Golden Glade Elivagar.

Towhee couldn't resist the impulse to drop by the glade after her visit at the copse. She drew up at the woods' far eastern edge, glancing at the sky. The cloudburst had been thankfully brief and now the sun was peeking out from behind the silvery, wispy clouds. Towhee could see the plateau looming over the treetops and her lips twitched right before they formed into an "o" as she called on her sister @Raven.

Well aware that the sable she-wolf most likely wouldn't be able to come herself, Towhee prepared to be received by @Quixote, @Rannoch or @Liffey, perhaps even someone else entirely. That was okay. She only wanted word of her nieces and nephews, no matter the source; certainly they'd been born by now?

Liffey hadn't been too far away when she'd heard the call. She'd been searching for Wisteria, but there was something just familiar enough about the stranger's voice that he'd abandoned her hunt for the sake of her curiosity. She'd only wanted to check in with her rather elusive daughter, after all. And being an alpha now, it was sort of her job to do things like greet strangers at the borders now, right? Maybe?

Ah well, she went, and when she saw who it was, she realized what had been familiar about the call. Liffey smiled as she approached, calling out with a friendly chuff before remembering Towhee couldn't hear her. She had never learned ptero herself what with Towhee being so very young when Liffey had left the Caldera, but she knew enough about communicating with her to wait to speak until she was near enough for Towhee to read her lips.

"Hello, Towhee!" she said with a wag of her tail, "I heard you calling for Raven. She just gave birth a few days ago."

The wolf that came to greet her reminded her so strongly of her godparents that Towhee immediately knew who she was, despite her memories of Liffey having faded into the ether of her childhood. Between the familiarity and the succinct greeting, Towhee could find no fault with her, despite her prior feelings of resentment.

-"Hey. Liffey, right?"- she replied, then nodded. -"Yes, thanks, that's why I came. How is she? How are the pups?"-

Liffey nodded, confirming her identity. She wasn't bothered that Towhee didn't entirely remember her. They'd only been a few months old when she'd left the pack to join Rannoch, and she hadn't spent too much time with them outside of the time they'd liked in that ice cave together to avoid that awful blizzard. There had been the one time at the border when she'd brought Rannoch to meet her parents, but that too had been brief and quite some time ago now.

"Everyone is happy and healthy," Liffey answered, "We haven't met them yet, but there are three--Two boys and a girl. I can take you to their den if you want so you can say 'hi'?" Towhee was family, so she was certain no one would mind her being in the territory. Plus, she was Raven's sister--her chances of getting in to actually see the pups might be a little better than Liffey's had been at this point, though not guaranteed. And if not, calling a hello to them from a comfortable distance outside of the den always worked.

The invitation took her by surprise, though Towhee couldn't say why. She'd been welcomed into the Firebirds' inner sanctum for this very purpose on more than one occasion. And she was just as close to Raven as she was to her godparents or Niamh. Perhaps it was because it was Liffey making the offer. They shared some mutual loved ones, yet they weren't far from being strangers. And up until recently, Towhee had thought of her as some sort of usurper or something. She'd already put that sentiment aside, yet she felt a minute jab of guilt now, nonetheless.

-"If you think it would be okay, I'd love to see her and meet them,"- Towhee admitted, wondering if Liffey would be bothered that a technical outsider might get to see the pups before her. -"Maybe we should howl to her or Qui, make sure it's okay first. If not, I can come back another time."- She could call herself, though only Liffey would be able to listen for the answer, so she fell silent to see what the Alpha thought.

In spite of all the hurt feelings and broken ties that had come with their flight to join the Redhawks, there was no doubt that it had been one of the best moves Liffey had ever decided to make. She hadn't felt so comfortable in her surroundings--her own skin even--since she had been very, very young. The only moments in her life that had compared were the times she and Rannoch spent alone together, or that she spent alone with one or more of her children. Liffey would never regret running away from home to set out on her adolescent adventures back when she'd been a yearling, but never again would she ever think she ought to be anywhere other than with her family.

And that showed now in the way she simply smiled at Towhee's hesitance. She was alpha and could make these decisions to let an outsider within their borders, yes. But more than that, she was confident that even if Raven and Quixote didn't want any visitors, she would still belong here. She wouldn't somehow lose her standing or her acceptance and be cast out for one wrong move. "I'll give them the head's up," Liffey offered, "I can at least give you a little tour, in any case." Tilting her head back, Liffey howled to let @Raven and @Quixote know that she was bringing Towhee by, then gestured her cousin to follow as she dropped her head level again.

As she began to walk, a curious conundrum came to her then. How to make sure Towhee could read her lips while they were moving? Liffey pondered this for a moment, but when no brilliant solutions came to her, she simply did her best to walk with her face pointed at her cousin and to only speak when Towhee was looking. "I heard you have a couple of little ones of your own now? Sort of?" Liffey asked conversationally.

She felt her muscles stiffen at the idea of a tour. Honestly, she was curious about the pack's new choice of territory and she and Raven had been far too busy catching up to meander the glade. Still, Towhee always felt a little discomfited at the notion of treading in another pack's claim, no matter how welcome. But just as she did with the Firebirds, she swallowed her misgivings and trailed after Liffey, idly wondering if her sister or brother-in-law had replied. Probably not yet, otherwise Liffey would've given some indication.

Oblivious to Liffey's bemusement over communicating while walking, Towhee caught her words and bobbed her head. -"No 'sort of,' I do. They're not of my body but they're still mine,"- she corrected, albeit with a small smile on her lips. -"They're called Figment and Fenton. The latter is blind, which is one of the reasons Phox and I decided to start Asterism Grove. It's safer there than it was on the plateau. I'm guessing that's one of the reasons you guys decided to relocate too."-

Before Liffey could concur (or not), Towhee turned to more fully face her as she asked, -"Can I ask what brought you here? And how,"- she added, hesitating for half a heartbeat before just putting it out there, -"you and Rannoch ended up straight in leadership? It's none of my business but I've been curious ever since I first heard."- "Curious," that was one word for it, though it was more accurate now than before.

Finally getting a reply up to this now that I'm home from being outta town! Feel free to take as long as you'd like actually getting to the den if you guys want to have Tow and Liffey chat a bit. I'll reply again when they actually get to the den. :)

The return to motherhood was something of a mixed blessing for Raven. There were the sleepless days, the even more sleepless nights, the sore teats, the never-ending resource drain on her body that no amount of food could restore, the endless crying and fussing and pooping and demands for her attention from three very restless, very needy individuals. Being a mom was hard, and there was a lot about it that Raven hadn't missed.

But over all of it, there was happiness. There was love and gratitude and profound, boundless joy that was nearly manic in its intensity. Each time she looked at those three tiny bundles of fuzz, she was so overcome with affection that she couldn't even find words to describe it. She had felt the same with her first four, and it was no different now. How blessed she was, how lucky. They were so perfect.

A soft howl went up on the warm afternoon air and she recognized Liffey's voice, with news that Towhee had arrived. Excitement bloomed inside her at the thought of her beloved sister meeting the three newest members of their family, and she gently extricated herself from the sleeping babes to poke her head out of the mouth of her den and return a howl to let them know they were welcome to drop on by.

Liffey nodded and returned the smile, though she kept her comments to herself. Towhee could believe herself to be the mother of those children, but she wasn't. There wasn't any way to make her understand what it was to truly be a mother--to raise the children that were born of your own body, created with the man who was part of your whole. It seemed impossible that there could be a comparison, so just as Towhee didn't know what it was to be a mother like Liffey was, Liffey didn't know what it was to be a mother like Towhee.

When the conversation turned, Liffey felt the first glimmer of tension rising in her chest. Towhee spoke politely enough (as politely as it could come out, considering the way she spoke at all), but there was something in the question that put her on guard. Within a few seconds though, Raven's howl came and she felt the tension lessen. Her ears perked and she glanced away from Towhee as it came, then turned back to her cousin with a smile.

"Raven sounds thrilled that you're coming," Liffey answered, then took a few seconds before continuing their conversation. "Rannoch and I came here because we wanted to be with our family and because we didn't believe our former pack was the best place for our children. When we joined, it felt more like the merging of two packs into one than just a few of us joining the ranks, so Raven and Quixote asked us to join them in leadership to make the transition easier on our children."

"Besides which, Raven was pregnant and they knew they'd need assistance keeping things running after the kids came. Rannoch and I have been alphas before, so... it simply made sense," Liffey finished, watching her cousin for her reaction.

I assume that's how it went anyway lololol

Some of the stiffness in her own muscles relaxed when Liffey reported that Raven had returned their call and was looking forward to seeing her. Although distracted by this development, Towhee did her best to focus on Liffey's answer to her question.

Family? was Towhee's first thought, genuinely stumped. The bit about merging did make some sense to her, though there were a few parts of the story that patently didn't. What did a particular rank matter to their kids? Why did being an Alpha prior mean anything? For that matter, why did any of this matter to Towhee? When Liffey appeared finished with her explanation, the mercenary weighed her words in her mind.

-"But your parents are in Firebirds,"- Towhee observed before querying, -"so which family are you referring to?"- She hoped Liffey knew she wasn't asking to be a dick but because she was actually uncertain. Before she could reply, the mercenary admitted, -"I had no idea you and Rave were close at all. But I am glad you're here to help her."- In my stead, Towhee tacked on inwardly.

-"And I'm guessing maybe there wasn't room for all the kids in Firebirds?"- she mused even as it occurred to her. She didn't know how many Liffey and Rannoch had brought with them, though a decent handful by the sound of it. Of course, when it came to how many pups were born to a pack, the limit did not exist (Towhee clearly hasn't read the Guidebook) but resources were certainly finite. As a mother (despite what Liffey thought), Towhee knew she wouldn't want to put her kids in a situation where they had to compete too much for them.

"You are all my family," Liffey commented, giving Towhee a curious look. Towhee and her siblings had been raised as her little brothers and sisters, their older siblings as her cousins. Their families had been so intertwined since before she'd been born that of course they were all family. She decided to leave out the part about it being better to not live with Finley. She realized she was usually the odd man out when it came to thinking Finley Blackthorn could do no wrong.

"Raven and I were close when I was a kid," Liffey went on to explain, "Back when I was young and I didn't feel like I fit it, she was kind to me and made me feel like I could be myself. Like I was enough." She smiled softly thinking on it, but it faded as she considered just how long it had been since she'd had someone besides Rannoch to make her feel that way. 

At the last, Liffey laughed aloud. "Goodness no," she replied with a grin, "They're far too outnumbered over there. Add my four in, the adults would be overthrown in a day."

Towhee caught the look and held her tongue, seeing no point in refuting Liffey. She hardly knew the woman, though to be fair, she had come from Elwood's and Finley's loins. It was kind of strange to think about that, because some of her godparents' children were totally her siblings, yet others simply didn't feel that way. Case in point: Liffey. That relationship simply hadn't developed, although evidently something like it had sprung up between Liffey and Raven.

Well, that explained a lot. Towhee nodded her understanding, somehow reassured that there was some sort of history there, she simply hadn't known it. Raven hadn't just handed the Redhawks over to a pair of random strangers. That she'd ever thought her sister would do that anyway sort of chagrined Towhee. She had been too emotive these past few weeks and was glad her good sense had returned to her.

The mercenary recognized laughter, even if she couldn't hear it, and her lips twitched. She thought about carrying on with the joke, though she still didn't know how many pups lived here, so she could wind up insulting someone or something. She just kept on keeping her mouth shut for the moment, at least until a very familiar scent filled her nostrils, interwoven with another batch of smells that made her feel nostalgic. She'd stood sentinel at Raven's door for her first birth, she remembered... at least, until she'd left to hunt down Screech.

Shoving that memory aside, Towhee faced Liffey and asked, -"Is this it? Her den?"- Rudely not waiting for an answer, she called out obnoxiously, "Rave! It meeeee!"

Wanna hop back in here, @Raven? :)

It didn't take them too long to reach Raven's den. Liffey glanced at Towhee when she asked if they'd arrived, but merely smiled instead of trying to answer. The girl clearly didn't need her to confirm anyway. She called out in a way that made Liffey laugh softly. It also let her know that she ought to take her leave and let the sisters have some time to themselves.

"I'll let you guys catch up," she said to Towhee after stepping around again and catching the girl's eye, "It was nice chatting with you. You're always welcome here." Towhee had grown quite a bit from one of the obnoxious pups that had stolen her parents' affections when Liffey had been a kid, which she was of course glad for. They might not be on the same level of family with each other than either of them were with Raven, but what they shared still counted for something. With a little dip of her muzzle, Liffey turned to go, assuming her psuedo-sister-cousin didn't call her back.