Grouse Thicket [m] fear the lioness, paint her face black and golden

Not, Towhee ejaculated, possible.

And yet, when she turned and pointed her nose at her own hindquarters, it was unmistakable. She was in heat. Again. Despite believing she’d left her fertility in the desert, her body had evidently decided it was time for round two.

While she stood there in shock, a couple things happened simultaneously. Meerkat and Skipjack exchanged some unheard shouts, meeting in the middle and scrambling in her direction. While somewhere behind her, a strange male picked up her calling card and moved closer.

Abruptly, the four of them convened beneath the elm. Towhee met Meerkat’s concerned glance with round eyes. Surely her daughter would quickly pick up on what was happening. Her grandson would too—

“Grandma, why do you smell so weird?!” Skip hollered indignantly, quickly followed by a jerk of his head as he evidently detected the stranger’s presence and shrunk back beside Meerkat.

You two head back to the copse, Towhee said faintly, just now becoming aware of her masculine company.

Her daughter didn’t move right away, staring hard at Towhee for a few beats. She signed something, earning a nod from her mother. She then took pity on poor Skip and ushered him eastward through the thicket. She glanced back a few times, likely in disbelief herself, but Towhee didn’t see.

She was now staring hard at the bronzed stranger, deliberating whether she should risk indulging this second chance.