Redhawk Caldera Caution ahead.

Hotah materialized from the rain, his drab fur quite suited to the weather. Towhee blinked at him as he unloaded a fish and mushrooms at her feet, then stepped back and simply gazed at her. Their eyes met for an instant before she dropped her own to examine his goods. He really was quite the provider.

Unaware that she’d missed his quips about the mushrooms, she glanced up in time to watch him stride away into the gray drizzle. She blinked, then dropped her attention back to the fare he’d left her. Towhee was pretty sure she recognized these mushrooms, though she was still curious about…

Livi, she said, trying to hide her startled reaction when the young she-wolf appeared before her. Hey, she returned warmly, the young woman’s words earning a loud blink of orange eyes. Oh, yeah, I guess I could’ve made an announcement but that would’ve been weird, she said with a huff of laughter through her nose. Thanks.

She smiled at Alivia for a beat, then leaned over Hotah’s gifts to nudge her where her face met her neck. When Towhee withdrew, she shook some rain from her eyes and then pointed her snout at the fungus growing on the nearby wood.

I called you here because I figured you were my best shot at IDing these, she said, looking between Livi’s pale face and the Laetiporus sulphureus. No worries if you don’t know. I won’t take any unecessary risks. It’s just that, Towhee began, then realized this was a bit of shared history, I don’t know if you remember Aquene at all. But she taught me about how important the nutrients in fish and mushrooms are for milk supply.

Alivia might know something about that too. Towhee wondered but did not ask, giving the aspiring healer a chance to speak. If she did possess any knowledge about midwifery, Towhee would welcome her guidance. Sure, she’d done this before—many times, really—but she was at a point in her life where she welcomed support in any and all capacities.