Sun Mote Copse Dark aeon.

Night fell around Towhee as she carried her serendipitous kill back toward the rendezvous site, the rabbit's carcass swinging in her jaws and bumping against her chest with every step. By the time she reached the heart of the territory, it was properly dark. She set the hare down at her feet and squinted through the darkness, though she didn't see any movement. She vaguely recalled Phox mentioning taking Fig stargazing tonight.

Assuming they were off doing that, Towhee chuffed loudly, calling for @Fennec to come share a late supper if she was around and hungry.

Fennec was already tucking herself away for the evening when Towhee called her, but she untucked herself willingly enough.  As she stood, she moved to step forward, but as her legs brushed the growth she'd been snuggling nearby she skirted it by feel.  In her roundabout way she made towards where the call seemed to come from.

Fortunagely, generally, by the time she got in the correct area the individual's presence was noise enough.  She could hear her mom's shifting and breath, so she moved towards her, sniffing at the rabbit and her curiously.

Hi!  Where'd you get that? How was probably more accurate.  She hadn't been hunting in a bit... but she liked hearing about it.

It wasn't long before a pale figure materialized from the dark, shuffling closer. Towhee woofed under her breath in greeting, reaching out to sniff noses with the yearling. It was hard to read lips in the dim, though they were near enough that she caught Fen's question.

"Hunting is not usually my bag but we surprised each other and I decided to chase. I actually caught up for once in my life," Towhee said, puffing up her chest with mostly mock pride. "Take as much as you want, I'm not actually that hungry," she added in the next breath, taking a seat and pushing the carcass closer to Fen.

Oh, okay.  She pulled the rabbit closer, though she knew she probably wouldn't finish it.  Dad n Fig are busy, huh?  She knew dad liked to go look at the stars, and occasionally she'd go with.  Not because it did her any good, but because she didn't mind listening to him as he talked about them.  Today she must have been napping when they left.

He told me about him and Niamh.  She said between eating, though she pulled a small playful face.  If they got together, would that mean Bronco and Nellie were our siblings too?  Now that was a weird thought.  She wasn't sure how she liked it.  Nothing against them, but... she liked Fig being her brother.  She wasn't sure how she felt about him being theirs too.  Younger siblings were another story.

"I think so," Towhee replied, still not entirely sure she'd remembered their plans correctly. She shrugged, well aware Fen wouldn't see it. Wherever they were and whatever they were doing, it wasn't here, so it was safe to assume they were, in fact, busy.

The Regent didn't usually stare at someone while they ate, though knowing Fennec couldn't feel the weight of her gaze, she didn't bother redirecting it. When her daughter paused between bites to pose a question, Towhee tried to read her face to gauge how she felt about that hypothetical.

"Kinda? But not really?" came Towhee's honest answer. "They're not your siblings by blood, just like Uncle Elwood's and Aunt Finley's kids aren't actually related to me. But I consider them my brothers and sisters. It's up to you guys, honestly, how you want to define that relationship." She paused then guessed, "Why? Do you not like them?"

I don't not like them.  She did think of Bronco as a friend.  Nellie she didn't have much of an opinion of.  It's just weird, that's all.  She finished a little lamely, not really sure what she could say to make Towhee understand it.  When it's been just the two of them as long as it had, then everything went crazy, and now this was just another thing that would ensure things never got back completely to the way they were.  It was a lot of unexpected change.

Fig'll probably be happy though.  He hangs out with Nellie a lot.  She said with a little snort.  This didn't upset her, but it did make her question Nellie a little bit.  Her brother was cool, sure, but he was also Fig.  Who'd want to hang out with Fig all the time if they weren't related to him?

Anyway, I'm glad.... you're okay now.  Fennec added, leaning into Towhee and pressing her side and face into her mom's side.  It was good to have her cheerful and more here now.  Fennec had gotten tired of avoiding her.

She snorted lightly at her daughter's assessment. "I bet," she replied, unable to empathize (since she'd never had step family) but definitely sympathetic. Her head cocked at Fen's remark about Fig and Nellie, wondering if there was more to that story. Fennec didn't volunteer any further information, so the Regent realized she would have to dig a little deeper, ask some questions.

But she was distracted when Fen leaned into her. A happy smile of surprise stole over Towhee's face and she gladly leaned back, quipping, "I'm glad you're glad. I know my moods haven't been easy on you, on any of you." She arched her neck and brushed her nose along the girl's cheekbone. "So, hold up, do you think Fig and Nellie might like each other?"

Ugh, I don't know!!! Gross.  She didn't want to know either.  He just hangs out with her a lot.  Fig seemed awkward sometimes but that was nothing new.  He was awkward all the time.

Bronco is pretty cool though.  He sat on Penn for me a bit ago, and takes me out sometimes.  She appreciated that he was willing to do that, even if she didn't take him up on it too often.  He didn't have the sense of humor Penn did about stuff, so running around with her bestie was a lot less dull.

As she was saying this, she felt a slight shift under her.  Nearly undetectable.  Did Towhee's stomach just growl?

Are you sure you didn't want some of this? she asked, indicating the half eaten rabbit.  She was mostly done, but would snag it with her for later if Towhee actually wasn't hungry.

Hearing Fen's opinions on her peers delighted Towhee. Were they gossiping? If so, she was all about it. That's what mothers and their teenage daughters did sometimes, right? She wondered if, someday, they might chatter about boys. For now, Fennec still seemed a little put out by the subject of romance, if her reaction to Fig and Nellie's hypothetical relationship was any indication. Although maybe it was just because it was her brother...

She couldn't help it. "What about you, Fen? Do you have your eye on any of the young studs around here?" Towhee quipped, well aware of what she'd said and hoping the yearling took it as lightly as it was intended. "I'm sure," she added to answer the girl's question. "My stomach actually feels a little weird right now, kinda like I swallowed some bees or something."

If Towhee had been a stranger, Fennec might not have let that comment pass... at least, not if it was obviously a dig. Her mom, though, was granted a sly grin as she took it with the humor it was intended.  Oh, you know me.  Takes something special to catch my eye.  She retorted.  Then she snorted.  No, boys are dumb.  I can get Bronco and Penn to do stuff for me sometimes, but it isn't like that.  At least, not yet.

That got Fennec thinking, though.  This subject was one she had thought about briefly, back when Sugar was still around. She'd never approached Towhee about it before, though.  She didn't want to kick off the sads, but now that she was feeling better, maybe it was a good time?  Hey, mom, when did you know you wanted kids?

Towhee couldn't help but laugh out loud at Fennec's one-two-punch. "Damn straight," was all she said, wishing her daughter could see the grin spreading across her face right now. It didn't worry her that Fennec wasn't interested in the opposite sex yet; there was still plenty of time for her to continue growing up, find someone suitable and hopefully make Towhee some grandchildren.

That thought gave her a private thrill, a little warmth that curled around her heart, protecting it from the pain her daughter's question may have inflicted otherwise. "When you and your brother were born," Towhee answered without even having to think about it. "I've always liked kids and enjoyed helping raising my younger siblings. And I was delighted to be an aunt. But after your birth mother died, the role fell to me so naturally. Getting to parent you and Fig was what made me want even more," she said softly before concluding, "I'm so glad I have you guys. You were my one shot and I'm so fucking lucky."

Telegraphing her intent beforehand, Towhee moved to embrace Fen, if she would allow it. Her stomach burbled worse than ever, causing her to draw back a second later with a light laugh. "Did you feel that?" she wondered. The movement had felt strong enough that Fen might've gotten it secondhand. "I—oh, dang, I have to go, like, go." And without any more warning, she slipped away to relieve herself in a nearby stand of trees.

She wasn't gone more than a minute or three before padding back to rejoin Fen. "Sorry about that," Towhee said, wondering about the strange urgency but ultimately thinking little of it as she touched her muzzle gently to the yearling's shoulder and then reclined nearby. "So, why do you ask? Have you thought about whether you might want kids of your own someday?" Just asking made her stomach flutter in a wholly different way. Towhee held her breath as she waited for an answer.

Fennec waited until Towhee got back patiently, thinking over what she said.  It made her feel a little better about her mom's disappointment to know it was just because she and Fig were so awesome that she even wanted more.  Not that she was super worried about but... it was hard not to be a bit.  She wasn't sure if she wanted them or not, but it seemed to be a thing to do, and she didn't hate the idea.

There was one thing though, and it was this that made her hesitate to answer visibly when a Towhee got back and asked outright. 

Maybe, she said after a moment.  Just... what if they turn out like me?  Her parents were the only ones who would ever hear these fears, and she'd laugh it off with anyone else.  But truth was, her life wasn't easy, and much as she might pretend, she knew there were things she couldn't do.  She wasn't sure she wanted to have kids knowing they might end up being blind too.

She exhaled in a shaky whoosh at Fennec's "maybe," her heart continuing to flutter in her breast. It slowed its dance number a little at the immediately subsequent question. Towhee shifted where she lay, hoping the sound of her movements would let Fen know she was taking a moment to think before answering.

"Then they'd be awesome," Towhee said firmly, though she knew better than to be that dismissive of Fen's fears. "I don't know how this stuff works, honestly, but even if there's a chance they'll be blind, I don't think you should let that stop you, if you want them."

She fell quiet, contemplative, for a minute before saying, "I wouldn't let it stop me, if I could have kids, even if being deaf was a certainty for them." It wasn't, though she couldn't have kids anyway, so this was all purely hypothetical anyway. "They'd be born to someone who could guide them, who could give them a perfectly good life, just like you could with yours."

Yeah.  She tried to take Towhee's words to heart, but now that she'd opened this floodgate, she was burrowing down it.  Yeah, but someone has to guide me, she said, a little quieter.  Then she half shrugged, half shook, dismissing it physically.  It's fine, it's not like I gotta worry about it yet.  

She didn't really want to get into the ways she felt her life was less than great, because she knew her parents did their best to make the parts that were amazing.  

I bet Fig is gonna have loads of kids though.  He's different, now.  Ever since coming back, he'd been more serious.  He'd talked a lot about that wolf he spent time with, the leader of the Frosthawks, who apparently taught him stuff like responsibility and calm and whatever other shit her brother seemed into.  She was happy for him, but not the direction her own path had taken her... and led her towards a propensity to hanging with Penn a lot more often than not nowadays.

As much as Towhee loved the idea of grandchildren, even ones blind as bats, she sensed that Fennec didn't want to pursue the topic any further just now. She would've dropped the subject entirely but then her daughter shifted gears a little, talking about how Fig might reproduce prolifically someday. Towhee could only hope!

She didn't miss the loaded remark, though before she asked about it, she pointed out, "Being an aunt is hell'a awesome. You get all the fun and next to none of the responsibility." Towhee wondered if Fen could hear the smirk in her voice... probably not. "He's grown up a lot, just like you," she added, tilting her head and staring shrewdly into her daughter's sightless eyes, wondering if something was amiss between the brother and sister.

If she wanted to talk about it, Towhee trusted Fen knew she would be there to listen, deafness aside. In the meantime, she yawned (she meant to keep it quiet but spoiler alert: she failed). She suddenly felt utterly wiped out and wanted to close her eyes for a bit, though she didn't want to cut off the discussion. Besides, she wanted to wait up for Phox and Fig.

Yeah.  She didn't mention much more, since she wasn't bothered per say by it, though she wondered sometimes if it was why they didn't hang out as much anymore.

I should go see if I can... find dad, Fennec finally replied, noting her mom's yawn and taking it as a cue.  She wouldn't have minded talking more, but chatting just to chat wasn't really either of their favorite things.  Thanks, mom.  She appreciated the talk, and felt a bit better.  In the end, though, it was a train of thought that would likely resolve itself with time.

"They should be back soon," Towhee replied through a second yawn, wincing a little as her innards stirred. Did she have to get up and go again? It settled a moment later, leaving her feeling a little perplexed. Come to think of it, her insides had been grumbling quite a lot lately. Maybe she should ask Eljay about it, see if maybe there was some natural remedy for a rowdy stomach. But it wasn't hurting or upset, at least most of the time, so maybe she just wouldn't worry about it.

"Anytime, Fen," she remembered to say before the yearling presumably wandered off into the night. Towhee threw her daughter a fond, sleepy smile and then let herself relax. Her head dropped next to her forelegs, the grass cool and ticklish under her chin, but she was out before the sensations fully registered.