Ouroboros Spine And you said, “We are in the wild.”

Towhee was still pretty sore and stiff, though maybe she hadn’t broken her rib after all, because her pain went from a 9/10 to a much more manageable 3/10 with some good old fashioned rest. Accordingly restless from several days of convalescence, she left Phox in charge of all three kids and ventured toward Moonspear.

But she didn’t stop there. Instead, Towhee trotted slowly north past the mountain, toward the spine over yonder. She recalled her brief stint in Moonglow with a smile tugging at her lips. That had been such a strange, transitory period in her life. Kukutux had welcomed her and then let her go without qualms. This visit was truly long overdue.

Towhee halted at the edge of the “moon woman’s” claim and called out to announce her presence.

assuming @Aiolos would tell kuku about sorcha!

word had come, and with it the name of stratos. the last she had seen her strong hunter-son, he had been speaking of the bird-girls in brecheliant he meant to take both as wife.

and now one had come to them. yes. it is she, she murmured to her husband. she is atsatâtâjuk. and now she mused. two halves were not whole without the other. stratos' marriage could not given without the other sister.

but the spirits had brought the girl to them, as the moon-hunter had been returned to her.

and now her mind turned to kivaluk. he was similar in age to chickadee. and her atsak's thoughts organized themselves.

towhee's voice rose. the last that they had spoken, the redhawk woman had meant to seek mereo.

she greeted the other with a gentle voice, calling her to the lake.

Most likely due to her own situation, she wondered if the “sun man” was still here with his “moon woman.” Perhaps they had a new litter this year. Towhee felt strangely bereft at the thought and found herself hoping it wasn’t Aiolos who turned up to greet her. It wasn’t anything to do with her tricky emotions, she had just never been able to read his lips very well.

A flock of birds suddenly burst from a tree well within Moonglow’s territory. Towhee’s eyes lifted to watch them, lips pulling down at the corners. Perhaps they’d heard something—maybe even a response to her own call—but Towhee could never be sure of such things.

forgetful! kukutux eventually found that she must go to towhee herself, briefly chagrined but covering it well.

"aya! towhee. it is good to see your face."

was the woman changed?

her eyes were bright. "come to the lake. the young ones are there."

A little while later, Kukutux appeared, looking exactly how Towhee remembered. Her sweet, almost floral scent filled the Redhawk’s nose as she came closer. The “moon woman” greeted her like an old friend.

Towhee’s lips parted to say the same—“it is good to see your face”—but the pale she-wolf promptly invited Towhee to accompany her somewhere. She inwardly balked a bit (an ancient hangup about entering other territories), though she nodded and prepared to fall into step beside Kukutux.

I assume this means you had a litter this year. Congratulations, she said, looking sideways at her companion. How old? Tell me about them.

"four," kukutux said softly. "i took a wife this year, sakhmet. aiolos gave us both children. two moons ago, arrluk, massaraq, and kassuq were born of my body. a girl, galana, was born to sakhmet."

a touch of pain flickered into her gentle green gaze. "my wife grieves for the husband who made his path away from her, and the son who has not come home. she has gone to find them."

the trees along the anik lake stirred.

She knew Kukutux was eccentric. Towhee had even thought her crazy, before getting to know her properly. She was still caught off guard by the mention of taking a wife. She made a face, which scrunched even further when Kukutux spoke of her wife’s… husband…

Her expression went blank when it registered that this Sakhmet had gone in search of a wayward husband and son. Towhee’s jaw clenched. She swallowed, cleared her throat. Despite failing to comprehend Kukutux’s ways, she shot her an empathetic look.

I’m sorry to hear that, she said, shaking her head at the thought of multiple spouses. Towhee would never again take one. I hope she finds them, she added, well aware the odds were stacked against such things.

Instead of sharing her own, similar plights, Towhee looked around and said, Did you know my daughters are living with yours, on Moonspear? My grandson too. I haven’t had the pleasure yet, though I’d like to meet her sometime. Sialuk, I mean. She must be a spectacular leader. The pack seems to be thriving.

kukutux gave a mother's look, a mother's smile to towhee. "sialuk was born on moonspear. it is good she has brought the mountain to life again."

she did not speak of the son she had lost, or the spirit who had returned wearing his face.

"how are your daughters?" moonwoman asked, though she expected they fared well if they were with her own.

Yeah, it’s good to see a pack living there again, Towhee agreed, thinking of her longtime friendship with Hydra, whose ghost perhaps haunted the mount. They’ve both been through some rough spots, though it seems Meerkat and her family are doing particularly well. My older daughter, Fennec, is still adjusting.

A thought rolled around in her head and Towhee fell silent for a moment or two. She continued looking around, everything still familiar though it had been a long time and she hadn’t actually spent much time here. She remembered spending many an early morning at the lake where they were headed.

I think I may move to Moonspear to be with them, actually, Towhee finally voiced the thought aloud. I recently lost my mate and another daughter, Leona. I want to be closer to the family I have left. But I’m worried too. Your daughter’s pack is thriving. What if there isn’t room for us? My brother and three youngest would come with me.

Perhaps Moonglow had room for them, though Towhee stopped short of asking. She didn’t want to offend Kukutux by treating her hearth like a backup plan. It was a wonderful place in its own right and shouldn’t be anyone’s second choice.

towhee had lost her mate and child. there was an answering pain, a look of understanding, in the greenstone gaze of the duck as she listened. there was much reason for towhee to leave, to come and be among her family.

"then come here. sialuk and i made moonglow close to the mountain for this reason. in those times, we wanted to see who would come down from moonspear. now, i call out and she is close enough to answer."

and so would it be for the woman before her and her grieving heart.

Kukutux didn’t hesitate to invite Towhee and her family to Moonglow, which at once relieved one stitch in her chest and sewed another. As grateful as she felt, she also felt guilty, because the spine wasn’t her first choice. She would only come here if there wasn’t room on the mountain.

Thank you for always keeping your door open to me, Towhee said on an exhale. Whether we end up here or on the mount, I would like to visit you more often. I’m sorry this is the first time we’ve seen each other since I left for Mereo.

Life was busy—it had been particularly so whilst living under the Imperator’s rule—but she didn’t want to make excuses. The sentiment was genuine, however. Especially since she didn’t mean to ever take a mate again and she didn’t want her support system to only consist of her relatives, Towhee thought it might be a good goal to deepen some friendships.

I had two more pups this year, she shared as they continued walking along, and I’d be happy to bring them by sometime if your four would like to make some new friends. Have yours met Meerkat’s yet?

kukutux nodded. "life holds us in its arms. time is not something that we are able to measure when our arms too, are filled with the things we must remember." she held no ill will for towhee, and her eyes were soft. "come to my ulaq at any time, towhee. you are of moonspear. my daughter's people travel freely in my village."

but she shook her head next. "i would like to make a meeting with all of them. perhaps we will gather them all in one place at a time that is soon." a gentle sigh; to be grandmother was still something kukutux hoped, and fervently.

They hadn’t met yet, which made sense. They were all rather young to travel, even to an adjacent territory. But soon, they would reach an age where such treks were an everyday part of life, especially with the packs’ evident open door policy.

Yes, let’s do that. It’ll give me something to look forward to, Towhee replied. I don’t think I’ve ever arranged such a large play date. What if they realize they have the numbers to start their own little puppy village? she posited with a huff of wry laughter. Perhaps we could gather them in the glen? she tacked on in the next breath.

"aya, yes! that place holds much good spirit. let us bring them all there." her eyes glowed with humor. "another moon village?" 

or perhaps one of towhee and meerkat's redhawk name?

one day they would share mates between the villages, she hoped. it would make her role as atsak much easier.

Towhee smiled at the thought too, wondering when they could make this happen. There was so much up in the air right now—a thought which made her stomach sink a little—but perhaps…

Maybe we could plan to get together in the early summer? In the evening, so the kids can chase fireflies, because of course. Thinking on her feet, she added, Maybe the adults can tell stories. It could even be a sleepover. I bet the kiddos would love that.

Well, maybe hers wouldn’t be the biggest fans of any of this. But it would still be good for them to meet and play with kids their own age. By the time any of this happened, they would probably have bonded with Meerkat’s girls a little more, a thought which made Towhee draw in a breath.

I should go do the thing… she said a little inanely. Before I go, thank you again for always being so hospitable. It really means a lot. And were your littles around? I wouldn’t mind saying ‘hi.’

fade? continue? <3

the small worn white teeth of the duck showed in a grin. "come to my ulaq and make a meeting with them, towhee. i will give you dried meat."

hospitality was a way of showing love and respect. "you gave your word to me here. and you are important to sialuk. you will always have a place in our village."

with that, she paraded back up the thin trail, calling out for her four little ones as they neared the shelter.