Firefly Glen Ut in ditt indre ventar bratt ein sti.

Her youngest son slipped from the underbrush to stand beside her. Towhee reached out to playfully bat at him, aiming for his forelegs like she was trying to cut them out from underneath him. Maybe it was her way of asking him to sit down beside her.

Meerkat and Seal arrived next, the latter pouncing Towhee. She immediately wrapped her arms around the girl and squeezed her tightly, even lifting her off the ground a little. Sure, her back complained, but she was happy to pay the price of admission.

When Meerkat urged the kids to go gather some playthings, she let go of Seal and asked nobody in particular, -“Where are y’all’s sisters, anyhow?”-

It wasn’t long after that that Kukutux’s people began to show up at the small, sun-dappled clearing. Towhee sat up to watch them come, tail tapping in the grass. The sight of so many pups was some sort of panacea.

A bashful little girl caught Towhee’s eye right around the time Kukutux approached her with a greeting. She took one look at the gnarled flesh on the Redhawk’s back and offered the wrap from her ivory shoulders. Towhee laughed and shrugged it over her own shoulders.

-“Thanks. It’s good to see you and all your—”

Her voice cut off and her eyes widened when she saw a young man who looked so much like Orca, it was uncanny. Towhee looked around for Meerkat.

-“Are you seeing this? Where’s Orca?”- she said to her daughter before looking back to Kukutux and quipping, -“Hey, aren’t you a matchmaker? One of my granddaughters looks just like—is he one of yours?”-

Other youngsters milled around them as Sialuk came forward and said something to her mother. Towhee’s head cocked, not catching what was said, but quickly fixed her quizzical expression into a welcoming smile.

-“So-o-o,”- Towhee said after a few minutes, -“if I herd them, would one of you like to tell a story?”-

Her eyes skipped among the adults, though they settled on the “moon woman,” sensing she was probably the best storyteller among them. There was just something about Kukutux that screamed raconteuse.

-“Or we can just, y’know, let them run amok until they wear themselves out. That’s always an option too.”-

Feel free to post freely! I’ll start another round in a week. Latecomers are welcome anytime. :)