Redhawk Caldera Creature, hold your tongue.

After at least a week of full-contact cuddling Reyes was in a good place, at least mentally. He hadn't thought about anything except for Towhee while they were together and in the rare instances she stepped away, he pined for her presence. It was a kind of relationship he had never cultivated before. He was stuck in a state of puppy-love which had worn down his defenses.

Reyes hadn't thought about his issues for a while. He ate, drank, slept, when necessary and in between those moments, dicked around with Towhee to his heart's content. He couldn't imagine going backwards from this - the thought never did occur to him that Towhee was only after him for one reason. Once her heat ended where would that leave them?

Alas, this did come to pass. One morning when Reyes woke in their shared cave, he found himself alone. He shook off the sleep with a shuffle of his shoulders, ignoring his bed-head as he passed from cave to snowbound wilderness, and looked around, sort-of like a bear surfacing for the first time since hibernation, appearing quite smug.

She considered grooming herself, though what was the point when she would only get dirty again? Accepting her fate as a slumlord for the time-being, Towhee's mind turned from patrolling to eating. She was famished, which made her lips twitch into a smile as she jogged uphill. That seemed like a promising sign, didn't it, that she might be eating for two or more?

On her way toward a cache, Towhee passed within sight of the cave she'd been sharing with Reyes. She paused and barked a laugh at his disheveled appearance, though she wasn't really one to talk. "Hey," she called out to him, moving closer, "wanna grab a bite to eat with me?" When she came close enough, Towhee reached out to nip companionably at his cheek.

Reyes turned his attention away from his pale surroundings and focused on the dark shape that was Towhee.

His smile grew wider when she came close, and he rumbled an affectionate note in response to her nipping at his cheek; the evolution of their relationship in to the physical had been pleasant, especially so because they need not talk to perform together, and so it had been a while since Reyes had said anything aside from the contented grunts that punctuated their coupling.

The question was met with a blank look at first. He remembered tongues were a thing, then nodded and said, Yeah, I could eat. He brushed up alongside her and with a rough sort of affection, nibbled at the base of her dark ears - his appetite growing considerably with her presence.

The Sovereign welcomed it when Reyes pressed closer, his flank rubbing against hers as his teeth reached for one of her ears. They didn't work as nature intended but it felt damn good, having them nibbled like that. She leaned into it with a croon, Towhee's orange eyes closing as she allowed herself a moment to simply enjoy the physical affection.

Soon, they reopened and she nudged him with a smile, then began trotting toward the nearest cache. As she walked, she looked sideways at her partner. Her insides did a little jolt as she thought of Reyes that way. He was her friend, certainly, and the father of the pups hopefully growing inside her even now. And she'd certainly bonded with him, considering their intimacy.

But was that fondness romantic in nature? Towhee had never been very good at this. She supposed they were on somewhat even playing fields there, even though he was years her junior. So rarely was she attracted to someone in that manner, her actual dabbles even scarcer. As she regarded him, she could admit he was handsome, though she didn't necessarily feel any kind of spark.

As they came to stand over the cache and she dipped down to nose at its contents, an errant though ran through her mind, unbidden. What if Reyes paired off with someone else? Her teeth sank so ferociously through a dead hare's leg that it severed instantly.

Knowing he could draw out such a reaction from someone, rather than the pain caused by his teeth or the barb of his words on occasion, brought Reyes more pleasure than he would ever admit.

The physicality of their relationship was something he did not have much experience with; so far all of his interactions had been the result of aggression, of spars, of traumas he dared not think about. The past few weeks had spun all that he knew on its head. Reyes couldn't fathom being this physically close to anyone except for Towhee, as she had made the effort to accept him over their time together. It was a unique position to be in.

When she pulled away he felt a childish burn, as if she meant to wound him, but it was a quick enough sensation that he could dismiss it as stupid; then she moved on to the cache and began to dig up the remains of a hare, so he slunk along after her. When she bowed her head to grab at its leg he smirked to himself, looking around in case anyone might see him — and reared up, playfully mounting the small of her back.

Hello, this is a one post cameo!

She'd said what she wanted to say to Towhee and Phox. She knew sooner or later, she would have to bring it up with Niamh, but she was dreading it so much that she kept finding excuses not to have that talk. She had to let her throat heal, or she had to finish stocking a cache, or she had to do one more loop to make sure everything was in order. Anything but hunting down Niamh for what she was sure would be a huge blow-out.

When she spotted a couple indistinct packmates down the slope, Alyx instinctively headed for them, eager to ask if they had any tasks for her so she could put off talking to her mom another day. As she got closer, she recognized Towhee, but the russet-furred wolf with her wasn't familiar. Reyes had been with the pack long enough that they'd probably passed one another a time or two, but she simply had never noticed him before. Oh well. She'd meet him today.

Except... Wait. Alyx's tread slowed as she watched the male rear up onto Towma's back. For a minute or two she was flabbergasted—what the hell?—but then it dawned on her. It dawned on her with the force of an orca slapping a sea lion out of the ocean with a piece of ice.

Oh.

My.

GLOB, ARE THEY FUCKING?

Alyx's head disappeared into her shoulders as disgust made her entire neck fold up. Ew ew ew e w eweweweweWEWEW. Without a single word or sound other than a silent gag, she turned and fled back up the slope.

The sudden weight on her back was so unexpected that her entire hindquarters dipped, Reyes effectively pressing her into a sit. The severed leg dangled precariously before dropping at her feet, soon followed by the rest of the carcass. She arched her neck to look over her shoulder, quirking an eyebrow playfully at Reyes. She didn't notice Alyx scrambling in the background behind his head.

"Maybe after we eat," she said to him, twisting to dig an elbow into his ribs to shove him off with a bit of a wenis tickle. Towhee wasn't particularly in the mood anymore but she'd made the beast with two backs outside of her season before. And although it didn't appeal the same way, she didn't mind the idea of giving that to Reyes.

As she bent down to pluck the rabbit's leg off the ground and begin chewing on it, she gave him a look that could only be called possessive. Especially if it would help nurture their new bond and keep him close to her and occupied, she realized she would happily partake in whatever he might desire.

As soon as he'd pressed against her back, it went down, and so did he. The boy scrambled a bit and landed without issue, while Towhee sat cradled beneath him, at least until she ribbed at him and moved.

The promise of more filled Reyes' head with ideas, although Towhee's comment wasn't a fully affirmative yes, he took it as such. He let her slip away and got to his feet again, his tail raised and wagging triumphantly.

The look she gave him only made things worse for Reyes. He watched as she ate, and nosed closer to try and steal the rabbit's haunch from her teeth in another playful maneuver - figuring that the meal could conclude faster if they shared the same bundle.

Reyes wasn't all that hungry but he was clearly driven by another kind of hunger. Had he known someone had spotted them fooling around in the snow he might have been more withdrawn about his affections and desires - but Alyx was already gone by then, and he was oblivious.

He snatched at the rabbit and Towhee gave him a withering look, all in good fun. "Really?" she huffed dryly, shaking her head and letting him have it as she dipped into the stockpile and pulled out a second, fatter hare with a triumphant, "Aha! Fuck you!"

But before she dove into her meal, a thought occurred to Towhee and she couldn't pass up the opportunity to tell him, "You know, I don't like to share." There was more she wanted to say about that, though she paused there, wondering what he might say in response.

Reyes snapped up the remains as she left them, tugging them away from beneath her even as she moved to fetch more. As soon as the leg was in his possession he was less invested in eating it - ears spinning as Towhee proclaimed triumphantly, Fuck you! which earned a hungry stare from Reyes.

You know, I don't like to share. She said, looming over her fresh meal. Reyes didn't know what to say to that. He hadn't tried to talk much because of his current condition of being verbally jumbled, and merely raised his brow.

What he could say was a simple, Yes? And hope that the inflection of a question might lead Towhee to comment futher - except, derp, he remembered she couldn't hear such specificity.

She was looking right at him and caught the inquisitive, "Yes?" Towhee smirked slowly and didn't elaborate, instead pinning the carcass down with a paw and leaning down to tear off a piece, chew and swallow. She ate for several moments before pausing to finish the rest of her thought.

"I know I said I wanted you to be my consort during my heat. But, well, it's been over for a few days now and we're still..." She made a vague gesture with her paw. They were still sleeping together in both senses of the word and, more importantly, enjoying each other's company. "I like having you around. You're good people."

But that still wasn't what she really wanted to say. By now, it was a foregone conclusion that Reyes would be sticking around to help rear whatever pups came of their trysts. "I'd like to continue this, if you're down too." Again, she gestured, this time between the two of them. Whatever this is.

He wasn't sure what she was getting at. As far as Reyes was concerned his role in all of this was just beginning — he wasn't going to be a pitiful excuse for a parent, he wasn't interested in vanishing at any point, or letting his father's legacy of failure continue through him. He hadn't been able to express all of this appropriately before though, so Towhee's comments came across as doubts.

Reyes puffed up a bit. Yes! It was all he could say, and he tried to enunciate it, letting his grandoise movements and posturing speak for him. Birdy - yes. He repeated, knowing fully that he sounded ridiculous (and likely looked ridiculous too) but Reyes needed her to understand: he wasn't going anywhere.

He'd said it enough times that Towhee had come to accept that he called her Birdy as some sort of pet name. It was kind disgustingly adorable, though she didn't really mind it. What was much more important was the, "Yes!" and its firm repetition.

She smiled. Maybe they should spell it out a bit more, slap a label on it, establish some parameters. But the only thing that really mattered to Towhee was, "We're a team now." Partner, she added silently. "You and me." Her lips pressed together and curved even as she made a hmmm noise.

Without warning, she nabbed a bloody piece of rabbit meat and playfully lobbed it at him. "And, I guess, baby makes three. And four. And five. Et cetera..." Towhee laughed, an unbecoming sound, but still rife with real happiness at the whole idea.

He nodded, and was surprised that his agreement was met with the wet thonk of crimson rabbit flesh against his face. He tried to catch it in the split second it registered and missed, snapping at the air.

Reyes huffed and gathered up the chunk in the next moment, swallowing it whole. As he licked his lips he said to Towhee, Did you lean to shake b— he stopped short though, as if aware that something wasn't right. He was asking about names, but his mouth wasn't making the right shape.

A little frown crossed his face. Reyes tried to focus on the shapes of the sounds rather than letting the words flow freely from his mouth, and managed to, somewhat lethargically, say: Rey..es... Riva...in..i. Birdy -- hmn, T-To, Towhee, Towhee Ri..va... in..i? A pause, as he blinked sheepishly her way.

N..name? Birdy shhh.. Share, name? God, would someone smash his brains in already? Maybe that would fix this disconnect he felt.

Her eyes narrowed when Reyes said something she couldn't quite follow. She'd pretty much forgotten about his fall, so she chalked it up to a bad lipreading due to talking with his mouth full. He paused, then continued speaking more slowly, making it a lot easier for Towhee to make sense of what he was saying. Still, there was some stammering in there that made her frown a little as she suddenly remembered his accident.

"Hey, you okay...?" Towhee asked with a blink, moving closer. He'd seemed more or less fine in the interim, certainly physically. But was his noggin still a little addled by that tumble? "You must be a little fucked in the head if you think I'm the type to take a man's name," she quipped, revealing that she'd caught his meaning despite his halting verbalization.

The Sovereign's eyes glowed as she touched her nose to the hardness of his cheekbone, just beneath his left eye. "How about you take my name, huh?" Only after saying that out loud did Towhee look past the jokes to realize what exactly they were implying. Her white-streaked shoulders suddenly tensed and her eyes widened a fraction, a nervous little toot escaping her.

At first Reyes thought she'd misunderstood and tensed when she moved to investigate him, only relaxing as she spoke, but then it was for a few seconds. Her utter refusal to take his name made Reyes think he'd messed up in his own understanding and he looked away, briefly bashful. In the next breath Towhee turned things around on him and all Reyes could do was frown; at first down at the rabbit carcass, then levelling the look at her.

No. He didn't want to be a Redhawk. He wasn't affiliated with them beyond his new-found connection to Towhee and the lives they had (most likely) created together; plus as his mother's only full-blooded son he could not abandon his ties to her, the very thought making him bristle.

The good humor Reyes held earlier, that eagerness to seek pleasure from this woman he had grown close to, faltered somewhat in this moment. He somberly shook his head and repeated softly, no, and then bowed to pick at the rabbit leg he had so far ignored.

He distracted her by refuting her counteroffer, which didn't particularly surprise her. Towhee wondered what that meant about the inferred formalities of their relationship, though all she did was shrug and reply, "Guess we'll each just keep our names then." But what about their kids? Her brow furrowed as she wondered what surname they should be given. Hers was already hyphenated; adding a third to it seemed absurd.

As he continued eating, Towhee paused and actually gave the whole notion some real thought. She couldn't imagine going by any other name than the one bestowed upon her by her parents and godparents. She'd worn it since birth. She shared it with her closest loved ones. It was the name of their homeland and their legacy. But what about Reyes and his heritage? She knew what Niamh had told her, though she was sure there was so much more to learn.

"Actually," the Sovereign found herself saying, "let me think about it." Towhee paused, running her tongue over her teeth. "Okay?" Towhee found herself reaching out again, always enjoying a quick touch. This time, her muzzle found the soft spot where his neck met his shoulder blade and she combed her teeth through the fur there.

Backing up a step, she pivoted and located her own meal, which she resumed eating. In between bites, she said casually, "I'd love to hear about your family and your history sometime, if you feel like sharing."

Reyes wasn't interested in this line of conversation anymore, and thinking about names had led him down the inevitable path back to the wolves of the coast, which made his chest hurt. He did what came naturally: he ignored everything except what was right in front of him. The rabbit haunch was soon picked clean.

Towhee probed for some information but by the tone of her voice Reyes presumed she wasn't serious; he wouldn't be able to explain anything about them until his speech issues had resolved themselves anyway. Without knowing how to fix it all himself he gave a non-commital shrug, the sound of splintering leg bones coming soon after.

He shuffled in the snow a little, making a show of investigating the remains of the rabbit until he was bored of that; there wasn't much left to munch on. To try and lighten the mood Reyes grabbed the remaining furry foot and tossed it at Towhee, watching it boop her snoot.

Reyes summarily ignored the invitation, though it was open-ended anyway. Towhee stared thoughtfully at him, sure she was only seeing the tip of the iceberg so far and wondering what she would discover beneath the depths over time.

Then he flung a scrap of meat at her, which hit her square on the nose before bouncing away. She blinked slowly, then rumbled a growl and sprang at him. Towhee aimed to grab him by the scruff, her tail arching and wiggling playfully over her back.

The rabbit foot had barely touched the ground before Towhee launched herself at him, and Reyes wasn't ready for the quick retaliation. She managed to grab his scruff and wrestle at him. He snapped playfully at her ears, her neck, huffing a laugh while cradling her advance with the curve of his body. He stood up a little straighter and reached for her ruddy shoulder fur, ducking abruptly, and jockeying for position while jousting with his teeth.

For a few moments, they tangled in a flurry of thrusting limbs and snapping teeth. By the time they separated, Towhee's breath came fast, her heart thudding hard against her ribs. She grinned as she gave herself a shake, then promptly dropped the game as her orange eyes flicked back to the uneaten food. She was still so ravenous, hungrier now for their energetic display.

With a loud grunt, the Sovereign flopped to the ground and sprawled, the remains of her meal between her outstretched forelegs. She bolted down mouthful after mouthful of meat, tail swaying a little behind her. When she finally slaked her appetite, she rolled onto her side with a contented groan. If Reyes still wanted to get frisky, he was going to have to wait for her to digest and maybe nap a little bit in the winter sun.

Their game is short-lived, and soon Towhee is sprawling in the snow with her meal clutched close. The adrenaline spike from their tussling has left him with a burning desire; but the longer he watches Towhee the more fleeting the moment becomes. Feeling a little uneasy after their odd conversation, Reyes doesn't really know what to do.

The boy does the first thing that comes to mind: he lunges towards Towhee and then flops across her middle, using her as a pillow, and sprawling out perpendicular to how she's got her body positioned. He takes a deep breath and then lets out an emphatic fake yawn, pretending to drift off to sleep.

She flinched a little when Reyes threw himself at her, then relaxed as his warmth draped across her midsection. Towhee shifted a little to accommodate his weight, curling toward him. His fake yawn prompted a very real one from her, after which she settled her head down on the ground with a long, contented sigh to catch a few winks.