Ocean's Breath Plateau Duet for theremin and lap steel.

After loitering around Moonspear a few weeks, Towhee pried her son out of Treepie’s paws and settled him at a makeshift rendezvous site where Deepwood Weald and Silverlight Terrace met. They spent a few days hunting the deep maze of trees, where Bushtit surprised the hell out of her by capturing a sizable wood rat. She tried to get him to eat it but he insisted on saving it to gift whoever greeted them at their next destination: Moontide.

He carried it proudly as they marched north toward The Sentinels and the coastline beyond. Towhee let Bushtit bound ahead, the dead rat’s tail swinging every which way. She chuckled, enjoying the view up until the trees began to thin. Then she barked to get her son’s attention. He promptly swung around and bounded back to her.

We could keep going all the way to the shoreline but it’s pretty rocky out this way. I was thinking we could hang a left, Towhee said, tipping her head, and present ourselves at the foot of the plateau. We’ll get some great views from up there, if they decide to invite us in.

With Bushtit’s grinning agreement, they shuffled along until they came to the least steep section of borders. Towhee wondered if there was any chance @Phox and @Heph had returned by now. She couldn’t smell them but @Rodyn’s scent was all over the place, which made her smile. She wondered what he might make of the youngster at her side. Perhaps he’d already heard about him from @Chakliux or even through the grapevine.

I’m told I’m obnoxious as fuck when I howl, so I think I’ll spare them. You can either do the honors or we can wait for someone to find us.

-Let’s wait, mom.-

Towhee wasn’t surprised. Bushtit wasn’t much of one for vocal communications, though she suspected it was more about the rat than anything. He didn’t want to put it down until there was someone to whom he could formally present his hard-earned prize.

in a development that would surprise everyone in-world and no one outside of it, the first wolf to discover towhee and bushtit was the elderly aditya. old habits died hard, and he was spending his day marking the border with what little supply he had left.

still blood-tinged, he thought to himself, glancing at his piss upon the snow-dusted ground—and then he noticed them.

her.

it had been some moons, but he remembered her. adi chuckled as he approached, shaking his head in disbelief. she'd nearly killed him, but at least he'd left satisfied. and now she was here. and—

a boy, pale but with piebald spots, at her side. his heart skipped a beat, then another. he worried he was having another attack before it started back up again, albeit at a much quicker rate. a boy, of this year.

his?

long time, no see, aditya managed, swallowing the lump in his throat.

The man who strode forward wasn’t anyone she knew. Towhee spared him a cursory glance before looking at her son to gauge his expression. He stared guilelessly at the approaching stranger, tail wagging. She smiled as she wondered at exactly what point he would relinquish his rat.

Her eyes cut back to the wolf as he came closer, her maternal instincts compelling Towhee to shift sideways so her flank brushed her son’s. He was getting so tall! She noticed this right about the same time recognition registered, lips parting in mild surprise.

“Long time, no see,” he said, his eyes lingering on her son.

Way too long, buddy, Towhee inwardly scoffed.

Yeah, I guess an introduction is long overdue, huh? she replied aloud. I’m Towhee. And this is Bushtit, she added, motioning at her (not so) little sidekick.

-Hi!- the pup signed before stepping forward to drop the tree rat at the man’s feet. -“Nice to meet you,”- he added in a very quiet voice once his mouth was no longer occupied.

aditya, he replied, completely poleaxed. nice to meet you, towhee. . .and you, bushtit, bachcha. 

he smiled at the offering laid at his paws, but left it be for now. 

what can moontide do for you? adi asked her. i'm happy to summon my leaders whenever you need.

it was hard not to stare at the boy. his boy? no. . .perhaps not. the timing seemed wrong. still, stranger things had happened—and aditya had sowed enough wild oats to have that kind of doubt.

he nuzzled at the rat, then. did you catch this? he asked bushtit, smiling.

She cursed silently when she realized she couldn’t understand most of what he said. It reminded her of Soto. Towhee wondered if this guy had an accent, lips pulling into a frown. Then she glanced sideways and brightened when she realized Bushtit could provide a translation, much like Tierra. Only this should be easier, as at least he seemed to be speaking the common tongue.

-“I’m deaf and I can’t read your lips for whatever reason, so I’m going to have him translate,”- Towhee explained before quickly looking to her young son.

-His name is Ditty,- Bushtit signed in silence. -He said it’s nice to meet us. He called me a funny word. He said he can summon the leaders if we want. He wants to know if…- Now he turned his face toward Aditya and said a bit bashfully, -“Yes, I caught it all by myself. You can have it.”-

-Thanks, Bushy,- Towhee signed, nuzzling his cheek before her orange eyes looked to “Ditty.”

Was that really his name? He looked even older than she remembered, now that she was paying more attention. She regarded him for a few beats, wondering how long he had lived here and what had brought him to Moontide.

Are Phox and Heph here or are they still away? Towhee queried, hoping to call one of them if they were back in town.

deaf? that explained things. a lot, actually. he took it in stride, eyes shifting toward the boy as he translated. the reply came in an intriguing mixture of words and gestures, something he had never seen before.

thank you, aditya told bushtit, grinning. well caught, bachcha—that means 'boy,' in my mother's tongue.

then towhee spoke, asking after a pair he had not seen in quite some time. no—they left together, i believe, he told her. i don't know when they were planning to return, if at all.

a-dit-ya is my name, he continued, drawing out the syllables slowly and clearly, so that she'd understand. but you both can call me adi.

was she really just here for phox and heph? or had she brought his son to meet him? he tried mentally counting backward, thinking of their tryst. it seemed so far in the past. . .and this child was not so old. 

but time had increasingly become fluid and abstract. . .

“Ditty” said something to Bushtit, which earned a nod from the boy. Evidently it required no translation, for none was offered. Towhee huffed through her nostrils, patiently watching the elder man speak to her son. She saw the effort to pronounce his name for her, though much of it was still lost upon her.

-He said they’re not here. He doesn’t know if they’ll be back,- Bushtit informed his mother, who snorted softly again.

Tell him, she began, then remembered herself and raised her head a little to address “Ditty” directly, They plan to come back. Phox is my brother, Towhee explained. Anyway, we’d love to see Rodyn but there’s no urgency or anything. We’re just visiting. We plan to camp nearby for a few days.

She wondered if this man might be convinced to give her son a tour. Towhee would come along as well, of course, but she knew the plateau fairly well. She really wanted Bushtit to experience those views, though, and she knew Rodyn wouldn’t mind. But right now, it was really up to “Ditty” and whether he felt like extending the invitation.

i see, aditya replied, smiling. he tipped his muzzle up and called for @Rodyn, then re-focused his attention on the duo before him. he'll be here soon enough. but if you're a friend—a sister—of phox, i'm sure you're welcome.

he nodded at the path he'd just traversed. walk with me? he asked, eyes darting between bushtit and towhee.

once the two of them were in tow, he began to point out a landmark or two to the boy. but between explanations, his eyes found the woman's, and cut diagonally between her face and bushtit's. and his brows raised in question, hoping she'd catch the meaning.

is he mine?

-He wants to know if we want to,- Bushtit began signing.

Walk with him. Yeah, I actually caught that bit, Towhee replied in a lowered voice before raising it to add, Sure, let’s do the grand tour.

Motioning for her son to join the old man, Towhee plucked up his prized rat and brought up the rear. She didn’t mind hanging out in the background while “Ditty” showed her son around the place. She only planned to cut in once they reached the spectacular ocean views.

Though he didn’t speak, “Ditty’s” questioning glances were loud, clear and very easy to read. Towhee ignored them at first, wondering why men always tried to stake some sort of claim on her offspring. It rankled, though she had to admit that this one seemed a lot more paternal than his actual father.

The nth time he caught her eye, Towhee stopped, set down the rat and mouthed, “No, he was born at the end of summer. He has no father.” Realizing how that sounded, she snorted and said, “It was an immaculate conception.” Well, that was one word for it, anyway…

She stooped to grab the rodent again, orange gaze shifting back to Bushtit right as the little boy discovered something of interest on the ground.

he wasn't great at lip-reading, but he caught enough to understand. he should have known, anyway, though time had flown lately; it seemed like only yesterday that he'd hooked up with the woman. still, it was for the best. 

one less wayward child to weigh upon his dying heart.

here we are, aditya said instead, the trio coming over a rise and the ocean sprawling out in front of them. he smiled, watching bushtit's face for his reaction. had the boy seen the sea before? it was a moment one did not soon forget.

i almost had a pack here, once, he remarked, face a little wry. his pelt rippled in the gusty wind, traveling in waves along his withering form. it didn't work out. yet here i am again, as if i were meant to stay.

Whatever he found, it only captured his attention for a moment. Towhee never even saw what it was, as the little tour moved onward and upward. The rat dangled from her mouth until she spotted a cache and made a quick deposit.

Not long after that, they reached a rise that gave them a particularly splendid view of the endless horizon. Towhee hastened to Bushtit’s side to read his face when he saw the ocean for the first time. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed “Ditty” doing the same and found she really didn’t mind.

-“It’s… big,”- Bushtit observed astutely, looking from one adult to the other as if he knew they were expecting his comment. He was about to admit it was kind of boring when their guide distracted him with an interesting remark about a pack that never was.

Forgetting to loop in his mother, he queried with boyish curiosity, -“What didn’t work out? How come you came back? ‘Cause of this?”- he guessed, motioning at the ocean views with a slightly skeptical look in his bright eyes.

Towhee tried to keep up with the exchange as much as she could, smiling to herself as she patiently reclined on her haunches.

yes, it is quite big, aditya replied, still grinning. the expression faded a bit at the next questions, but his face remained good-natured as he tried to address both son and mother, choosing his words carefully for clarity's sake.

no, bachcha. i love the sea; i always have. not enough wolves wanted to settle here with me, though, he explained. but now, my son and his children live here, so i joined them.

adi wondered if they'd run into any of them. kitimat was always out hunting or exploring in some way. 

and where was rodyn? he had given a summons, after all. perhaps the man was tied up in something else; there had been no shortage of drama dropped unceremoniously at moontide's door.

would you like to get closer? aditya asked bushtit.

Towhee could see Bushtit hanging on “Ditty’s” every word. Even if he glanced her way—as he often did—they stayed cupped toward the elder. She nosed the air, encouraging him to pay attention rather than worry about translating. She couldn’t follow half the conversation, though she was pretty skilled at piercing together contextual clues.

-“No thank you,”- the boy said politely but decisively. -“If your son has children, they’re your grandchildren, right? My mom has a lot of those. She even has great grandchildren. She’s old as shit,”- Bushtit shared in the manner of a child innocently repeating something he’d overheard.

Towhee caught that and snorted, He’s not wrong. Her eyes flashed with playful defiance as she inquired, You got any greats, ‘Ditty’?

aditya burst out laughing despite himself, though sending an apologetic glance toward towhee. she may be old, but i'm much older, he promised bushtit, unable to keep the smile from his muzzle. 

as for his own great-grandchildren. . .

somewhere, probably, he replied, and his eyes grew wistful. my eldest children were born many seasons ago—if they ended up having their own litters, it's possible the next generation is here by now.

he chuckled once, shaking his head. enough about me. let's go find rodyn and see what he's up to.

the elder led them further into the territory, toward the lodges. 

last from me!

-Yeah, he probably has even more than you!- Bushtit signed helpfully to his mother. He glanced between her and “Ditty” before declaring aloud, -“You don’t look a lot older. You look the same old.”-

It was Towhee’s turn to burst into laughter, mostly because her child’s misapplication of a common phrase tickled her funny bone. It was one of those things where the more she replayed it in her head, the harder she laughed, even though it was pretty fucking dumb.

The shit kids say, she remarked for “Ditty’s” benefit, wiping a tear form the corner of her eye.

-“Time to find Rodyn,”- Bushtit announced, grinning a little nervously as he glanced between the pair of cracking-up oldies.

Mmmkay, Towhee agreed absently, swallowing a cackle as she fell into step behind “Ditty” and her son again.

Glad I nabbed one last thread with the old boy! Happy sleeps, Aditya.