Redsand Canyon gargoyle

he was near the mouth of the den he shared with @Towhee and their children. a stoic guardian while the children were off attempting another lesson.

ruenna had recently departed due to her own health.

some part of him deeply feared the same thing with towhee. so in the times where he was not keeping the children off of her or away from foul moods, he was extra watchful over her. over the space they called home.

perhaps it would be better to actually go inside and spend time with her.

yet still he continued to sit here, glowering out at the land of mereo. as if all of it had personally wronged him somehow, someway.

Towhee was feeling reminiscent today, for one reason or another (or no reason at all). She was thinking about Wraen in particular at the moment, reflecting on all their ups and downs. Towhee wondered what her old friend would say about her life these days.

Spotting Maxim lurking outside, Towhee stepped into the doorway and mused, Did I ever tell you about the time my friend, Wraen, almost neutered me? She padded closer to him and glanced at the sky, observing, Looks like it’s about to rain here in a few. Want to come inside and lick my gash?

-no.- he responded solemnly in reference to wraen.

and some part of him wondered if he should say no to cleaning her gash. if he might hurt her, and himself. but that was cruel. a thought inspired only by loathing her injury itself.

wordlessly, he stood. prepared to offer her his shoulder on the way back in. features only softened slightly.

Fuck, Towhee stage whispered to herself, tough crowd. Louder, she informed Maxim, You were supposed to laugh at that, you know.

She gently nudged against him as he helped her inside. With a grunt, Towhee slumped down on their shared bedding. Like a needy child, she rolled onto her side and reached for him.

Cuddles first, cleaning later, she told him, since it had mostly been a dirty joke anyway. And I’ll tell you the story about Wraen the clunge gobbler.

if he realized how truly grumpy he was being, he did not speak on it. maybe too concerned about her state as they settled down. content to drop down next to her and allow her to pick how they cuddled.

she had said cleaning later, but still he dragged his tongue along her forehead, before he pulled his head back. looking at her so she could read his lips.

the...clunge gobbler?

one eyebrow pitched high as he prepared himself to hear a towhee classic.

She favored her left flank, since the cat’s claws had veered a bit to the right. As soon as Maxim settled down beside her, she flung her right foreleg over him, tugging the two of them a bit closer. It hurt a little, though it was worth it to snuggle against her mate’s familiar warmth.

Towhee made a noise of complaint when he drew back, though she knew why he did it. She smirked as the Legatus repeated her rude slang, her eyes closing briefly as she drew up the mental images from that day in her mind’s eye again.

I was such a little whore back then, Towhee said frankly, when I was in heat, I mean. I was running around the plateau—the Redhawks had lived there, back in the day—looking for some D.

She paused a moment to reflect on the fact that she’d already been carrying Kaertok’s seed then. And, well, Arcturus’s. But to this day, Towhee was convinced the Tartok had fathered Meerkat, which meant she’d technically had a baby onboard at the time.

Just when I thought I found some, my leader at the time, Wraen, came charging in and ate my snatch in the least sexy way possible. I literally thought she tore me a new asshole!

She took a moment to pause and catch her breath. Towhee also adjusted a little, sitting up slightly to rest her weight on her left foreleg. The change in angle left her gazing down at Maxim, smirking fondly at him as she wondered what he thought of this torrid tale of her past.

I thought she came after me for fucking around behind her back. And she was, sort of. You see, I’d just banged her best friend. It was just a casual hookup for me but it meant more to him, if memory serves. Um, did I mention yet that I was kind of a soulless slut back in the day…?

Dropping back down to bump her muzzle against his, she wondered, Do you think less of me now? She tittered, warm breath ruffling the fur on Maxim’s cheek.

In case you wanna read the thread, lol…

as usual, maxim learned a new slew of vocabulary and history from towhee's story. apparnently towhee had been...partying it up, only to be ripped a new asshole!

his gaze remained on her as she adjusted, prepared to shift as need be. yet soon enough she was carrying on. that this new asshole had been gifted because she had banged her leader's best friend! appropriately his face morphed with emotions. shock, surprise, the whole collection.

one of the things he had come to love about towhee was never being able to predict her.

every experience with her was a new one.

especially as she declared herself a soulless slut. which he did genuinely struggle to think of her as! considering they had entered a business partnership. although that had ultimately become...this. cuddling, caring, retelling stories that had him gawking.

-no-, and he was honest, even as offered a lazy near sleazy grin. cheek to her own for a moment. drawing his nose alongside it.

it would have been easy to verbally tease her, but he found himself more inclined to stay close to her. maybe it was the story, maybe it was the tragedy.

his teeth aimed to nibble at the ruff of her jaw and cheek.

Of course he didn’t. Towhee murmured under her breath as their noses touched, then his began skimming along her cheek and jaw. She wondered if part of him might be jealous, hearing about all the fucking around she’d done before him… before he was born, probably. The thought made her laugh, though she tensed to avoid jostling her mending back too much.

She’s gone now, she said quietly into the warm space between them, like most of my friends from back then. It’s weird to think back on stuff like this now. It feels like it happened a thousand years ago, to somebody else. I’m not the person I was back then, like, at all. And, she continued, pausing before sighing out the rest, I’m starting to realize that more of my life is behind me now than in front of me.

Well, this conversation had taken a depressing turn. But with all this downtime, Towhee had been doing a lot of thinking. And quite a bit of it was pretty bleak, to be honest, with all the physical pain (from the cat) and the emotional pain (from Rue’s departure). But Maxim and the kids were bright spots. And there were others, like her other children, including the future ones.

Anyway, I didn’t mean to get all dark and profound, she murmured a moment later, nipping at Maxim’s nose. Although while I’m on a slightly more serious note, I’m kinda worried about Germanicus? She usually referred to him by his title but this concern she felt for him was definitely a bit more personal.

his ears pressed to his head, ceasing his affection for the moment. it was a sudden somber air that filled the minimal space between them. he knew towhee was older than him, he always had. he never gave it much thought.

but she had been through plenty this last year alone and to hear her speak such deepened his string of pain and worry.

he may have pressed her (after she nipped at his nose!) only for germanicus to come into conversation instead.

what do you think?

he was prepared to listen in earnest to her thoughts. ruenna had been a deep part of mereo, of families here, of germanicus.

he hoped he would never see the pain the other man saw first hand. then he was gently reminded he likely would.

I think, Towhee replied, he’s depressed.

She had barely seen him, yet it was like a little black storm cloud that hung over him, following him wherever he went. Rue’s ghost, she mused, though of course the woman wasn’t dead. It was the same difference to them though, wasn’t it? It wasn’t like they could just call out to her or visit easily. It was very possible they may never even see or even hear from her again.

No wonder Germanicus was depressed; what an utterly depressing thought. Towhee shoved it from her own mind and tried to think of something constructive or positive to say. Now was the perfect time to make a joke about finding someone else to warm the Imperator’s bed, though that hit even Towhee as distasteful.

The thought did have merit, though, and she wondered if Germanicus would take a new wife in order to procreate in the spring. Actually, it seemed quite likely, current heartbreak aside. It was the way of Mereo and they were often business arrangements, so it wasn’t like the Imperator would need to invest emotionally if he was still not over Ruenna. But Towhee knew for a fact Rue had given the man an out when she’d left, as there had been no secrets between the pair of old friends.

I’m wondering if he’ll take a new wife at some point, Towhee murmured thoughtfully. I’d say Aquene was a good candidate but she’d never turn her back on Kallik, even if he’s gone for years. That leaves, like… She paused, blinking slowly. My adult daughters.

his jaw shifted. depression into marriage. admittedly —

i would be surprised to see another wife. he spoke softly, brows pinched for a moment. maybe when the spring truly arrives if he...finds anyone. he gave a bit of a look. very aware of what towhee had spoken. her adult daughters!

some part of him thought of meerkat briefly, but that was likely distasteful, wasn't it? to take two heartbreaks and try to pair them alongside one another.

he did think of aquene too as kallik's absence dragged on and on. season shifted around them.

maybe there is a wife waiting outside of mereo if he does not find one within...

still! he struggled to picture anything but the man germanicus had become in ruenna's wake.

She loved all her kids, though Towhee couldn’t entertain the thought of Germanicus wedding Tierra for more than half a second. The thought of the Imperator taking Fennec as a wife gave her a lot more pause, though. It seemed so improbable, just knowing them, but as an “objective” third party, she could see a few reasons why it might work remarkably well…

Maxim spoke, so Towhee gave him her attention. That was true: he could always find someone outside of Mereo to bring home. She supposed it was actually likely he would take a wife from Akashingo to strengthen that alliance. She frowned thoughtfully, disliking that thought, not that it was any of her business.

None of it was, truthfully, and Towhee let out a breath and pushed her face into Maxim’s shoulder as she said, We really lucked out, didn’t we?

300 for youu <3

he attempted to drape an arm around her. mindful of her back and shoulders. the last thing he wished to do was ruin this moment with pain.

we did. he rumbled. uncertain if she would understand him with her face in his shoulder.

now you're stuck with me.

teeth moved to delicately pinch at her forehead and ears.

he had not realized just how deeply he had needed time like this with her.

She could feel his breath pushing against her neck, the rumble of his deep voice. Towhee didn’t need to read his lips; she could guess at the gist of what he said. She did inch backward at the same time he did, clicking her tongue at him when Maxim’s teeth grazed her forehead. He was careful to avoid the light mark where the cat’s teeth or claws (she couldn’t remember which) had broken the skin of her brow.

Wanna know something? Towhee purled, drawing back a bit further so she could look at Maxim’s face. Her own face was soft as she leaned in as if prepared to whisper something sweet and tenderhearted in his ear. I just farted, you might want to clear the room.

closing! <3

he had been fully prepared for sweet nothings. only to be greeted by a towhee classic.

farts.

he tried to shift as gently as he could to be free of her stink zone. i think i heard the imperator call me! he declared with a face full of humor.

the time had been nice, but it could not last forever. farts or not. he would bring her something nice when he came home for the night.