Redhawk Caldera n e s s o

When Maia reached the conclusion to her anecdote, Ani didn’t say anything right away. She was already drawing comparisons between the Blackthorns’ situation and her own. Would Ani find herself in the exact same predicament someday, up to and including deciding between her husband and her most beloved sister?

Dozens of questions brimmed in her mind. Maia was talking about Aunt Wren, right? Did your pack mates have to agree to let you have children? When Maia said Eljay’s former pack couldn’t support more, what did that mean? Ani’s lips twisted into an uncharacteristic frown at that in particular, wondering how anyone could refuse her Papa Eljay. It was as incomprehensible as the Blackthorns arguing.

That latter thought made her think of something else. Didn’t wives usually take their husbands’ names? What had Maia’s surname been before Blackthorn? Did it matter than Ani didn’t even have her own last name, at least as far as she knew? She supposed she could ask her Babadi but she didn’t think it would feel right to wear his over Papa Eljay’s.

Finally, Ani decided on her next question, asking, You said fairy tales missed some steps. Is one of them… Ani paused, trying to think of the best way to phrase it. Do I need permission to get married and have babies? Whose permission?