Moonspear Atari's lantern.

She hadn't set eyes on Hydra since winter, yet there was nothing but fond familiarity between them when the mountain's queen appeared. She summarily dismissed her guardian, then eagerly moved forward to meet Towhee and her daughter. Meerkat glanced at her mother, who nodded encouragement, before rushing forward to sniff noses with her aunt, tail wagging so fast it was nothing more than a pale blur.

-"Hydra, this is my daughter, Meerkat. She's been looking forward to meeting the legend,"- the Regent introduced, gently nudging her child to the side to offer her sister-in-arms a nuzzle. -"She's one of four children I'm helping to rear this year, though the only one borne of my own body,"- she continued, orange eyes glimmering as she wondered what Hydra would make of this turn, particularly following their last real conversation. -"The others are my brother's and Niamh's crotch fruit: Alyx, Quetzal and Primrose. And I meant to bring my older two but they're off having adventures of their own these days."-

Towhee paused, looking sideways at Meerkat, who sat in attentive silence. She then moved her gaze back to Hydra and asked the natural followup question. -"How are you and your family?"- She'd heard about the woman's litter via their little messenger here, yet Towhee wanted to hear all about them from their mother's own mouth.

-"Yeah,"- Meerkat chimed in from beside her, grinning from ear to ear, -"where're the babies? I heard one!"-