Sun Mote Copse Baby mine.

They spent the first night in The Taigh, though some instinct compelled Towhee to gather her newborn son the next morning and find someplace cozier. The answer was obvious. She carried him the short distance to the log, which was rather moldered after all these years. But it would still serve, just for a few weeks before they returned to the cottage.

After settling in with Bushtit, Towhee focused on feeding him. Her milk had come, though it was a good thing there was only one pup, as her supply was worryingly low. She smoothed his little head with her tongue as he nursed, then turned her orange eyes outdoors. As much as she needed this space to herself and her son, she still hoped others would stop by to visit.

“Grandma?” Seal called when she followed her tracks from the Taigh to the familiar log Meerkat had once shown her daughter. There, she spied Towhee with the singular cub nestled at her side.

She saw Seal appear from the direction of the cottage. Towhee smiled and beckoned her closer with a twitch of her wrist. Seal had really helped make The Taigh comfortable for mother and baby, so Towhee just hoped she wouldn’t be too put out upon finding them here.

I wanted someplace cozy, just while he’s really teeny, she explained, chuckling as she added, This is where I took your mother after she ninja’d her way out of me.

Not only did the smaller space suit her maternal instincts, it also felt appropriate in another way. Especially after Bushtit’s surprise arrival, Towhee had once again learned never to say “never.” But he and Meerkat felt a little like the bookends of Towhee’s motherhood.

Speaking of your mom, I’m a little bummed he decided to come after they were already gone, Towhee shared, peering thoughtfully into her granddaughter’s carob eyes.

-“I cannae believe you were pregnant…”- she signs with her eyes locked on wee Bushtit. And it made Seal wonder… could this type of pregnancy be genetic? Could it happen to her? The thought of it was anxiety inducing.

-“They wouldnae have ever left if they’d known…”- Seal mused. -“Perhaps that’s why he surpised us all.”-

She watched the pale pup wriggle at her side. -“Do you ken who the father is?”- she asked, her ptero bashful.

Me neither, Towhee could only silently concur. There was, of course, historic precedent. And it wasn’t as though she’d conceived immaculately, so it had always been a possibility regardless of her own denials. Her fertility had always played guessing games with her.

Seal’s question was so direct, it surprised a laugh out of her. Her own eyes fell to the suckling babe for a moment as she marveled at how little he resembled either parent. Well, she supposed he’d inherited her colors, albeit in a nearly inverted pattern.

I do, Towhee said, deciding not to elaborate beyond, but he won’t be involved. Which is fine by me. I don’t need him. I have you guys.

And she was, of course, quite experienced at single motherhood. Towhee exhaled through her nostrils, her breath ruffling the top of the infant’s head and causing him to grunt. She didn’t notice the noise, of course, but she did see his little face scrunch almost indignantly.

She looked to Seal again and said, I didn’t think I could have children, back when I conceived your mother. And that’s what I thought this year too. My body likes to Lauren me, I guess. Anyway, I hope you enjoy having a baby for an uncle.

Seal’s life was full of different relationship role models and so she did not balk at the notion that Towhee did not with to include the child’s sire in their life. The only thing that was paramount in the young leader’s mind was that they had the village of Sun Mote Copse to support them. A pack was like the blood in a wolf’s heart.

Her brows cinched in concern when Towhee explained she hadn’t thought her pregnancy possible. Was there an underlying problem in her grandmother’s body?

Seal tried to dismiss the idea. She remembered Sialuk’s teachings – best to coneal these worries and protect the glow of new motherhood… for now.

-“My wee uncle,”- Seal snorted, amused at the idea, as she smired Bushtit’s white fur, pale as snow. -“He is so loved.”-

Would any of her siblings have children this year? Would she ever be an auntie?

-“Maybe he knew my parents were leaving, and that we needed a bit of excitement around here,”- she mused.

Seal’s acceptance, her love, meant a great deal to Towhee. As much as she feigned anger at Bushtit’s unceremonious arrival—and there was a small part of her that really didn’t approve of her body’s shenanigans—she adored him just as much as her other children, her grandchildren too.

You don’t have to go right now, Towhee said, but it would be very helpful if you could bring some food by if you get a chance. I want to make sure I’m doing everything I can to produce enough milk for him. I’m so happy he was the only one, for that reason and others, she didn’t mind admitting.