Broken Antler Fen all these golden days we had

At the thought of having children, Eljay had wondered out loud — should they ask Ibis for permission? — and while it seemed like the answer was not an overwhelming yes, considering Maia's own status as a leader, Eljay clearly felt better if they did ask for official permission. Just in case. Besides, telling others about the fact that they would have another family was pretty neat, so if nothing else, it would give him a chance to do that.

She'll say yes, right? Eljay asked @Maia as they set off together to find @Ibis. His last conversation with Towhee still lay heavily on his mind. He'd never in a million years expected her to say 'no' either, and yet she had, even without him explicitly asking. It'd made Eljay grow a lot more wary, especially considering his suspicions surrounding their leader-elect's own situation. What if she, like Towhee, denied them or told them they were selfish for wanting to bring more children into the pack..?

if you have time for another <3 (if not, maybe it can be arranged behind the scenes)