Northstar Vale cliffsides

tamar brought a rabbit and cached venison to the den she had found for the family led by @Maxim and @Towhee.

under @Meadow's (ref!) tutelage, she often accompanied the healer when she watched over the woman.

today she was alone and brought only else her smile. "towhee. are you feeling well?"

Fun fact: this is my 666th thread.

The whole family felt discombobulated. Towhee knew it was her fault for being reckless. If her husband, kids and all those abruptly left behind in Mereo were irritated with her, she didn’t blame them.

No one was angrier with Towhee than Towhee, though. She grew surly. Every twinge of her back made her realize she was a thoughtless idiot. She refused any painkillers after the initial dose, which of course exacerbated her foul mood.

Their hosts—no, their pack mates—were nothing short of perfectly pleasant despite being abruptly forced to house an invalid. Tamar came calling today. Between the Morphe and Meadow, Towhee couldn’t decide whose sunny company she deserved least.

The question made her want to grumble, though Tamar certainly didn’t deserve her attitude, so Towhee replied only a little evasively, You guys are taking great care of me. I don’t deserve it but I do appreciate it.

NICE >D

"what is deserving, towhee?"

she gently placed the still-warm rabbit down and sat beside her friend. her pale eyes moved over the redhawk's back and then settled on her face. "maxim said you wanted to teach." she lifted her chin.

"so. teach me your — ptero. please."

Towhee blinked down at the rabbit, trying to ignore the churning in her gut. She wouldn’t eat it but she would definitely see if Jack or Leo was interested. Her son in particular nearly never denied free food.

She didn’t know what to make of Tamar’s question. Was it literal or philosophical? She shrugged in response, wincing when it inevitably made her reopened wounds protest.

Then the Morphe said something which properly distracted her. The way she tipped her chin when she requested it brought a tiny smile to Towhee’s lips. Someone showing interest in “her” language never failed to please the Redhawk.

-“Of course. I don’t use it often enough, if Leo’s terrible signing is any indication,”- Towhee replied, signing as well as speaking aloud. -“I was hoping to change that here. I want to do, like, formal classes. I was thinking weekly to start.”-

"how do you say yes?"

and when demonstrated, tamar would clumsily sign it back. she had watched the movements intently, ears cupping forward with all the quivering attentiveness of a pup.

"i can bring epoch here, to you. all of us, or we can do groups while you are recovering." her eyes shone. would arsenio not shower her with such pride to see how she had already helped to organize a teaching!

Although Tamar’s signing was clumsy, Towhee’s smile grew a little. Her own ptero was smooth with muscle memory. Even if she went without signing for a while for whatever reason, it always came right back to her.

-“Things were pretty regimented in Mereo. Training wasn’t optional. Here, I want my lessons to be voluntary. Feel free to spread the word and invite everyone… but I only want to teach those who really want to learn, you know?”-

Towhee looked around at the cave and all its greenery. She meant to stay put for a week at minimum; she wouldn’t press her luck again. Even once she could move around more freely, it was still a decent space to conduct these sorts of lessons. She took a deep breath of the fresh air and returned her gaze to Tamar.

-“I’ll hold my first class here one week from today,”- she said decisively, -“right around this time. Sound like a plan?”-

"yes. germanicus is — like that."

she was still fond of the grave man, though quickly moved back to towhee as the focus of her attention. she blinked with surprise.

"you have been planning for a while." she grinned. "yes. that is good. and i will only invite others. i think zulema and zosime will come for certain, and antigone. well. he is shy."

she smoothed her pelt. "maxim said he left behind a high rank."

When you keep getting yourself hurt, lying around healing gives you a lot of time to think… and plot… and scheme, Towhee quipped dryly, a slight tick in her jaw.

She opened her mouth to mention plans for a second class: mercenary training. Of course she couldn’t conduct those lessons until she was back on her feet. But Towhee planned to spend most of her time on the sidelines instructing, so hopefully it wouldn’t be long.

Tamar posed another distracting question. Towhee’s mouth snapped shut as she felt an unexpected lurch of guilt. The two of them had made this fully informed decision together, yet she knew Maxim had made sacrifices. She reminded herself that her recent lapse in judgment was one thing but the incident with the cat—the actual event which had led to this move—had been anything but idiocy.

Yeah, she said, the muscle in her jaw jumping again, he did.

tamar blinked.

she knew that there were a thousand things inside towhee at this moment.

she slipped closer. "what did you give up?" and her eyes were a searchlight.

it must have cost each of them in different ways.

Technically, she had given up a pretty esteemed title too. But there had been so many asterisks with a high rank in Mereo. She had been honored to be its “prefect” for nearly a year, though she didn’t regret setting down the sword.

Tamar seemed to read her mind, though it was a natural segue. I don’t look at it as giving up anything, Towhee said honestly. I got a lot out of my time with Mereo, most importantly the friendships I have no intention of giving up on anytime soon. But here, I’ll have new opportunities. And I’ll be able to relax a little. I know the change of pace will be well worth it.

She’d grown a bit uncomfortable in her current pose, so Towhee shifted, gritting her teeth a little at the flashes of pain. Despite what she’d told herself a few moments ago, she reached out for the rabbit, shooting the Morphe a grateful smile as she began to nibble on it.

Between bites, Towhee shared, I also want to offer mercenary training, if that’s something you think would be valuable here. It’d be a lot less… militaristic than the Mereo drills. I’d be happy to tweak it to suit Epoch’s needs.

tamar smiled.

so perhaps it was not a matter of what towhee would give up but what she would gain.

the older woman clearly had many visions. she was bursting with them.

tamar frowned thoughtfully. "i think that might be necessary, but — well, you should speak with arsenio." and these days he was wholly devoted to the patrols and the children.

"i think you will fit well here." and in the meantime, she would speak to her husband about the future.

Even if I just teach everyone how to optimize their patrols, it’ll be worthwhile, I think, Towhee mused, wondering about that thoughtful frown.

She nodded to acknowledge the young woman’s words. She thought the same. Living in the Teekon Wilds for nearly six years had made Towhee uniquely adaptable. The cat was just one of many punches and she was ready to roll. The circumstances leading her here were not ideal but she wholly trusted she would carve out her niche in Epoch.

Thank you for being so welcoming, the Redhawk replied, and accommodating. I plan to give back as soon as I can.

"do not worry about that."

she lifted her chin again. it was becoming often how she punctuated her sentences. 

"i want you to rest, towhee, not rush back to work. i know how hard the days are in mereo. arsenio was gone before dawn and until dark." she smiled. "that is my very first order."

She ducked her own head in response, smiling into it as she bit off another chunk of rabbit meat. Her eyes remained raised so she wouldn’t miss anything Tamar said.

Yes, ma’am, Towhee replied with a twinkle in her eye. I think I’ll recover faster here, breathing in all this fresh ass oxygen instead of dust.

As the pack’s Morphe and a mother to boot, Towhee didn’t want to keep Tamar too long. But the brief touch on Maxim’s rank made her suddenly think of something she wanted to ask.

Will you give me a quick overview of the ranks here? she requested before having another abrupt realization and repeating herself, now with the accompanying ptero. -“Will you give me a quick overview of the ranks? I’m really gonna need to remember to keep up the signing, I’m out of practice!”-

tamar watched towhee's movements.

"we are divided by trade and thought. the rank i have given you is theos. you are in the skilled tier — logos — and theos means you are experiencing a revelation of being."

was this comprehensible? tamar paused. she would continue through the others if towhee followed.

Towhee laughed at that, though it wasn’t a derisive sound at all. It was kind of apt, considering she was at such a turning point in her life. She had only been a soldier these last ten months, though she had been a guardian and warrior her entire life. And she was effectively retiring, trading brawn for brains.

-“That’s fitting,”- she commented, tearing off another mouthful as she waited for more.

She didn’t want to mention it so soon, yet she was naturally curious about leadership here. Would it have rigid stipulations, like Mereo? Regardless, was she interested in pursuing it? Towhee had spent so many years in leadership. She kind of missed it, though if she wanted to properly retire, then maybe it was officially time to let go of all hierarchical aspirations altogether.

Towhee wasn’t entirely sure yet, though there was plenty of time to figure it out. In the meantime, she kept an ear eye out for Maxim’s sake too. She wanted him to find his place here too, of course.

"and maxim is nomos. divine law."

tamar grinned. she thought she had chosen well, inadvertently picking up towhee's consideration of the man. in truth, she did not know how leadership ascension might be. she had not been faced with the possibility before.

she would go through the rest of the ranks and tiers slowly, observing the offered ptero with the same attention thus far.

It was a lot of information. Towhee knew she wouldn’t remember all of it, though soon enough, she would live it. She would come to know the chain of command intimately, as she had in Mereo.

-“Thanks again, Tamar. I can’t wait to throw myself into everything here,”- she said, prickling with annoyance at herself again. -“I told myself I’ll take it easy for at least a week. I’m not gonna screw up the healing process again, scouts’ honor.”-

She took a deep breath, preparing for the week ahead and focusing on what lay beyond: a whole new chapter era epoch in her life.

tamar smiled brightly.

"how do you say, 'good. you are welcome?'"

and she signed it back then stood with a laugh. "i will be back tomorrow." she would favour towhee with a sweet look before setting off back to her children.