't stand to be in Dinah's presence (who had abandoned them all the same). Though would never show this but merely treating her like a ghost. The majority of his reason for staying away, however, was because he knew the falsehood of being a happy little family would come to an end. Best not forget what had happened. Forgive their failures, but never forget. 

Why can't you just stay with us? His voice rang out, flat and sharp, directed to his grandmother as he trotted down the last slope of the Greenhills and into the gathering's direction. 

After all, it wasnt like Towhee wasn't used to coming and going, being anywhere she pleased. She had stayed with them quite awhile when they were little yet had been a part of the pack Moonspear. Then later she lived in the Heartwood when they had first come to the mainland (as Caracal and Judah were dying) and now she was in some 'Copse'. So to him, it didn't seem like a hard decision to make. 

It wasn't like she was really loyal to any given place or pack. She had family and friends everywhere. Which was good and yet to Malakai made her not all that reliable. After all, the Sons of Sweetharbor had been abandoned by father, mother and grandmother alike at only five months. Malakai was quite used to the disappointment by now.

I’m going to narrate a vague conclusion for us as discussed in Discord.

Dinah and Judah approached in quick succession, neither one looking enthused by this particular summons. For the first time since her arrival, Malakai truly made himself known, voicing a question. Towhee couldn’t hear his indignant tone, though her eyes studied his stony face before glancing past him, looking for any sign of Simeon.

She didn’t see him. Towhee glanced at Dinah, whose smile didn’t reach her eyes, then at Judah. She could see tears glistening in his eyes. Finally, she looked back to his twin, who looked as if he was incredibly disappointed in his grandmother.

And could she really blame him? All four of them had every reason to resent their family, after everything that had happened. Towhee let out a sigh, her pensive face pointing down at the sand between her feet for a lengthy movement before she caught Kai’s eye again.

I want to stay with you, she told them, but I don’t want to stay on this island, not forever. I’ll hold off a little longer but I really need to send word to the copse. Towhee didn’t want them feeling abandoned either. Please just think about it. You don’t have to give me an answer now, she said in the next breath, moving inland to demonstrate that she wouldn’t be taking off today after all.