Firefly Glen (PHE) Chicken charmers.

He had nine confirmed children, maybe half a dozen more. Towhee shot him an empathetic look when he mentioned the deceased ones. She knew that sort of loss all too well. But she took his cue and didn’t linger on it. Besides, he said something that truly captured and diverted her attention.

Baby Bushtit twitched in his sleep, drawing said attention to him momentarily. Soon enough, he settled restfully again. Towhee’s eyes cut back to Chakliux as she weighed his words, pondering their meaning. She had always considered fathers important but naturally secondary to mothers.

What do you mean when you say ‘chosen’? Who chooses? she wondered.