Sun Mote Copse Leaving blood on the paintwork, though primroses grow in circles round his feet.

She hoped to return to roaming someday. But she knew she needed someplace to properly rehabilitate herself for a little while. Towhee had always avoided playing favorites but she had no qualms choosing Sun Mote Copse as her destination. Three of her grown daughters lived there presently, not to mention the grandchildren and all the rest.

She arrived late at night, soaked in spring rain, and felt like death warmed over when she slumped through the doorway of The Taigh. She curled up beside Meerkat and the babies, sleeping away an entire day without being aware of it. She woke in the darkness to eat the meat left out for her, then went right back to sleep until the following morning.

Towhee felt strong enough to venture outside and plop down in a sunbeam. She wondered if @Otter and Skipjack might come out and play after their mother finished feeding them breakfast. In the meantime, she was happy to bask, tilting in the direction of the sun like a plant drawing strength from its rays.

When Meerkat emerged and saw her mother’s expectant look, she smiled and said, Sorry, mom, they’re both in food comas. But I’m sure they won’t nap for long.

Towhee looked so comfortable lounging there in the sunshine, she decided to join her. Rather than sit beside her, Meerkat took a seat across from her then slid forward into a sphinx pose. The head-on angle always facilitated communication with her deaf mother.

That thought prompted her to say, They’re both doing great… but I think Skip might have some visual impairments.

Towhee’s mouth pulled into a moue at her daughter’s news. If that was true, she knew his family would step up and support him. Fennec in particular might prove a critical resource. It would also mean that communicating with him would be difficult for her, Towhee Jr as well, at least until he was more articulate.

Well, he has a great support system if that’s the case, she murmured. So you’re going with Skip, huh? I guess Jack was kind of taken, she mused in the next breath, thinking of her lovely, wayward son.

Her mother took the news in stride and Meerkat decided to take her cue, treat it like it was no big deal. Of course, it was, and she would do everything in her power to accommodate her son if he was blind. But there was no reason to believe he couldn’t lead a happy, fulfilling life even without sight.

Skippy just feels right, Meerkat rejoined with a grin. Hey, how are you feeling? I know you’ve been through a lot…

But she didn’t know quite what her mom had been through and she wondered if Towhee might want to talk about it. If not, that was okay. Either way, she was delighted to have her here in the copse for a little while.

Do you need anything? she tacked on.

Mm, I’m already better than I was two days ago, Towhee replied. She paused before continuing, I had a lot of time to rest and process at the oasis. This spring has been a fucking roller coaster ride. But I’ve made peace with it, I think. Mentally and emotionally, I think I’m okay. Physically, I feel totally wiped out… but I know I just need some time to fully heal.

She shifted her weight to one side. Even small movements made her aware of how weak she felt. Towhee wondered just how much time it would take to regain her strength, though she wasn’t in any rush. As much as she wanted to resume traveling—and perhaps she might—she had to admit that it wasn’t necessarily the right lifestyle for someone her age. She had a lot of thinking to do while she recuperated.

In reply to her daughter’s latest question, Towhee said, As much as I hate to ask, I wouldn’t mind something fresh to eat. I promise I’ll pick up guard duty as soon as I’m able.

Don’t worry about it, mom, Meerkat said quickly. Take as long as you need to rest and get better. Maybe try leeching some of the kids’ energy, she joked in the next breath, goodness knows they have way too much of it sometimes. Och, if only it worked that way.

She began pushing back to her feet. Towhee wanted fresh meat, so she would fetch her some. Her mother could watch over the children, still tucked asleep inside The Taigh. Meerkat chewed at her cheek, whisky eyes darting around as she pondered where to get started.

Hang on, Towhee protested as Meerkat rose. Your babies are asleep. This is prime time to catch a nap yourself. Do you think maybe you could call one of the others to grab us both a fresh breakfast?

It felt a little greedy, though there were several able-bodied hunters in the copse’s ranks. Towhee imagined any one of them would be pleased to assist two of the family’s matriarchs. The thought made her snort a little.

It also reminded her of an idle comment Meerkat had made upon her arrival, when Towhee had informed her she wanted to join the pack, formally and indefinitely. “Oh, you could be our first honoree!”

Well, if her daughter brought it up again, she would insist on maintaining a regular rank. Maybe the situation would change once she was feeling better but, for the time-being, Towhee considered herself semi-retired. She didn’t want any fancy roles or titles. She just wanted to kick back and relax.

She considered her mother’s next request. It did make more sense to call for someone else to do the hunting, although Meerkat always felt a little demanding when she did that. She reminded herself that she—and Towhee too—had earned the right to ask such things.

Sure, she replied, sending up a brief howl asking for anyone in earshot to bring fresh meat if they could. It’s best for them too, Meerkat said, nodding toward the den mouth. I mean, they’re already getting it secondhand, so I just assume the fresher, the better, she added with a laugh.

She settled back on the ground. A nap did sound nice. Towhee was right: she should take advantage while both her children were asleep. She didn’t want to cut off their conversation, though Meerkat remembered—with a happy little grin—that her mother was here to stay. There would be plenty of time to catch up later.

While Meerkat called in their DoorDash order, Towhee sat up partially to scratch at an itch behind her left ear. She hated that such a simple action took so much energy. She felt sapped as she dropped back to the ground.

My body’s very tired but my mind feels pretty sharp. I’ll keep an eye on the kids. Rest yours, she said after analyzing the dark circles beneath Meerkat’s eyes. And rest assured, you’ll have one more hand on deck with them, just in time for them to hit the nutters stage…

Did someone say “nutters”? Taking his cue, Skipjack came barreling out of The Taigh. He promptly tripped over his own paws, rolled ass over teakettle a couple of times, and ended up in an ungainly sploot. He blinked, then pushed back onto all fours with a grunt.

There were two shapes nearby, one dark and the other pale. He knew the latter was his beloved mother, though Skipjack made a beeline toward the former. He crashed into it with a gleeful shout, feeling the familiar sensation of arms wrapping around him. He let himself be scooped, his little paws immediately reaching out to touch every inch of that swarthy face.

Meerkat trusted Towhee implicitly as far as babysitting went. As soon as her mother told her to rest her eyes, she let them slip shut. They only reopened when a certain little bairn came careening out of the family’s cottage. She restrained herself from getting up to check on Skipjack when he took a tumble, reminding herself that he needed to sort himself out regardless of his capabilities.

Luckily, he jumped right back onto his little feet and leaped at his grandmother. Towhee caught him in her arms. Meerkat smiled at the sight, which imprinted itself on her eyelids as she closed them again and settled down to sleep in the sunshine.

Towhee’s head jerked when Skipjack came shooting out of the den. If Meerkat was right, was he about to crash into something? He did fall, though that seemed like a pretty typical puppy stunt. She kept a shrewd eye on him as he recovered and then ran straight at her, with uncanny precision if he was blind.

She immediately reached out and scooped the Bairn into her arms. Skipjack raised no protests as she cradled him. His little forepaws came up to explore her face. Towhee pressed a kiss to his fat pink belly, then drew back a little to look into his sweet little face. Especially up close like this, she could see that the little boy’s eyes weren’t actually focused on anything in particular.

I think, she began to say, only to glance up and see that Meerkat had heeded her advice and fallen asleep. Your mama might be right, she continued in what she hoped was a lowered voice. But it doesn’t matter, does it? You’ll be able to talk in no time. ‘Til then, we can just communicate in Xs and Os.

And she planted a kiss on his forehead and pulled him closer to her chest, happy when her grandson seemed to enjoy the cuddles so much that he promptly fell right back to sleep in her arms.