Northstar Vale Mitéra

If you have space, love. <3

The Redhawks had returned to Epoch.

Arsenio had given them time to settle back in. He had worried for the feelings they had. His worry had turned him into a frequent visitor of Leona’s grave.

The Arche had made the place into a beautiful resting site. He had found multiple branches of juniper with blue berries. He had even discovered some flowers that had not withered in winter. The stones that Tamar had placed around the gravesite were a perfect marking for the girl’s place of sleep. Were it not for these stones, her grave might have been hidden by the gifts he had placed there.

Arsenio carried another juniper branch in his teeth. His strides were long as he followed the familiar path to Leona’s place. The redstone man thought he might have smelled @Towhee near and he drew his ears into a point to listen for her.

Towhee didn’t want to get out of bed today. The pups were kicking strongly, which was a good sign, but it was also pretty uncomfortable. Then there were the new scents around the vale. Towhee didn’t feel like socializing, especially since one of these total strangers smelled like she was pregnant. It made her angry just thinking about it. More than anything, though, she just didn’t want to risk seeing Leona around every corner of the vale.

So she stayed in the roost beneath the willow, sulking.

The juniper branch was placed with the others. The gravesite smelled of the tree.

Arsenio eyed it, trying not to imagine his daughters buried there. Grief washed over him before he forced himself to turn and search for the orange-eyed woman.

Nose to the earth, he sniffed Towhee out. She was near and his walk did not take long. The woman looked like she had been left in a miserable state. He wished that he had brought her something to eat, in that moment. If she expected young ones, it would be important that she keep her strength. Arsenio could not imagine that she would have much of an appetite.

Towhee, his voice called out to her. May I visit?

The light at the den’s mouth shifted, causing Towhee to glance outside as a shadow fell across the doorway. She drew in a breath, pushing herself into a sit and padding to stand in the threshold to greet the Arche.

Hey, she offered a bit dully, dipping her head to the leader.

She didn’t catch his question, though despite her surly mood, Towhee welcomed his visit. She motioned for him to make himself comfortable as she took a seat, sighing softly as she rested her scarred back against the stone door frame. The pups jounced.

Thanks, she said a little haltingly after settling, for… Towhee gestured toward Wraen’s Nest on the far side of Lotus Spring, a lump in her throat.

Arsenio found her and she offered him a dull greeting. The man did not mind. He couldn’t expect her to carry a chipper energy. He couldn’t fathom her pain. Though he had tried, the Arche did not know how she had suffered at the loss of her daughter. He hoped that he never would. Zosime and Zulema were intwined with his soul. Without them, he feared he would never be whole again.

Towhee offered him thanks. Arsenio watched her, quiet.

What could he say to her that would help ease this horrid pain? He feared there was nothing he might be able to offer. Perhaps this was his reason for visiting the girl’s grave. He poured his time into making it beautiful. If a child must rest beneath their home, Arsenio thought it only fitting that her place was marked with beauty.

I am afraid that I have not told you how important you are to me – to us. He thought of Tamar and their children. And I am sorry for that. For this.

She watched his lips move, then glanced away, blinking tears out of her eyes. Towhee was a tender, exposed nerve and he’d just reached out and touched her like that. She swallowed several times and tried to regulate her breathing before looking back at him.

At the risk of sounding redundant, she croaked, thanks, ah…

She wished she could more deeply express her appreciation, not just for this sentiment but for looking after their little girl’s grave so lovingly while they were away. But this was a bad day and she only had so much bandwidth. Some other day, she would show her gratitude more appropriately.

No sorries necessary, she was able to add after a sniff.

The croak of her voice shattered him. The man with ice eyes could feel tears pricking and he was forced to look away.

How could Towhee suffer like this when she was not deserving? How was it that a man like Ramesses could live in his palace and destroy the lives of so many without reaping some horrible outcome? Life was a cursed thing. It was not kind to those who had earned it.

Tamar and I would like for you and Maxim to join us in leadership, he said after a long pause.

Arsenio could preach to her about their bonds and the strength of family, but she knew well enough. The Redhawks were large, spread far and wide among the Teekons. While the Galanis family was new, he had hoped that they might grow together.

When you are ready, of course. When you have had time…

Could time heal what had been taken from them? Arsenio did not know.

She struggled to look at him, when all Towhee wanted to do was drop her eyes and look down at the spot of dirt between her forepaws. But she must keep her eyes on him, else she might miss what he had to say. It was a little torturous, though she bore up, even straightening her spine as she sniffed again.

The words Arsenio spoke next were all at once expected and unexpected. Towhee knew she and Maxim were good candidates for leadership, especially now that they were so integral to Epoch. But the timing was, of course, wrought, which the Arche acknowledged.

After a shaky breath or two, Towhee said, I don’t want to speak for Maxim, and paused, chewing at the inside of her cheek, but… I accept.

Staying busy and taking on some additional duties would be a much more productive use of her time than wallowing in her den. Towhee had been toying with the idea of resuming leadership since her Mereo days, although there were so many roadblocks there, her current condition included. Even with Leo’s death looming over them, this felt right.

We should call for him, Towhee murmured.

Of course, at once!

Arsenio drew back his head and called to @Maxim and @Tamar so that they could join their small meeting. He could not deny that he felt relief in knowing that Towhee would accept the role in their home. She and her husband had earned it thrice. The Arche wished that he had offered it to her sooner, perhaps.

While he waited, the redstone man made a place beside the grieving woman. He remained close to her, if she would allow it. The glacial blue of his eyes watched the trees for signs that the others would approach.

tamar came softly.

she offered her arms to towhee and looked toward arsenio, then for maxim.

she had an inkling of this what this might mean, but wished to be quiet until words were said.

he had been somewhere up on a ledge, overlooking epoch as nothing more than a speck against the snowy mountains. his gaze had turned towards mereo. then it had retreated to a place beyond both homes he had known. out towards a taiga sprawling somewhere beneath.

he thought of asking towhee to come see it with him, of asking if jack might wish for an adventure easier on the heart and soul. it felt as if he was anywhere but here now that they were home.

the call grounded him and he turned, sloping down into the vale to where he had been summoned. there was no worry that this was a call of ill. arsenio had been a warmth in the coldness of this chapter. perhaps the man only meant to share something. anything.

he sought distractions where possible.

only to see that it was arsenio, towhee and tamar. a collection of familiar faces — family. he could not deny some rising well of anxiety that thrummed at him. something about a crowded place, something about the air.

hello, his voice was soft in its volume, but strained in its use.

Arsenio sent up the call, then moved to sit just beside Towhee. This would make it harder to converse, though she supposed they could just sit in companionable silence for a few minutes while they waited for her mate to arrive. She appreciated the respite and, after giving him a wan smile, she looked down at the ground and tried to collect her thoughts.

When she felt a touch, she thought it might be Maxim, though it was Tamar’s scent who filled her nose. Towhee looked up in mild surprise, although it made sense for her to be here as well. The Theos offered her a fleeting smile as she moved forward into a quick embrace. Then she settled back against the doorframe to await her better half.

When Maxim came, Towhee immediately read some uneasiness in his face. She plucked herself off the ground to meet him, touching her nose to his cheek. She then turned and situated herself at his flank so they were facing the Alpha pair. Her shoulder pressed into his as she resumed a sit and looked attentively to Arsenio, waiting for him to relay the message to the Nomos.

They sat in silence for a time. Arsenio did not need to speak with the woman to enjoy her company. He did not need to say a thing.

Tamar was the first to appear to them. She came to Towhee and offered her warmth and kindness. The redstone man watched her with love in his eyes. He was pleased that she could give a sense of physical comfort, no matter how small.

Maxim arrived then and his olive eyes were sharp with wariness. Arsenio did not want him to feel overwhelmed. His tail tapped against the ground, light, friendly. The Arche hadn’t missed that Maxim’s scent stretched high above their home. He had caught it on some of his patrols. It was what he would have done, if he had lost a child – walk until he was forced to sleep by his own body.

Towhee and Maxim moved to sit across from Arsenio and Tamar. When they hat settled in, the Arche smiled upon them.

We would like for you to lead with us. I have asked Towhee, but she will not speak for you. I think it fitting that we, he looked to Tamar, get to ask you together. And so you can answer together.

Arsenio’s heart was with them.

You are our family. Your children are our children’s family. It would mean a great deal to us to have you at our side.

they faced one another.

arsenio spoke. tamar took first towhee and then maxim into the loving esteem of her pale eyes.

"you have helped us to make the vale a place of teaching. we wish to return that honor," she added softly, a smile gracing her mouth.

whatever he had expected had not been this. any anxieties he had melted away into a world of awe, perhaps.

he thought of all they had given with ease. nobody had been sent away from home to ascend, nobody had been posted in far away lands from their family to prove themselves. was he misty eyed? it felt he got that way a lot lately.

carefully, he leaned into his wife. feeling the soft curves of her. a look towards her with a certainty he had not felt since their world had crumbled by one.

epoch is home and this had been proven time and time again.

-i accept this honor.- signed and spoken for clarity among all.

Arsenio and Tamar offered brief, heartfelt speeches. Towhee felt the warmth of their camaraderie hugging her spirit, cheesy as that sounded. Together with the puppies bouncing within her—as if in preemptive celebration of their parents’ promotion—she felt these little glimmers of light mending the cracks in her heart, like kintsugi.

Maxim leaned into her and, together, they stepped up into leadership. Towhee wondered what this might mean for their dream of one day building their own home. She had thought about using Leona’s loss to pivot into it, though she was now doubly glad she hadn’t given in to that impulse. They belonged here in Epoch for now, maybe forever.

They accepted and Arsenio grinned warmly at them both.

-It is so!- he said loudly, signing with the little knowledge he had taken from Towhee’s lessons. The man was pleased to know that they would have the Redhawks in the vale, leading beside Tamar and himself. His want for his children to have others to grow alongside would be answered with Towhee and Maxim’s children. Perhaps even Meadow would consider carrying pups of her own.

Arsenio did not imagine his home would turn into a place of family and new life. It was curious to see it.

Uh, let’s eat. We will celebrate. You are feeding many mouths, Towhee, the redstone wolf motioned to her with a toothy smile. He did not sign these words, but spoke them facing the Redhawk woman so that she would see what he might say.

it was so.

towhee and maxim stood before them. arsenio spoke of food. her hungers rose and she grinned, arching a brow in invitation for them all to move toward a cache.

the vale suddenly felt more settled as they took up their roles.