Redhawk Caldera i'm stuck in folsom prison, and time keeps draggin' on

Although he hardly sought anyone out (even when encouraged to do so) today he felt...emboldened. Perhaps by the fact that he had not yet been devoured or chased out of his newfound home. Which meant he attempted to pick up a familiar scent. Inclined to see an already familiar face.

He trailed along a recent scent trail of @Towhee with something less fearful in his step that day. Excited or curious, maybe. He did not know what she might make of him seeking her out.

She was in the homestretch now and things were on a tentative upswing. Towhee and @Ruenna had found a suitable whelping den, with plenty of extra legroom. It made her think of her makeshift den in the log, where she and Meerkat had stayed for the first few weeks of her daughter's life. She would treasure those cozy, intimate moments in her memory forever, though she was thrilled to have made preparations beforehand this time. And all the space was a definite perk.

Speaking of Meerkat, her daughter had come home to stay with her. Now if only @Alyx and @Fennec would get back soon, Towhee might even say she was feeling a bit more hopeful about things. She might not have @Reyes, @Niamh and @Eljay by her side like she'd pictured but she was hardly left hanging. The Sovereign could absolutely count on @Phox, Rue and her daughters.

And maybe Lenny, she thought as she spotted him while moseying around to stretch her legs. "Yo, Lenny!" Towhee greeted. "Have you been working on what I asked?" she queried, more casual than businesslike. But they really could use every hand on deck, with the pack so pared down lately.

"Yo, Lenny!"

He shrunk some, although not as much as he had back on the borders. Respectful still and mindful of his face being aimed towards her instead of away. Although he simply nodded in response as he quickly noted the...heavy roundness of her sides.

Had she been that round when he had first arrived?

Tentatively he stretched out his neck, nose aimed at her. Granted he still hovered out of actual touching distance.

Lenny see? He asked with plenty of awestruck curiosity in his voice. He had not once been around to see pregnant wolves, pups, or anything else used as sort of...spring markers.

He didn't answer her question, seemingly too busy sniffing in her direction and peering at her belly. "Lenny see?" he asked and Towhee blinked down at herself, then back up at him. She licked her lips and slowly eased onto her haunches, settling her weight on her right hip. She kept one foreleg angled across her body, possessively covering the bulk of her baby bump, though perhaps this would afford him a better view.

"They should be here soon, maybe in a week or two. You got any experience with pups, Lenny?"

A week!

(Or two.)

This filled him with some buzzing feeling of nervous joy. He wondered what they would be like. What might they look like? He easily imagined they would simply all look like Towhee. If mainly because he looked exactly like his own mother.

Nuh-uh. He answered honestly, tilting his head so that she might see his lips better when he spoke. Lenny remembered these things! Mmmet Eljay. Says he cares for 'em. Maybe Lenny learn too.

So much he had to learn!

She was not surprised. Towhee was suddenly very curious about Lenny's background. Even though she couldn't hear, she could pick up on his slightly odd speech. There was a childlike quality to it. And how had he gotten to this point? Especially without any particular skills to speak of?

A darkness flashed through her orange eyes when he spoke Eljay's name, though the Sovereign didn't comment on that. Now that he was gone, they could certainly use others to step up and fill that gap. Towhee was still counting on Fennec's skills as a medic in particular, though it certainly wouldn't hurt for Lenny to learn too.

"Well, you'll have plenty of opportunity to learn about puppies. I'm not the only one expecting. My brother and his mate are due around the same time too. Phox and Niamh." Towhee noted that she felt angrier thinking of Eljay than Niamh at the moment. Was it a distraction? Or maybe progress? She didn't want to look too closely at it.

"Although being a caregiver isn't just about pups," Towhee thought aloud after a beat. "There's taking care of the elderly, injured or sick. Does that kind of thing interest you?"

Lenny suddenly felt overwhelmed by his own excitement at the idea of meeting so many puppies. He had gone from knowing none to now knowing...who knew how many! His tail wiggled with this information and with all of his bubbling feelings, his hips swayed a bit with the wag too.

Uh-huh. His head nodded up and down. Lenny had been deeply fascinated about what Eljay had said. Stopping death, he had said! Well. Making sure others didn't die via injuries, but Lenny had interpreted it in the much more metal sounding way. Think Lenny could be a good caretaker?

Admittedly and likely obviously, her approval mattered the most to the coywolf.

He seemed quite enthused by the whole idea, namely the puppies. There was some part of her that felt a little leery of letting someone she didn't know too well near her offspring. But he was part of the fold now. And there was no time like the present to get to know him better.

"Yes, especially if that's something you feel passionate about," replied Towhee before abruptly remembering Rue's words of yore: "One of us—whoever runs into New Guy first—can talk with him about hunting. Make sure he knows there will be more hungry mouths in a few weeks." "I forgot to mention pregnant bitches on the list. You could help me out by bringing me food or even supplies to make my den more comfortable."