Heron Lake Plateau ashes against the grain

Owen was wiggling atop his father's chest now, the boy's butt tastefully placed just inches from Quixote's chin, while Vasa had managed to fumble her way around the alpha male's backside and was presently using his tail as a chew toy. Raven couldn't help it — she started giggling helplessly as she watched the strong, surly male who'd stolen her heart succumb to the attack of the boistrous little gremlins he'd created. Kite and Phoebe squeaked and shifted where they snoozed, but they didn't appear to have been awakened by their mom's hushed laughter.

She agreed with Qui's assessment of Niamh's having calmed down somewhat. Niamh was only a yearling, and Raven questioned if that was a bit young for leadership. But Towhee wasn't much older than her and had proven herself an exceptionally capable leader, so Ray was hesitant to rule anyone out based solely on age. She thought about her mate's question for a moment and then answered, "I think it would be more appropriate if she were ranked under Towhee, since Tow's had a lot more experience leading and used to be alpha. That's just my perspective though. What do you think?"