Northstar Vale But I do it anyway

Apparently their mom had come to visit while Tierra wasn’t really able to see her and she’d missed the whole thing. She didn’t mind or anything, but it did make her realize how long it had been. She let Germ and/or Fennec know where she was going and then headed out to visit her mom’s new digs.

She didn’t entirely love going now but pretty soon they’d be going on a trip yeah? And she didn’t really know how long this stuff would take to go away. Her back and sides were still a patchy mess of scabs in some places, something that left her self-conscious in a way she hadn’t quite learned how to handle. Her going method was just to ignore and pretend like it wasn’t a thing, but she was terrified it was going to scar like that. She couldn’t deal if her fur didn’t grow back in places. She would absolutely die.

Hey, mom?. She sent up a call and then sat down to wait, looking curiously around at the edge of Epoch. So this was the place everyone was, like, obsessed with. Weird! It looked kind of like the caldera, but in a mildly boring way. She’d grown to like the colors of the canyon.

No way @Towhee would hear her call, but someone she was with might. Either way, she didn’t mind waiting a bit.

I wasn’t sure if Fennec would tell her about the attack in their ongoing thread, so… #vague

Towhee was headed toward the outskirts when @Leona came running toward her, letting her know someone was calling from the borders. Towhee thanked her (not so) little guardian and hastened her steps, following her daughter’s direction toward the source of the howl.

She first spotted Tierra from a distance and sent up a totally unnecessary shout of, Incoming! as she picked up the pace even more.

It took a few moments, ones that had Tierra shifting impatiently, but then she heard her mom’s horrible, but wonderfully familiar, voice in the distance. She stood up and bounced in place, then grinned as soon as she spotted the distant shape. Hey! Sure, she wouldn’t hear her, but it felt weird saying nothing? Especially because she was tempted to just cross the border and meet her, but remembered at the last second this wasn’t actually a place she could do that at. Total rookie mistake! Whew, that was a close call.

-Hey mom! I figured I’d come and see what was going on, and all.- She signed as soon as Towhee was close enough to see. There were way more things she wanted to ask, obviously, but she’d totally cut it off for a hug as soon as her mom came within reach.

Tierra went in for a hug once Towhee reached her and the Theos gladly threw herself into it, clapping her on the back before withdrawing and noting what looked like some gnarly cuts and scrapes. She raised a brow in question, then took a step back to make communication easier.

-What’s the other guy look like?- she signed.

I assumed she’d still have some injures from the confrontation with the coyotes. If not, lemme know and I’ll edit!

oh yeah, she’s def still a little visibly messed up!

Tierra returned the hug enthusiastically. She’d totally forgotten how long it had been but seeing Towhee was amazing!! Sure, she was super independent and killing it in Mereo. Obvs. Cool diplomats or whatever could totally still miss their moms.

She followed her mom’s look and shrugged, shifting slightly so that the marks weren’t quite so visible. God, they looked awful, didn’t they? Towhee had caught them immediately. Ugh.

-Duh, I kicked their asses.- She returned with a grin. -Me and Minne sent them running scared. Germanicus totally said that makes me, like, officer material. Which is cool.- No big deal. (He’d practically said that, at least…)

-Oh, shit. Did you know Fennec is totally banging Germanicus?! Like, I think they’re even married now. It’s so weird. I’m pretty sure Killer is freaking out about it.- Her older sister had come here since but Tierra absolutely believed she was lame enough to hold out on that juicy news.

-Anyway, I told him he’d never get a girlfriend if he was a weirdo about it. How is, like, everything here?- Abruptly she seemed to remember that Towhee might have news too. But with the direction she’d gone, a part of her was a tidge distracted. Mereo was kind of a bust for prospects at the moment, but what kind of guys did Epoch have?

Tierra responded with her usual bravado. Towhee wanted to give her a closer assessment, though she shifted both her body and the subject elsewhere. The Theos arched a brow a little but went with it, settling back so she could properly read the girl’s flailing limbs.

-I’m aware,- she said laughingly when Tierra brought up Fennec’s marriage to Germanicus, though the humor winked out of her orange eyes at the mention of Killdeer. -Freaking out?- she repeated dumbly, thinking back on his odd behavior during their last visit.

Tierra wanted to know how things were going here in Epoch. She supposed the only really noteworthy thing of late was her own heat and what it meant for her family’s future. Would Tierra want to hear about that? Probably not, which was why Towhee decided she would absolutely share.

-Maxim knocked me up again. Well, we hope he did, though it’s a bit early to say for sure. Other than that, things are pretty calm and samey here, in a good way,- although Towhee had a feeling Tierra would consider that an oxymoron.

-Yeah, like… he can’t even hear about it without freaking completely. All I did was tell him it was happening. Totally awkward, right?- Tierra snorted judgementally, and while her mom wouldn’t hear that, she’d likely get the gist from her expression.

Oh, cool! Well, for her mom, since she liked kids and all that. Tierra still thought it was freaky. -That’s cool. I guess if stuff is going to be boring, it’s probably better for kids and all. You have to, like, hang out inside and stuff right?-

She’d had enough of that recovering from this, absolutely no thank you!! And her mom signed up for that every year? Big ol’ heaping pile of nope!

She supposed it wasn’t that odd for a young man to “freak out” about his mother’s sex life. Towhee kind of hoped for the same reaction from Tierra, albeit on a lighter note. She didn’t get that, though. Tierra didn’t bat an eyelash at the insinuation, which actually made Towhee smirk.

You’re a little limited right before and after delivery, Towhee concurred, although technically speaking, you don’t have to stay inside, no. In fact, I gave birth to Leo and Jack in the sparring pit during a rainstorm because I was out wandering at the eleventh hour.

She found her attention drawn back to Tierra’s wounds, for no particular reason aside from maternal concern. She thought about what the girl had relayed moments earlier: she was officer material. Maybe Towhee had been gone from Mereo too long; she couldn’t remember what rank that actually meant…

So, officer? Jog my memory: is that one of the roles that requires a stint in Akashingo? she wondered, trying to keep her face neutral.

Still sounded pretty awful, but not as bad. -Tell Maxim he has to keep you entertained if he doesn’t want them to be born somewhere weird.- She still couldn't imagine being okay with things living inside of her, but if she had someone to wait on her that could be a cool aspect. She bet she could get that without the whole pregnancy bit though.

-I don't know. They, like, changed a ton of stuff. I'm kicking total ass as a diplomat, so thats probably what I'm going to be. I probably have to go somewhere to practice. I totes already know the Pharaoh though.- She grinned, actual genuine confidence making its way back into her expression as she remembered the wedding night.

She might have gotten wasted and embarassed the Matrona, but she'd also talked the Pharaoh into exactly what she wanted (or so she chose to remember it). -It's probably cheating to go there, since I know he's already totally cool with me.-

Towhee’s head reared back slightly. Since when did Tierra know the pharaoh? And why hadn’t her mother realized this? It put a cold, slithery feeling in the pit of her stomach. Of course, she had never met the man and hoped she never would. But from what she knew about Akashingo, she imagined he was a total creep and a very dangerous one at that.

I did not know that, Towhee stated plainly, eyes squinting a little. So, what’s he like? she wondered despite herself.

Oblivious to her mom’s discomfort, Tierra preened. Should she tell how? On one hand it was kinda a weird thing to admit to your mom, but on the other, it was pretty indicative of how awesome she was. Especially at diplomacy and shit.

-He’s a total dick. Like, talks about how he’s a god and everything all the time. I totally wasn’t impressed, and I told him that. I think he liked it, even if he acted like he was pissed off at first.- Tierra gestured expressively, rolling her eyes but also grinning mischievously as she recounted how she’d “charmed” him. Over the past few months “got shit faced and woke up in his bed” had turned into quite the seductive feat of skill through the rose-colored glasses she always used to reflect.

-He’s also, like, super hot. So asshole kind of fits? Like… he can back it up, kinda. Totally not my type for long term, but definitely on the level.- Long term wasn’t her type, actually.

Still grinning with a self-satisfied air, Tierra cut it off there. Her mom would totally get what she meant. Towhee was old but she could still hang. And she had good taste - Maxim was a total dilf.

He thought he was a god? Towhee scoffed inwardly, though her expression remained mostly blank as she paid close attention to Tierra’s words. It was probably foolhardy for her daughter to mouth off to a figure like the pharaoh, though Towhee’s face shifted into a “smugly” smile upon hearing about it.

She sincerely doubted Germanicus knew about any of this, although maybe he did. Any good tactician could see the opportunity in befriending an enemy. Hearing (or, rather, seeing) Tierra refer to such a disgusting wolf as “hot” did give her a little shiver though.

I think you can do way better than that guy, Towhee said, imagining how much it might piss off such a man to hear her say that. He probably has a tiny dick, she added offhandedly. Any other—hopefully less repugnant—dudes in your life?

Tierra snickered. Yeah, duh. I can do way better than an asshat like that. But he definitely doesn’t. She added the last bit slyly, an afterthought that pretty much confirmed it without actually, like, confirming it. (Except it definitely did).

There’s noooooo options. Just family, and guys who are taken, and a couple other ones who suck majorly. Like, there’s one I was supposed to scout with, but he was a total drag. He wouldn’t even talk to me or anything! So I ditched on him, and that’s when all this happened. She gestured to the work the coyotes had done. He hasn’t even talked to me once since. Total dick. She rolled her eyes. Seriously though, would it have killed him to, like, check? It was partly his fault, kind of.

Whatever. It’s cool, though. Who needs serious? It’s not like I’m old yet.

Towhee squinted at Tierra’s riposte. She probably wouldn’t bat an eyelash if her daughter shared tawdry details about her love life with her, though how and why she knew the size of the pharaoh’s junk was something on which she didn’t necessarily want to dwell further.

True, she agreed with a small smile. You’re due your first heat this year. I was a total slut at your age, which I absolutely recommend… though you have to consider the possibility of pups if you sleep around during that window.

She cocked her head, wondering if Tierra even wanted to be a mother. It sounded like she didn’t want to settle down anytime soon, though that didn’t mean she wouldn’t do it someday.

Tierra pulled another face, this time even more exaggerated. -Ugh, no thanks. Like, fine or whatever, but definitely not for me. I don’t need anything living in me except, like, me.- She could totally have fun other times and try and avoid that kind of awkward. Dragging around a bunch of kids would sooo cramp her style.

-Besides, like I said. Most of the guys in the canyon pretty much suck. Maybe I could go ambassador somewhere or something.-. Meet some new faces who recognized how cool and gorgeous she was.

Then you’ll need to be careful, Towhee advised. My first few heats were especially crazy. I would sleep with anyone with a D. It felt like I had no control over myself. I hope it’s not the same for you, especially if you don’t want pups. I’d just try to be prepared.

Towhee would be a liar if she said she didn’t hope all her kids found love and made her a ton of grandkids. She knew that was both selfish and unrealistic. She should encourage her kids to live whatever lives they wanted, whether or not it was what she envisioned for them.

Once upon a time, she hadn’t seen the value of ambassadors, though it was safe to say that had changed over the years. Tierra was certainly charismatic and gregarious enough, though she had some rough edges that might need to be fine-tuned for more delicate matters. Then again, she’d survived the pharaoh. Maybe they all ought to take pointers from her about not taking these things too seriously.

I feel like Germanicus is always talking about ambassadorial missions. Maybe you could take point on one. There are so many other places out there besides that crazy palace… and there are definitely a lot of better dudes out there, you know, without god complexes.

-I’m always prepared- Tierra signed with a cocky grin, clearly confident in her ability to make it through. On one hand, she really enjoyed the activities… on the other, she had standards, and those standards weren’t exactly easy to hit. As if she could forget how horrifying growing some alien thing in her sounded.

-The god complex is what makes it fun, duh- she added with a cheeky flourish, then giggled and shook her head. -He was a dick though, and I’m way too good for some fake god who doesn’t take me seriously. Like, so far out of his league. I’ll ask Germy where he might need someone to go. Actually, he was talking about everyone going up the coast… I know grandmas’ pack is up there. But there’s not really guys there, right?-

She thought she remembered that, and huge bummer if so! Maybe there were other packs on the coast worth perusing.

Towhee didn’t see the fun in some man’s overinflated ego, though it amused her greatly when Tierra casually declared herself too good for a “god.” Damn straight.

The mention of “grandma” made her expression go blank momentarily. Who what now? Ah… Reyes’s parents. Towhee really didn’t know a whole lot about them. For Tierra’s sake, she tried to recall, but…

I’m not really sure. You should definitely go and find out though. It’ll be nice to get away to the coast, for business or for pleasure, Towhee opined with a hum.

Yeah, I guess. Definitely less exciting but she still might have some fun. If nothing else she could learn some cool moves to kick the next guy’s tail with if he was as big a jerk as the Pharaoh had been.

Hey, mom, you got anything to eat here? I gotta go back soon, but I thought I’d say hi to Maxim and everyone. Y’know. She wiggled a bit, looking at her mom with a little of that younger puppy-dog expression she still tended to pull from time to time. She could totally hunt on her way home, but she’d already come all the way here, and it was like… a pretty long walk. Kind of. Long enough.

fine to fade this here if you like!

Even if her daughter hadn’t looked like mincemeat, Towhee would’ve happily shared food with her, but seeing as Tierra did look like she’d danced with a woodchipper, she would be thrilled to sit down properly and break bread with her.

Just for fun, though, she deadpanned, Nope, we’re fresh out of everything. Cracking a smile in the next beat, she (gently) nudged her daughter. ‘Course we do, nerd. Come on, she said, turning and motioning. I’m sure everybody will be thrilled to hear about your shenanigans…