Moonspear ^______^

A newer presence had recently joined Treepie’s orbit. They had never met a stranger, though there was something very special about this particular man. He reminded Pie of @Tikaani, which immediately endeared @Killdeer to them. Every time they saw him in passing at the rendezvous site, Tiuttuk did something like this:



But they didn’t notice if he or anyone else was around at the moment. They had just accidentally stepped on a bee. Now one of their toes throbbed. Pie calmly held their paw up toward the summer sky, their yellow eyes squinted as they tried to get a better look at the tiny stinger embedded there.

He'd noticed the child in passing, but hadn't had the chance to interact one-on-one with them yet. Yet here they were, paw aloft, face scrunched in concentration as they stared at each wriggling digit.

Hi, there, Killdeer greeted, a warm smile blooming over his muzzle as he entered the rendezvous area and settled down next to the pup. What's going on with your paw?

He tried to look closer himself, frowning a little in focus. Does it hurt? he asked, with a sidelong glance.

Tiki was out and about when she saw the older wolf near her pie. She barked and raced forward. He was part of the spear, but she didn't know him.

Pie.

She was up against the other pup in a moment. Eyeing the older wolf. And searching for Alaric or someone. But also incredibly curious about this wolf with colors like hers.

Someone approached, their footfalls shushing softly through the summer grass and clover. Treepie didn’t look up immediately, though as soon as they did, they smiled in welcome.

Hi! they chirped in reply, tail swishing through that same sward.

They were fully prepared to field his questions when a wild Tiki appeared, clinging fiercely to Pie. They gave a little peep of surprise, then quickly slung their arm over the littler pup’s shoulder. Luckily, she’d latched onto their good side!

Holding out their other paw to the man, they said, I got stung by a bee! See? It left its butt needle in me! and laughed cheerily at their entirely incidental poetry before adding, Can you get it, Mr…?

Another young one—pelt startlingly similar to his own—emerged. The two pups cuddled together, and he suddenly found himself confronted by his own virility, his eyes widening at the sight.

But there was a problem at hand.

Killdeer, he told the first girl, smiling. And uh. . .I can try? It's gonna be a very small needle, and I don't know if I could get it with my teeth.

But he wouldn't ask the other girl to try to get it, lest the stinger affect her, too.

Ah, fuck.

He sucked in a breath and aimed a laser-beam stare at the proffered paw.

Stay still, he commanded, and prepared to go in for the fix.

Butt needles are yucky. Is okay Pie. I hold you tight yea. Tiki here.

Tiki stared up at the man Killdeer with doe eyes. Hoping he could help her pie. Because if he couldn't. They would have to find someone else and it would hurt longer and oh. Her little eyes filledup with tears that Pie had to go through this. And she held them even tighter.

You  not hurted them. Unnerstan.

Tiuttuk idly wondered if he killed many deer, to wear a name like that. But they didn’t get a chance to voice this question, as he instructed them to sit very still. They did their best, shooting a sideways smile at Tikaani’s protective presence.

It’s okay. He won’t, Pie assured her, sunny eyes flicking from Tiki’s face to Killdeer’s as they held their outstretched paw as still as possible. Did you know you look the same? they questioned aloud.

Just as Treepie voiced her question, he found the stinger and plucked it free, the tiny needle held fast between his front teeth. Carefully, he spat it into the nearest bush, then returned to the girls with a smile.

You both look quite alike, Killdeer said, glancing between the two of them. And me, too. Must be good genes.

How much did they know? These were children from two different mothers; he had no idea how honest either mother had been. 

But these were clearly his kids, and he wanted to embrace them both. As it was, he sank down to his belly and stretched out his forepaws, tail wagging behind him.

My Gramma Towhee has similar looks, too, he went on. She's really cool. She's deaf—uh, she can't hear anything—but she could kick anyone's ass that she wants to. Uh, I mean, butt, he amended, grimacing. Don't say 'ass' around your mothers. It's not a nice word.

IT was quick and it seemed painless. Tiki breathed a sigh of relief. And slowly sagged against Pie. She had been so worried. And now it was okay. She pressed a brief lick to Pie's face. 

Cause we pie and tiki. She said it swiftly and without argument. It was who they were, they were born this way of course. 

Tiki grinned. Why isn't it nice? Already wondering what her mother would do if she said it. Could she call her siblings this?

Tikaani took the news in stride, though Treepie gawped a little, little paw still dangling in the air after Killdeer’s deft removal of the stringer. Did they really look alike? They hadn’t had many occasions to study their reflection, though suddenly Pie wanted to clasp Tiki’s elbow and drag her toward the nearest puddle, so they could check out these resemblances.

But then Killdeer said several more fascinating things and Tiuttuk momentarily forgot that idea as their wide, sunny eyes fixed on his face. While Tiki seemed stuck on the bad word, all Treepie could think about was this foreign concept of deafness.

She really can’t hear? How… Pie wanted to know, not entirely certain how to articulate their fascinated question. So they simply repeated an emphatic, How…? in the hopes Killdeer might understand and explain.

Pie and Tiki, he repeated with a smile, then paused at the first question. I— 

What did make words naughty or nice? Killdeer realized he didn't have an answer for that. Nor did he really know how to answer Treepie's query, leaving him without words in the face of two very curious little girls.

I dunno, Killer replied after a few moments, looking at Pie. I mean, she can read lips, so she kind of knows what we're saying—and we use special signals to communicate, too. Like this. He gave the basic ptero for -How are you?-, then spoke it aloud.

And as for you, he added, turning his attention to Tiki, I dunno why, but it's not nice. It's probably best not to repeat anything I say, to be honest.

Which was rich, given that once something was forbidden, kids would be all over it. Ah, what the hell. Learning the F-word as a precocious child hadn't fucked him up too badly, he supposed.

Tiki nodded at his repeated names. A tilt of her downy ear. He looked at them, but didn't seem to speak at first. That was okay. Tiki inspected Pie's paw.

Making sure they were okay. 

Tiki was soon fascinated by the paw movements forgetting about her recent query. Attempting to try and do the sign and failing miserable. Her lip's pushed out in a pout, but she bit her tongue and tried again, to fail again.

Pie had never heard of lipreading before, though suddenly they found themselves trying to do it. They stared at Killer’s mouth as he spoke, though for all their intensity, they could not parse how a wolf might be able to understand him without the auditory feed to accompany the movements.

Then he blew their mind even more by introducing them to sign language. Treepie stared hard again, watching the deft movements of his forepaws. The motions were meaningless to them, even when Killdeer translated. The youngster just didn’t make the connection.

He addressed Tiki’s queries about swearing, though Pie wasn’t paying close attention. They focused on the motion of their best friend’s paws, though her movements lacked the finesse and nuance of Killer's.

Can you teach us the special signals? Tiuttuk asked.

They wondered if they might meet his deaf grandmother someday. It would be nice to be able to communicate with her. But Pie’s interest was broader than that, as an aspiring young linguist. The more languages they knew, the better.

They fell quiet, broken only by Pie's query about the signals. A broad smile split his lips, joy spreading irresistably across his face.

Of course, Killdeer replied, nodding. But it'll take a while. Lots of things to learn. First thing you should learn is how to say, 'Hello,' right? 

He gave them the ptero for it, quickly at first, then slower, movements cutting through the air as if it was made of thick fog.

-Hello,- he repeated with sign, waiting for them to echo the word and gesture.

Man, Towhee would be proud. Right?

Tiki moved closer to study the paw movemetn closer. A furrow in her brow. A small twitch at the corner of her maw. She would get this by golly she would.

She followed the movement again and tried, once, twice, three times. Finally succeeding in getting the movement right. Though it made her paw hurt a little, or more so tired. And pins and needles. 

She did it again, making sure she did indeed know it.

Treepie copied his movement with uncanny precision, then repeated it several times. They didn’t bother speaking aloud beyond the first time, tickled by the notion they were speaking silently.

Their head whipped toward Tiki, signing the greeting at her before noticing her struggles. Tiuttuk grinned encouragingly, slowing down their own movements until the two of them were signing in their usual synchrony.

There were about a billion things Pie wanted to learn how to say, though first among them was, How do you say, ‘I love you’?

They copied him in earnest. He didn't think his heart could grow any better until Treepie spoke up, and then he found himself melting into the ground with the sweetness of it.

That one is pretty easy, Killdeer murmured, smiling broadly. -I—love—you.-

He cocked his head, looking down at the girls. I can go slower, if you need, he added—but nothing could dull the glow he felt upon the attention of. . .

His daughters. 

Right?

His daughters.

It wasn't easy at first, but nothing worthwhile ever us so the adults say. Tiki felt her tiny tongue poking through her fangs. The sharp grate against the side as she tried and failed and tried and succeeded.

Her tail wagged largely at the thought of learning to say I love you. And copied as best she could. 

I like this.

As soon as they comprehended the sequence of movements required to form the phrase, Treepie turned to Tikaani and emphatically signed, -I love you!-

There were roughly a thousand more things Tiuttuk wanted to learn how to say. They would’ve happily spent the whole day learning how to sign, should Killdeer oblige them. But they didn’t anticipate just how tired both their brain and their limbs would become, their stung digit in particular protesting all the usage.

When we get very good at this, can we meet your Grandma Towhee? Pie asked.

The words were chased by a yawn, which Pie tried to tuck behind a paw. But the very effort of lifting it to their mouth proved too much, so there was no hiding the fact that they were totally bushed.

Just when he thought his heart couldn't melt more, it threatened to burst altogether at the responses of the two girls. He gave them a bright-eyed, loving look, though noted the yawn that Treepie tried and failed to hide.

Okay, is it nap time? Killdeer asked, smiling. I could use a nap too, I think. His own jaws broke into a wide gasp, eyes squinting shut. See? It's contagious.

He ferried them along to a nice spot to sleep, well within the sight of their mothers in the rendezvous place. Get some shut-eye. We'll pick up where we left off tomorrow.

And as he settled the girls down, and watched them from afar, an incredible and horrifying thought would not stop ringing incessantly in his mind:

Oh my God. I'm a fucking parent.

Tiki followed silently behind Treepie and this Killdeer. Noting all the colors that matched his pelt and Pies and her own. She had never seen such a lot of colors except for her dearest friend. But now to see it on a larger wolf. It was very pretty and she wanted to run little paws over the broken color spots. 

But she settled and closed her eyes. Throwing a paw around Pie while she slept. Happy to include her friend in her sleepy time. A feeling of deep safety and happiness welling.