Redsand Canyon match point

it was @Towhee who plagued his thoughts as he found himself in the south, just beyond the sparring arena. the river that splintered into woods welcomed him, a shady spot to hide himself and his thoughts.

their conversation lingered in his brain.

and he was keen to push it aside in favor of work, any type of work. even here in the shade of the trees, along the bank of the river.

his pace came to a slow stroll, eyes fixed upon the water.

he wanted to bring home a fish. if such a thing might even be found.

Should she go gossip with Rue first, or maybe find Maxim and tell him what the Imperator had said to her? Perhaps Towhee shouldn’t seek out anyone but take some time alone with her thoughts. She knew she should think this through some more, though it was just like the day she’d pondered whether to leave Moonglow for Mereo. She already knew the answer.

Nonetheless, she headed toward the woods for some privacy. Instead, she found Maxim. Towhee snorted under her breath, wondering if she should take this as some sort of sign. She woofed to announce herself and sidled up beside him near the winding bank of the stream.

You should know something about me, she said in lieu of a proper greeting. Towhee paused, slanting her face to catch his eye, face serious. I’m very gassy. And it smells really, really bad most of the time.

was she a mind reader?

he looked at her without hesitation, brows furrowed as he prepared to hear something serious — mainly because she sounded so serious.

then she hit him with the unexpected. gassy. he should have expected nothing less from her and his features twisted with gross delight.

then no fish for you. he jested back. i don't want to smell you all night from next door. he snorted, swinging his head away from her, back towards the river.

She laughed lightly at his retort, Maxim’s choice of words carrying her mind toward their apartments side by side. What would it be like to share a den with someone she hardly knew? Would it be too different from being next door neighbors?

Do you have a surname? Towhee wondered, apparently shooting from the hip today.

he blinked. he had just prepared himself to expect the unexpected from her, but somehow it was still impossible.

his head turned back to her, so she could read his lips clearly, still not skilled enough to sign out whole sentences. no, i do not.

His answer surprised and pleased Towhee in equal measure. She didn’t have to worry about fighting him on whose name any pups might inherit. They would be Redhawks, of course. Maybe she would even extend an invitation to Maxim himself to share the name.

But he was still mostly a stranger. There was really only one way to fix that: Towhee would have to spend more time with him. She wondered if she should do that before or after they got hitched. Did it really matter, one way or the other?

What kind of father do you hope to be? Soft and doting? Stern and disciplined? Towhee asked next.

he wondered if this was part of her consideration. to ask him things and figure out what he wanted and how it aligned with her. it was fair, he would expect nothing less.

is it possible to be a mix? his features briefly crinkled with a smile before it faded. i want them to have structures and rules, but i want to cherish them too. let them be children but, ah, not complete wild beasts.

he looked upon her with a soft fondness that soon melted into serious thoughtfulness.

what kind of mother are you?

Yes, she said in response, lips pressing together as she let him embellish his answer. Would you ever get violent with a child? Towhee wanted to demand, though she didn’t give voice to it. No matter how he answered the question, she probably wouldn’t trust it entirely, and if he was anything like Reyes, she would just do what needed to be done again. Maybe this time, she would just kill him outright.

Her thoughts had run away with her, down a dark road. Towhee reined them back, blinking at Maxim’s fair question. Her orange gaze wandered thoughtfully over the nearby water as she wondered how to answer that question. She was kind of biased, wasn’t she?

Well, that depends who you ask, she quipped. You should ask Rue. She’ll give you a fair report. Or, hell, one of my kids, since a few of them are running around here. But I like to think I’m a pretty good mom. I don’t coddle my kids but I love them fiercely. Towhee paused. I thought I was done having them, you know. After my previous pack disbanded, I felt like I had nothing left to offer anyone, as a leader or a mother or anything. I felt like… a has-been, I guess. But life in Mereo has kind of restored my faith in myself.

She made a ponderous, humming sound and thought of what to ask him next, deciding on, It doesn’t bother you that I have oodles of kids and even a grandkid? I don’t mean to pick at your offer—I’m still considering it, very seriously—I just want you to know who I am and what you’d be signing up for, is all, Towhee added with a bit of a mischievous smile.

rue. perhaps he should talk to her. ask for her opinion on these matters and of towhee. yet he felt just as inclined to learn about towhee himself. why not form his own opinions from what she told him? after all, what did she stand to gain from any lies told? he liked to think nothing and that she would not lie to him for that reason.

then she asked another question. one he wanted to laugh at but didn't. instead he offered her a smaller, genuine smile. one that lingered and that he did not bother to whisk away.

it does not bother me, towhee. i met your killdeer. he is kind and he wishes to learn here at mereo. i admire it. still sincere, still serious despite the lingering smile. if your children are like him or you, i see no reason to have problems with them — or you having oodles of them.

Her features grew soft at the mention of her grandson. I’ll have to tell you about each of my kids sometime, Towhee thought aloud, though she decided against doing that right now. She still wanted to learn more about Maxim and not dwell on the fact that most of her kids were actually his peers.

And, actually, there was another disclaimer she ought to put out there. I know we already discussed how it would be a business arrangement more than anything else if we were to get hitched. But just to be real with you, I’m not gonna bang you unless it’s to conceive. That’s nothing personal, I’ve just never been interested in it unless I’m in estrus.

Towhee shrugged, her orange eyes lingering speculatively on his face as she wondered what Maxim would make of this particularly frank condition. She couldn’t help but think of Kallik and Aquene, banging away in their hut, for no other reason than intimacy and pleasure, she assumed. Maybe Maxim would want that sort of casual intimacy, even without a romantic connection. If that was the case, then this was all going to be a bust.

he assumed that estrus was a fancy word for the spring season. the type of thing that had driven him away from home by more dominant males. and it wasn't like he had given romance much thought beyond spring hormones.

as of now, he saw no problem with her words, and it made the most sense.

no distractions, right? he teased kindly before continuing with seriousness. i do not think there would be much reason for it beyond that, no? especially if it's a business arrangement.

perhaps he was too simple. perhaps he was too willing.

perhaps he was the ideal husband by mereo standards.

Right, she said slowly, glad of his answer but beginning to mistrust her good fortune with all of this. What if she agreed and they married, popped out a couple of kids and he turned out to be some deadbeat dad? Towhee had told Germanicus she wouldn’t stand for that. And she wouldn’t. But she supposed there was some small part of her—mangled by her experience with Reyes—that would always wait for the other shoe to drop.

We’d share a den in the married housing, Towhee reminded him. Maxim surely knew that, though she let her words sink in for a moment. And just because I wouldn’t want to ~MaKe LoVe~ or even kiss you good night, it doesn’t mean we couldn’t be close in a different way. We’d still be comrades in arms as well as parenting together, so there’d be a bond there. And I’d want a… cohesive household, I guess you could say.

they would share a den. he supposed it made sense, perfectly so. they would be married by mereo standards even if this was a business deal. they would conform to mereo's marriage standards.

he wondered what germanicus would — did? — make of all of this.

cohesive household? he questioned with a gentle tilt of his head. like, ah, presenting as whole family even if we aren't kissing and coupling?

The declaration appeared to befuddle him a bit. Towhee nodded, then mulled a moment as she tried to think of a better way to describe what she meant. Once more, she glanced sideways at the water, noting their reflections side by side, blurred together a little by the rippling current.

Facing him again, she said, I wouldn’t want to treat you… coldly in front of the kids, you know? Just because we’re not in love doesn’t mean we can’t be a team, a unit… a bonded pair, even. Does that make any more sense? Or am I just making things more conf—oh! A thought hit her. Like the Imperator and Matrona, I guess you could say. You know?

he was doing his best to keep up with her. truly. especially when she tumbled her concept of their possibly pending relationship towards him.

he agreed that it would be best to not be cold in front of the children. even his own gruff father had a happy face in the presence of his softer mother.

then she mentioned the leading pair and he assumed he understood a bit better now. despite how the arrangement might seem, they would not simply be strangers and he was not simply some sperm donor to be tossed aside until it was dad's weekend with the kids. they would be a proper unit. love or no love.

and perhaps he respected her more for all of these terms and conditions.

i understand. i would like any children to know they are wanted and loved still, regardless of any status or terms between us. that this is a warm, safe place — and that we are a strong supportive force for them.

is this closer to what you mean?

Yep, Towhee replied simply, lips pulling into a smile. Doubts still niggled at her, though she had made up her mind before this entire conversation. And, somehow, they hadn’t arrived at any deal breakers. Hell, it was quite the opposite.

I’m gonna head back to #1A to rest for a bit, she announced after a few beats of companionable silence. There’s something else you should know. We have the Imperator’s sanction to marry and have children. It’s just a matter of deciding and moving into the married housing.

Despite already knowing her decision, she added after a weighty pause, I want both of us to sleep on it a few more days. We can keep hanging out, getting to know each other. I’ll try to remember to pick up the Ptero lessons too. Towhee laughed, then lapsed into silence, eyes finding his to take in his reaction.

they already had a blessing.

which meant towhee had already made up her mind. which certainly was a sharp turn from the soldier who seemed to persuade him into chasing pretty women. it was nice to know she had considered him so seriously to settle on him, though.

even if he was now being informed they should sleep on it for a few more days. not a very big ask seeing as this was still a marriage and with children already thrown in the mix too.

perhaps you can tell me of your oodles of children in ptero. his tail slowly waving behind him. olive eyes briefly setting onto her features before they drifted back to the waters.

he still intended to fish here if possible. perhaps he would leave her an aquatic meal, despite her warnings of foul gasses.

She liked that suggestion. Towhee decided to demonstrate that by bumping her snout against his shoulder, a companionable touch. She waved her tail for good measure, a clear, Yes, that sounds good to me.

I’ll leave you to it, she said, winding her good wrist lazily at the water. Towhee admired his patience for such a task. If you catch anything, feel free to stop by my place. If not, don’t bother, she joked, now throwing an elbow at Maxim.

With a final wink and a woof, she began striding north. In a few days’ time, in all likelihood, the two of them would pack up #1A and #1B and begin a life together. And after that, it was only a matter of waiting for the infamous Towheat™ to make its appearance. Fuckin’ wild.

As soon as she set foot inside her den, Towhee realized she wasn’t ready to sit still with her thoughts. Instead, she ducked right back outside and began heading toward the palazzo to spill the beans to @Ruenna.

he snorted, rolling his eyes at her with a lazy smile on his face. welcomed her touch despite her humor.

but the truth was, he would leave a fish at her den, even if she was not there to receive it instantly. no different than how he had left the meat before.

and just as she would go to tell ruenna, he would go to tell germanicus.