Firefly Glen Taped up heart.

Towhee arrived in the glen and sought the same spot where she and Kukutux had gathered the pups last month. It felt good to sink into the lush green grass and enjoy the shade after traveling so long in the summer sun. She took a moment to simply stretch out and relax, eyelids heavy. She might’ve even napped but thirst drove her back into all fours with a grunt.

She didn’t have to walk far to find a small stream, surely fed by a mountain spring. The icy water hit her gut like a punch. Towhee drank her fill, then wiped at her mouth and gazed upward at Moonspear looming over her. At this time of day, the sunlight slanted sharply on its eastern slope. In a few hours, the sun would pass overhead and the mountain would plunge the glen into shadows. Then night would fall and for the first time in recent memory, Towhee would sleep alone.

That was, unless one of her relatives came out to visit. Towhee returned to her shady spot and settled down in the grass again, then raised her head and called out to let her loved ones know her location. There was no obligation to come to her now, though Towhee’s tone welcomed anyone who might like to visit with her after her time away on the island.

Anyone’s welcome! Tags for visibility (and invitation if you want, though no obligation!): @Fennec @Killdeer @Orca II @Phox (+Sialuk) @Sable @Towhee Jr

if this becomes a group thread, feel free to skip me <3

Fennec heard her mother’s call and came as quickly as she could, though sorting out exactly where a summons came from was always tricky. She could have waited for Penn and made things easier, but of course she chose the difficult route.

Fennec knew that Towhee had chosen a life of roaming over settling down, and while she had her own opinions about it, she’d kept those to herself. It was her mom’s life to live, and in the meantime she’d take any visit she could get.

Fennec would wander until she found the spot where Towhee waited, knowing her mom would let her know the moment she was spotted.

A cloud of gnats descended on her, orbiting around Towhee’s head. She couldn’t hear their whining, though they were still obnoxious. She waved at them ineffectually a few times before sitting up with a grunt.

Fuck you guys, she muttered, missing the relative lack of insects on the island a little bit as she gave up her spot to the damned midges.

She walked about a hundred yards closer to the mountain and was just about to settle down again when she saw a familiar shape approaching through the greenery. Towhee immediately huffed a noise to let Fennec know her twenty, then began closing the distance.

Hey, it’s always good to see you. How are you, Fen? she greeted, pressing a smile to her daughter’s shoulder.

Hot on Fennec's heels, as he was these days, was Killdeer, tongue lolling as he tried to beat the heat and savor the wind whistling coolly in his wake.

He knew at the end of the call would be Towhee, and yet—

Gramma! He let out that shout, galloping to meet her, surging past Fennec and giving the woman a hearty lick to the cheek.

-How are you? How's Cal and his fam?- he queried, tail wagging fiercely. He hadn't seen his brother from another mother in ages; he missed him so much. One day, he'd get back to the isle.

skippable until she’s addressed!

Things are good, Fennec replied, greeting her mom with a quick hug before smiling sardonically and stepping back as Killdeer burst onto the scene. Beneath the expression was a lot of love, however. She was glad he was so excited, and didn’t mind giving him some room to catch up with his grandma.

Her statement was mostly true, for once. There were things that weighed on her, but those things were starting to feel small when compared to the things that had started to go right. Now her only thought was ‘how long until this blows up in my face?’… and that question she kept shoved down, attempting to smother the life out of it despite it seeming to never die out.

Fennec couldn’t possibly see the skeptical glance Towhee gave her, though she dearly hoped her daughter’s words were the truth. If happiness was too far out of reach, she truly hoped Fen had found some measure of contentment in Moonspear.

But there was no time to ask before Killdeer stole the scene. Towhee had always favored her grandchildren over her own children, as was her right as an old lady. Her whole face lit up at the sight of him, laughing at his kiss and giving him a sloppy smooch right between the eyes.

-“I’m a little worn out but otherwise good. Looking after eight puppies is fuckin’ wild, man. I think they’ve hit their stride now and they’ve got a good support system even without me, so I think they’ll be just fine. But some of those kids are real characters. If I got an extra year for every time @Dinah cried, for instance, I’d be goddamn immortal,”- Towhee shared with all the affection in the world.