Redsand Canyon And I used to fly like Peter Pan, all the children flew when I touched their hands.

It was raining hard when Towhee woke this morning. As she climbed from the comfortable pallet, she winced a little. She felt stiff and achy. She stood there a while, rolling her shoulders and stretching, then decided to do some proper “yogurt” while she was at it. By the end of it, she did feel a little more limber, though something compelled her to return to bed rather than head out into the rain.

She watched it falling outside, a puddle forming in the doorway where the water dripped from the slight overhang. Towhee’s eyelids drooped, her thoughts drifting. She wondered if her brother and son had gotten caught out in this rainstorm. Had they made it to Sapphique yet? Had Meerkat given her more grandchildren? Despite her aches and pains, Towhee smiled as as she nodded off properly.

Maybe @Maxim? But anyone can come knocking. :)

brought to you by me in a rain flooded yard at work

each day, he woke with a trickling nervousness. well. perhaps it was impatience? he grew eager to see children in their den, the milk scent of towhee didn't help any.

but today proved the same as many before it.

she was clearly pregnant, but no children yet. instead she seemed to have found some calming comfort in the rainstorm that swept through the canyon. and he returned to her with a gifted meal as usual.

this time it was a fish who had found advantage in the rain flooding banks, only to be scooped by a watchful maxim. he had grown accustom to this sort of ritual he had entered. it also made it leagues easier to wake her when he carried the wafting scent of a meal — and wet dog.

Oof, well… that’s appropriate ambiance, I suppose!

The pungent smells Maxim brought with him certainly roused Towhee. She had never been one for morning sickness, though being woken from a sound sleep by such odors turned her stomach. She swiftly shoved past him toward the doorway, splashing in the water pooled there as she retched. She didn’t bring up much but some bile, the rain quickly rinsing it away.

She stood partway out the door for a moment, sucking in breaths of cool, rainy air. Towhee then withdrew inside, wincing a little at the lingering smell. She remained close to the door for the fresh air and just in case she needed to puke again, her spine brushing the wall as she slid onto her haunches and wiped at her mouth.

-Sorry about that,- she signed. Towhee blinked a little owlishly before saying aloud, I’m feeling kind of off today… not just the puking, but super… blah. It wasn’t that articulate, though Maxim would probably know what she meant. She didn’t feel terrible, just sort of like she didn’t want to do anything today, which was very unusual for Towhee Redhawk.

his arrival was greeted with a sudden upthrow of her stomach. which was...well. it certainly was something, but this was his first time experiencing a pregnant woman and towhee's words only solidified that it was not him who caused the vomiting.

delicately, he placed the fish outside of the den, hoping the rain air would waft it away while she caught her breath.

i can go get aquene, perhaps she has...blah medicine. he knew it did not work that way, but his concern for towhee through all of this grew, of course. see the start of this post. he had never gone through such a thing as this. or we can do something easy together.

She threw a grateful look at Maxim when he removed the fish from the interior, only to roll her eyes and wave off his words a beat later. It’s nothing that requires medical attention, Towhee said, then saw the look in his eyes and leaned toward him to nudge his cheek. Thanks, though.

Padding gingerly toward their makeshift bed once her stomach felt a bit more settled, Towhee flopped down. Don’t you have patrols and spars? she asked with a furrowed brow. She would actually love him to stay here and hang out with her, but she didn’t want him to skip his duties on her account. For that matter, she didn’t want to slack off either.

She chewed at the inside of her cheek, orange eyes peering out at the rain. She really didn’t feel like going out in that, though she sighed and said, Maybe we could do a slow patrol together. And if you don’t mind, I’d like to see if we can catch up with @Tierra. I feel like she and I haven’t had a proper chance to catch up in a bit.

patrols and spars would need him soon but...well, towhee was full of good ideas it seemed. he smiled sheepishly at her before he responded —

i believe a patrol with the three of us will save everybody any trouble. and perhaps it would be nice to bond some more with both fellow soldier and now...family. business family? he did not know how to describe his relationship to towhee's multiple family members. through the forest might keep us out of the worst of the rain, if we find her.

should he...call for tierra? perhaps that was stepping over a boundary too much.

He didn’t seem to mind this plan. Fortified by that thought, Towhee rose again, grunting a little before striding toward the door. She paused, then forced herself to step out into the rainfall. She hissed at its cool touch, though she quickly became used to it. Within a minute flat, she was drenched to the bone.

-Let’s head to the forest,- she said by way of agreement, shooting sprays of water as she signed. -Do you mind calling for her? Asking her to meet us there?- Towhee tacked on as she pivoted and prepared to walk in that direction, keeping her head turned and squinty eyes fixed on Maxim.

another @Tierra tag in here as she is now being summoned :3c

he gave her a smile, as if they had just shared some secret between each other. they were in sync most of the time it seemed, and he did not mind it one bit.

his head would lift, offering a call to tierra in hopes that she would join him and towhee on a patrol.

-which number child is she?- he suddenly could not remember the order of towhee's children — if she had ever even shared such a thing.

She nabbed my other thread, so I think it’s just us, which is totes fine with me! :D

She watched him send up the howl and she wondered if it would be audible above this downpour. Her orange eyes cut eagerly to the forest up ahead. The trees were getting quite leafy now, so they would provide a decent amount of coverage from the deluge.

Um, was Towhee’s reply when Maxim signed a question at her. How many children did she have? There were a few deceased ones in there and they certainly counted but she didn’t want to dwell on them just now. So she added dryly, The third to last? Shit, was that even technically right? Damn, Towhee really couldn’t remember her latest litter’s birth order. She was one of the ones born last year.

Finally, they made it to the cover of the trees. Towhee sighed as she found a relatively dry spot, settling down with her back hunched against a damp tree trunk. She squeezed over to make space for her mate, prepared to help one another lick the moisture from their pelts.

she was young. the youngest until these new ones arrived. he wondered if they ever felt...displaced, when the newest children came along. maxim had not had younger siblings by the time he left home, he would likely never know if he did have them.

these thoughts he held tightly as he sought to groom her clear of the rain.

eventually the silence would have to be broken, but perhaps for now he could take pleasure in the quiet company of each other. eyes drifting to her sides as he groomed, wondering when the arrival of their children would be.

perhaps he could ask if towhee had clearly done this before.

perhaps he could take some comfort in the mystery, not knowing when someone would seriously call him dad.

They groomed one another dry in mutual, companionable silence. When she was more damp than wet, Towhee let out a sigh and stopped running her tongue over Maxim’s pelt. Her bones still ached, probably due to the chill. But a subtle warmth suffused her skin due to her partner’s attentions and proximity.

Staring out into the rainfall for a few beats, Towhee’s eyes were distant and unfocused when she abruptly said, I was thinking about names. She blinked, then turned her head to catch Maxim’s eye. Naming conventions, to be more specific. All my kids are named after animals, many of them birds. I’d like to keep to tradition, if that’s alright with you. Do you have any…?

he blinked some inkling of thought away at her voice. eyes meeting hers in an easier way this time. tierra hadn't shown, maybe she was busy elsewhere. it would certainly make conversations like this a bit easier.

i, uh, he gave a small huff, signified by a small droop in his shoulders. no. i do not have any traditions now. i could offer animals in my born language, though. a small smile now. tentative and uncertain.

it is fitting we go with your traditions, though. they will be redhawks, no?

maxim did not carry much of an identity beyond his own name and title here in mereo.

He offered to come up with some names in his native tongue. Towhee cocked her head, liking the sound of that (as much as a deaf wolf could). What if they gave each child two names: the first in the common tongue, the second in his language?

Before she could propose this, he deferred to her family name and traditions. She couldn’t help but be reminded of her bitter argument with Reyes about similar issues. She took a moment to acknowledge the stark contrast between the two men before shoving aside all thoughts of her former mate.

Yes, she said, which would’ve been her answer even if he’d worn a surname, though she remembered that he did not. Speaking of that, you should take the Redhawk name too, so we all wear the same last name, Towhee added, orange eyes settling heavily on Maxim’s face.

maxim was not certain why he felt any sense of surprise at her question. it was a natural thing to happen here, no? especially if he would not have his own name to fight for over it.

maxim redhawk.

that is a very good idea. he settled on, a sheepish smile worming onto his face. eyes briefly looking out into the forest. soon enough they would return to her.

how does it sound? maxim redhawk?

Although it was a weighty exchange, Towhee couldn’t help but deadpan, I have no idea. She grinned, blinking away a bit of mist clinging to her eyelashes, and added, I officially bequeath you Maximus Redhawkus, with a twinkle in her eye, oblivious to her verbal butchery.

What if we named them after animals but gave them middle names from your language? Towhee voiced her earlier thought aloud a moment later, shaking her head slightly when a chilly drop of rainwater found its way into her ear.

maximus redhawkus. he rolled his eyes with a smile for it.

two names! i like this. he nodded with certainty. how did you decide what animals to name them for? how would he decide what names they would get?

did they wait until they knew the child? did they just...hope the name worked? maxim suddenly had an existential crisis about names and it was likely visible by the deep look of confusion on his face.

Wanna fade this in favor of our new one? :)

Sometimes their colors or markings reminds me of some animal or another, Towhee said after pondering it a moment. She lapsed into silence for several more beats before randomly sharing, I never knew my mother—she died in childbirth—but according to my godparents, she refused to name her kids until they were like a month old. We could always do that, she quipped.

Feeling her joints stiffening in the rainy chill, Towhee stood and shook out her pelt, then stretched. I don’t think she’s coming. Let’s head out on that patrol now? Just remember, the word of the day is ‘slow.’ She shot him a little smile, then began to plod out from beneath their cover, glancing backward just for the fun of adding, C’mon, Mr Redhawk.