Wheeling Gull Isle Life’s a beach.

She had meant to stay on the island for about a week before returning to Moonspear. But after finding Caracal sobbing in the middle of the night, Towhee realized they still desperately needed her support. She told @Sialuk, @Whip and anyone else who’d come along they ought to head home. She would be staying behind a while longer.

Of course, such a decision merited a discussion with @Sable and @Towhee Jr. Towhee summoned them and led her kids toward the north side of the island, where a mangrove swamp gave way to tide pools. She squinted against the glare as they stepped from shade into sunlight, the ocean water throwing sparkles every which way.

-“There’s something I need to tell you,”- Towhee said once they found a nice spot to sit on the warm sands. -“The others are heading back to Moonspear but I’m going to stay a bit longer. I want you to know you’re welcome to stay with me here but it’s fine if you want to go home too. It’s totally up to you.”-

Just like when they’d decided to come with her, Towhee wanted them to decide for themselves. But there was more to the decision than met the eye. They were four months old now and more self-sufficient every day. They would need parental guidance a while longer and ideally a village to support them as they continued to mature, yet they were far from helpless, needy babies these days.

-“In fact, you should know that when they don’t need me as much here, I may want to travel a bit rather than settle back in Moonspear. I want to keep doing this: helping out our family, in all the different places they live. What I said before still stands: you can come with me or you can go home. If you decide to stay with Moonspear, I will visit often.”-

Now she was just rambling. Towhee shut her trap, orange gaze drifting from her son’s face to her daughter’s, then back again. It was a lot to process, she knew, and she didn’t expect a decision right away. Mostly, she figured they would have questions. She drew in a breath of salty sea air and waited.