Redhawk Caldera Some kind of animal.

She still hadn’t had a chance to catch up with her brother and Wagtail, though they would have to wait a little longer. This afternoon, Towhee wanted to carve out some time to touch base with @Leto and Delos. She particularly wanted to get to know the latter and perhaps begin a regimen of Ptero lessons.

She could search for them, though the Redhawk pulled the age card and settled herself beneath the dogwood tree overtop the Hobbit Hole. From there, she summoned mother and son with a howl. Towhee then sat back to wait in the shade, head tilted slightly as a slight breeze ruffled the leaves overhead and sent dapples of August sunlight over the hilltop.

Leto had been restless and miserable since her arrival. Paws never stopped moving, ears rarely left full alert.

Delos seemed to be alright which did provide a level of comfort, but it didn't stop her from worrying about Apollo. Nothing would. There was no right answer, neither option had a moral high ground over the other. If she left to look for Apollo she was a horrible mother, if she stayed with Delos and hoped Verapaz would search she was still a horrible mother. Either which way she left a son behind.

Pushing out a breath upon hearing Towhee's call, she eyed the den she had dug out for herself and Delos. He was likely sleeping, he always took a nap in the afternoon.

Minutes passed before she came to Towhee, groggy son following behind her.

Maybe she should’ve been more considerate, Towhee thought when a careworn Leto and sleepy Delos appeared. She motioned them into the shade, mindful of whatever condition ailed the young man, and gave both of them long, assessing looks.

Shit. I’m sorry, she said, for not being a gracious host, then or now. But thanks for coming. I wanted to check on you both, see how you’re doing. Don’t be afraid to speak plainly.

Leto was quick to send her son into the shade, following after him once the boy had settled.

It's fine, she responded, cracking a smile; it wasn't fine though, none of this felt fine. Leto just wasn't one for confrontation these days. We've settled, I think Delos is happy. She looked to her son, waiting for some sort of confirmation.

just a cameo for now, to keep him away from the checker

Delos was going with the flow, walking where he was gestured and sitting where he was told. He was more interested in getting back to his nap than talking to some old lady.

Quickly lifting his head at the familiar but distant sound of his name, he only eyed his mother for a moment before nodding. He wasn't entirely sure of what she had said, but assumed it was more directed to Towhee anyways.

Leto insisted Delos was happy, though Towhee threw the youngster a dubious look. Was he happy? He didn’t look unhappy, but… her orange eyes swung back to his mother’s face. The Redhawk assessed Leto for a long moment, a ponderous look overtaking her own face.

-“If you need to search for your other son, you should,”- she said, fighting the urge to tell Leto such things were futile. -“I will keep an eye on Delos, if he’s okay with it.”- Her eyes cut to him, then back to Leto. -“But you should drop by as much as possible and return in full when you can. I can look after him but he’s still young. He needs his mother.”-

The Redhawk shifted her weight, then fell silent. Would Leto take her up on it? What would Delos think? Her attention drifted from one to the other, then back again. Towhee thought it a waste for Leto to spend any time searching at all, though she understood the mother’s need to try.

Leto couldn't do much to hide her surprise, brow quickly furrowing. Why is it that you're okay with me going now? Towhee had done a pretty good job of making her feel crappy before, so it made no sense that she would go back on it now.

Careful to push out a breath and cease any bristles, she had to remind herself of what Alivia had said. Everyone had bad days, or months, she could be understanding. This was her problem anyways, and Towhee was offering some serious help when she certainly didn't have to.

I'm sorry, I'm just in a funk. I feel like a totally crappy mom. A crappy mom with a daughter who didn't make it out of the den, a son who disappeared into the sunset, and her last remaining kid couldn't hear half of what she said. It wasn't a great introduction to motherhood. Is there really a right answer here?

After a pensive pause, Towhee replied, -“I’m not really okay with it. But I get why you’d feel compelled to look for…”- Shit, what was his name? -“And since I’m speaking frankly, I have the bandwidth to look out for Delos now—now that I no longer feel like dying.”-

She blinked slowly, fighting the urge to shrug. Leto apologized, then posed a question. Towhee shook her head.

-“No, not really. I honestly think you should focus on the child who’s still with you, though I get why you’d feel like you can’t just forget about the other. I sympathize with your quandary, for sure, and you gotta do what you gotta do. I’m just making myself available to keep an eye on Delos if that means you need to go.”-

She stopped fighting it and shrugged, leaving the ball in Leto’s court. Towhee’s orange eyes flicked to Delos, the poor kid. He was the real victim of the situation, not to mention his other issues. But it was good that he was here, where there was plenty of shade and someone to teach him Ptero.

Well that didn't make her feel any better. Actually, it made her feel pretty frustrated. Towhee had told her to come here in the first place, and it wasn't like Leto could leave Delos with his father - she didn't even know who he was! Lately she felt that she could get a pretty good idea, except he had disappeared before ever getting lucky. She had uprooted her life for that man, too.

She felt guilty for thinking that way of course, Delos was just a boy. Nothing that had happened was his fault. But, it was hard for Leto not to feel a little bit upset about how things had turned out for her; it was nothing like the adventures she had imagined. She had been stupid, listened to Soto. Maybe because she was waiting for his brother, or maybe because she was damn good at playing simon says.

Shaking her head, Leto couldn't smooth over her furrowed brow this time. I'm not ready to talk about this. She decided. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate this. I'm going to contribute. But to be honest, I can't speak to you right now. Not until she could get her crap together, she felt like an elk waiting to kick the hunter straight in the head. If you want to speak to Delos, he's old enough to do that on his own. He was nearly half a year, and frankly she was ready to kick him out of the nest. The maternal instinct might be fading, but he needed to learn to speak for himself.

Nudging Delos, she didn't wait for Towhee's input before taking off.

Last from Leto!

When his mother turned tense, suddenly Delos was paying attention. The two women exchanged words, Delos got the gist of it, and then his mother walked off.

He didn't move for a short moment before standing. Was he supposed to follow her? She had nudged him, but he had no idea if it was a goodbye nudge or a follow me nudge! They were the same nudge, after all.

Eyeing Towhee, he mouthed a 'sorry' before his head shot to looking back at his mother.

I know you intended to exit, but…

Towhee went rigid at Leto’s next words. Without tone, it was difficult to discern how she meant them. Then she doubled down and the Redhawk abruptly pushed onto her feet, orange eyes narrowing at the curt, ungrateful way Leto spoke to her. When she tried to dismiss the Redhawk and walk away, Towhee let out a loud warning growl that should stop her in her tracks if the woman had any sense at all.

Raising her voice, Towhee called out to her back, I just offered to look after your son for you, despite explaining that I was almost fucking dead the day you brought him here. She let that hang for a beat before continuing, I get it, Leto, you’re in a shit situation, but you don’t get to be an asshole to us both. If you want to be able to come back for him, you should turn around.

What was up her ass today? Leto was at her wit's end, there was nothing more for her to say except for the venomous words she had kept at the back of her throat.

You invited me here. I gave you your space when we arrived, I filled caches that feed your pack and I waited for you to get back on your feet. She wasn't necessarily angry, more upset. I'm operating on your time. I'm here because you told me it was what would be best, and I trusted your opinion. My son wants to go back home to his family, he wants to know where his brother is. Do you think I like listening to that every night? Rhetorical question; no, she didn't.

All you've done up until today is make me feel horrible, so I'm sorry if I need time to think about my decision without feeling like you are trying to intimidate things into leaning your way.

Leto heeded the warning and turned, words flying from her mouth. Towhee had offered the caldera as a refuge to mother and son, a decision which was now being flung in her face due to some rather unfortunate timing. It was no one’s fault, really, but the Redhawk could barely believe her ears eyes.

‘All I’ve done’…? she repeated incredulously, face scrunching. I was experiencing one of the worst personal tragedies in my life when you decided to take me up on my offer, Leto. It certainly wasn’t deliberate. The timing wasn’t your fault, but it wasn’t mine either. I apologized anyway. And offered to help your son now that I feel capable of it.

And then she’d gotten bent out of shape because… Towhee’s head reared back a little as a realization struck her. She tried to muster patience she didn’t really feel.

I wasn’t trying to make you feel worse about the situation. I’m trying to help, Leto. Why would I want to intimidate you or get my way? What way? The only thing I want out of this situation is what’s best for Delos.

She looked to the pale youngster again, frowning. They shouldn’t argue like this in front of him. If it was making Leto feel bad, how horribly did he feel right now?

Go do what you have to do. Delos is in good hands, Towhee said, orange eyes cutting back to the boy’s mother.

Leto shook her head. Towhee was right, it wasn't anyone's fault that she came when she did, but that didn't make things better. It doesn't matter if you weren't trying to make me feel bad, I'm telling you that you did. Action, not intention. Something like that.

Her point made and the permission she seemed to need from Towhee provided, Leto made to leave once more. She had a lot to think about, and she needed to think about it on her own. All of this was starting to give her a nasty headache.

This can be the last from Leto, unless you want to stop her again

And I don’t know what to tell you, Towhee replied flatly, having already apologized. She tacked on a muttered, Asshat.

She shook her head and made no attempt to hold Leto back this time. Towhee never wanted to see or speak to the ungrateful woman again, though she hoped she returned for her son’s sake.

Turning to Delos now, she wondered if maybe he was actually better off without her. Leto had planned to dump him here and leave immediately. Come to think of it, she was probably pissed at Towhee for stalling her. And she’d just ended up walking off without a proper goodbye.

Feeling very sorry for him now—and bad for her part in today’s fiasco—Towhee said, -“I really am sorry for the shit intro. I’d love to make it up to you, if you’re okay with that.”-

His focus that was previously glued to his mother moved to Towhee for the moment, if only to focus on her words. Well-intentioned as she was, Delos was a child. It was instinct to parade after his mother, particularly in a tense situation. He didn't want anyone to make it up to him, he wanted to curl next to his mother and forget the conversation he had witnessed.

Had he known Towhee better, maybe he would have heard her out. But, not today. Delos was quick to shake his head, following after Leto with his tail between his legs. He caught up to her without trouble, and was met with a lick to his head.

Leto was in a poor situation, there was no doubt about that, but for all of her frustrations and fuck-ups there was no doubt in his mind that she loved him.

Her mouth fell open as young Delos ignored her olive branch and went scurrying after his mother. Towhee probably should’ve called after him too, insist it was in his best interests to stay with her. But she could only stare at him, watching as he ran after his mother, wondering if Leto would send him back when he caught up to her. When that didn’t happen, Towhee’s mouth clapped shut.

She sat there for a good while afterward, eventually deciding it was probably for the best. She’d really wanted to help him, though he ought to stay with his mother. That meant he would struggle with his impediments, though it was the lesser of two evils. That’s what Towhee concluded, anyway.

It eased her conscience a little, though she would wrestle with this entire encounter for awhile. She didn’t look forward to explaining it to her co-leaders or anyone else who came inquiring about the mother and son duo.