Redhawk Caldera The truth is, I prefer whiskey.

Oh yes, Towhee knew that full well. She idly wondered what the spring might hold for her older children. What if Figment knocked up some chick? What if Fennec got knocked up? It was hard to imagine either of them being irresponsible like that, though it definitely wasn't out of the realm of possibility. Fen could get herself in real trouble in the glen. And Towhee would be in a bind over Fig. She wanted grandchildren, yet pack laws existed for a reason. The caldera pack could only support so many pups. There were technically two breeding pairs already. Shit, this was exactly why Fig should branch off on his own.

Wraen queried after Frosthawks, forcing Towee to set her internal monologue aside. "You'll have to ask Phox about that. He and a few of the others visited not long before we moved. I stayed back to hold down the fort. Everyone's doing great, as far as I know, though." She paused before answering the next question, which funnily enough aligned with her earlier train of thought. "He's recently expressed a desire to be more, do more, and I suggested it. He's still feeling it out, I think, but he has my support in whatever he chooses to do," which hopefully didn't include any illicit litters.

"I will seek him out then," Wraen nodded and added another thing to her "to-do-list", where finding a good place to settle was written with red, block letters and the other less-pressing, but - perhaps - easier mattes to settle were added in smaller font. "That is honorable, indeed," she remarked, realizing now that she knew very little about the present Figment and had not known much about him, when he had been a kid either. They grew up too quickly for a single person to make good and intimate friends with all of them. That was unfair on one side, but blessing on the other. 

"What about this year's rascals - any one of them showing aspirations to be either a leader or a..." brat was the first thing that came to her mind for some reason. Though amused by this suggestion she did not say it out loud. She had stepped over the line with Bronco recently and did not wish the same happen to her and Towhee. "...something else? Warriors, medics are a popular choice in your line of family," she asked.

Wraen asked after this year's pups and Towhee reflected a few moments before replying. "They all have tons of potential and I could see Alyx as a leader, in particular. The other two fuck around a bit more," she said with motherly affection. "She takes life a little more seriously than her brother and sister." And they'd already talked about Meerkat a little, so that pretty much covered the youngest four.

They hadn't really talked about Fennec directly yet, so Towhee happily grasped at the thread Wraen provided. "I really didn't expect it but Fen is really knocking it out of the park as far as the medic thing goes. I actually wish she wasn't so independent and constantly going off to do her own thing." She paused, laughing at how that sounded. "But only because I think she has just as much promise as her brother. Man, I'd love to see the two of them team up to lead a pack."

Alyx was the quiet one of the twins. That - sadly - was the extent of Wraen's memory about Niamh's kids. Primrose hadn't struck her much at all - his image was always in combination with Towhee grooming him. But that only told you that he was a clean puppy, but not much about his character. She regretted a little for not getting involved with the kids of this year's litters too much, but then she had been a baby-sitter for years and at a certain age you prefer to enjoy peace, calm and solitude instead of loud and hyperactive children. She found that she considered them to be the most interesting during the teenage phase and as young adults. Then you could really see the personality growing and changing and be amused by all the drama they went through. 

"Fenn has always been very ambitious," to her Fennec's rise to greatness did not come as a surprise. Her disability had not deterred her to become better than anyone else. In fact, it had made her work harder. "Well, one day you will," she shrugged. "Alright, Sovereign, I think that I have strained your eyes just enough," when with Towhee, it was sometimes easy to forget that she did not hear a damn thing, but read from lips. "Me and Maia will be on the lookout for a new fort just the moment, when she is able to run on all fours and I won't feel, as if I am about to cough my lungs out. I promise," she smiled at her friend.

Although Towhee already knew that about Fennec, it meant a lot hearing it from someone else. She was glad her daughter was just more living proof that being different or disabled didn't mean jack squat about how far a person could go in life. Her head cocked at Wraen's confidently casual, "You will." She laughed, hoping as much.

A moment later, her friend was excusing herself. Towhee had completely forgotten her initial irritation and could scarcely believe she'd felt it in the first place, not after this wonderful conversation. "Okay," she agreed, "but don't leave without coming to find me again, all right? Off you go." She waved a paw dismissively. "And feel better."

"Okay, mom," Wraen nodded and made up a "goodie-goodie-girl" expression just for the fun of it. It had been great to feel reconnected to all things: from breaking news to family gossip, to relationship blogging and advice. They had covered it all and - she could not speak for Towhee - but this had really made her feel better than before. Less lonely, more involved. 

"When me and Maia find that place - you will be the first to have a look around," she promised. "We will even have an honorary den for you there - a place of peace and quiet, when caldera gets too loud for you!" she winked, referring to this spring, when she had taken both moms for an outing. It had not turned out to be as fun as it had initially sounded, but they could rekindle that tradition.

In order to bond. And to keep their sanity in an ever-changing world.