Northstar Vale Shiny toy guns.

Everything was going rather well on the island. The three primary caretakers of Sweetharbor seemed to have hit their stride with the two litters and all the children were more or less thriving. Towhee sensed she wasn’t needed quite as much anymore. She wasn’t ready to leave them entirely just yet, though she decided to take a day off to hit the mainland and follow the river to the vale.

Towhee took note of the new, old and missing scents as she broke away from the river to approach the Sunspires. There seemed to be a pack living to the northeast, which meant the vale was surrounded if that band of warriors still lived in the canyon. But as she climbed toward the borders by way of Razorback Ridge, the warm wind carried no scents from that direction. Her tail flicked thoughtfully.

She wasn’t that interested in these things, not anymore. Towhee had come here for one reason and one reason only: she really wanted to see her son. Mindful of Epoch’s borderline, Towhee stopped and called out to @Jack Snipe, her voice carrying on the summer breeze like the cry of a mountain goat plummeting to its death.

Jack had been napping. His midsection was slouched over a fallen log, just round enough to support him so that his front paws dangled a few inches from the earth. He had tried to leap over it and had gotten stuck. Unable to swing his back legs over the round tree, he had decided that he'd make some lemonade out of these lemons. And it wasn't a bad napping place, all things considered.

When his mom's voice filled the vale, Jack jumped awake with a startled growl. He'd made himself lightheaded, sleeping so long in that position. With his front paws, he pushed himself off the log and landed with a sploot on his butt. A frazzled and tired expression was worn on his face but it didn't temper his eagerness to see Towhee.

On racing legs, Jack made his way to the borders of Epoch.

Mooooooooom!

She didn’t hear him call out to her but she didn’t need ears to pick up on Jack’s enthusiasm as he came bounding toward her. Towhee’s face lit up like a young child’s on Christmas morning, a sort of earnest yearning in her orange gaze. Every muscle in her body twitched to run toward him but she stayed herself, waiting for Jack to cross the borderline before she threw herself bodily at him.

Jackie! she shouted entirely too loudly as she made to sling her forelegs around his shoulders. It’s so great to see you, Towhee said a bit more quietly, mostly because pressing her face into Jack’s neck muffled her voice.

Hey mom! It's good to see you too!

Jack had tried to sign this to her, but he had been too hurried with his pacing and had stumbled over his paws clumsily. She was decent at catching his words by looking at him. Hopefully she picked up what he had put down.

If his fumbled ptero hadn't done the trick, Jack leaned into her and planted a sloppy wet kiss on her snout. His eyes were bright and eager, pleased to see that his family had come back.

Dad hasn't come back yet… Figured he should get that out of the way first.

She didn’t catch his specific words, of course, but Towhee didn’t need to read his lips to know that Jack was expressing the very same sentiment. She indulged herself a moment longer, drawing in his scent, then finally leaned back so they could look into one another’s faces. This gave him room to lean in and kiss her snout, which made her want to grab him again in an even tighter hug. Towhee resisted the impulse, though her eyes shone right back at him.

They went a little glassy as he mentioned his father. Towhee swallowed, then reached for him after all, tugging him into a quick embrace one more time before releasing him. She sighed though her nose, setting aside her own feelings about the matter and focusing on how Maxim’s continued disappearance affected his eldest son.

I’m really sorry, Jackie. Too many people have left you. I know I’m not as close as I used to be but I will never be far, I promise, Towhee said, reaching up to stroke his cheekbone very briefly. And I plan to be around for a long time to come.

After a beat of silence, she gently changed the subject, asking, How’s life here in the vale? I want to hear about everything you’ve been up to.

You better be around forever!

The boy frowned. It wasn't her fault that everyone else had left. It wasn't her fault that Leo had… Jack pushed the thoughts of his sister's broken body from his mind. He felt his stomach churn uneasily. If she was dead then why could he still see her? Why did she come with him on his patrols? How come he could race her through the red trees and he could feel her next to him?

Things are good, mom. Arsenio has been teaching me to fix the furs from prey and stuff. He lays them out on the rocks and rubs stuff on them so they smell real nice and then he can give them as trades or gifts or other things. He's pretty cool. Did you know he can sing?! And it's not even bad.

Jack's ears fell to his head. He hadn't meant that comment to be pointed at his mom. Towhee's voice was completely unique and he wouldn't change anything about it, but she couldn't sing if her life depended on it.

I’ll do my best, Towhee vowed sincerely.

“Things are good, mom,” he insisted. Despite his entire family leaving him here in this broken paradise, Jack seemed to be thriving. Towhee was glad, though part of her worried that she was missing something…

She put aside her vague misgivings and paid close attention to her son’s words. Arsenio was teaching Jack how to cure skins, which was certainly a handy life skill. Her son seemed to be fond of the leader, which made Towhee a little jealous but mostly she was just glad he had a sort of father figure in his life after everything.

I didn’t know that, she replied with a huff of laughter, admitting, I know what singing is, in theory, but it’s so hard for me to truly understand what it means. I’m glad he’s not terrible, Towhee added with another laugh, completely unaware of Jack’s supposed faux pas.

Looking around for a moment, Towhee pushed her tongue against the back of her teeth as she contemplated something. She didn’t think Arsenio, Tamar or any of the other wolves here would mind if she came into the territory—excepting, perhaps, the young twins—but that wasn’t what really held her back. It was all the memories. A lot of time had passed. But was she ready to face them?

Do you think you could show me some of the skins you’ve worked on? Do you have any you could maybe stand to part with? I’d love to have a keepsake, especially if it smells anything like you, Towhee said, grinning sheepishly at her grown child.

Yeah!!! Come on!

Jack bounced with his eagerness, ready to taste some familiarity in having his mother back beneath the trees of Epoch. It had changed since she'd left. It had all changed. The young man had found himself feeling more lonely. He sought the company of whoever would have the patience for him. Arsenio was a frequent target. Reyson was, when he didn't look quite so grumpy.

There's this one you can take with you. It was the first one I made so it's not that great but it's the FIRST.

That had weight, Jack felt. He trotted through the trees of his home, head bobbing.

Whether or not she was ready, Jack sprang ahead, urging her to follow him deeper into the vale. Towhee hesitated for a split second, then hustled after him. She looked around at their surroundings as she scurried to catch up with her son, grateful when she hit her stride beside him and could focus on Jack’s face.

Oh, she breathed, truly touched by his offer, I would love that, Jackie. It’ll be my prized possession, she added, not mentioning that it would be her only one.

It tickled him to think that she would treasure his ratty little fox skin. Arsenio hadn’t let him start with the big ones - ugh. But if Towhee thought it was a prize, she’d be thrilled to know that Jack was getting better and better at tending to the furs. 

Flagging his tail, he wove a path through the trees to where the furs were kept to dry against the mountain. The boy sniffed around, noting that their leader hadn’t been there in a while. His scent had faded. Worry spiked in the young wolf. He didn’t have it in him to watch more of them leave. 

Look at this one, ma! Arsenio did it. Smells like a pine tree, he said with a smile, nodding toward the elk pelt that was draped against the smooth rock. That one would have been a way better gift than Jack’s first skin….

The further they ventured into the vale, the more it dawned on her: Towhee didn’t really feel sad, she just felt peculiar. There was no other word to describe it. She kind of itched to leave. Of course she refused to pander to that sentiment. She maintained her focus on Jack.

They came to the edge of the vale, where the land began to slope. Towhee’s eyes bounced over the skins laid out to dry on the boulders there as her son sniffed around the area. She missed the worried furrow to his brow, though as soon as he spoke, her orange gazed snapped to his lips.

She immediately hastened to investigate the particular skin he wanted her to check out. “Arsenio did it,” Jack said, so Towhee knew this wasn’t the one. She pressed her nose to the soft fur, drawing in the scent, before pulling back to admire the smooth edges. It was certainly beautiful, though honestly it was too large for Towhee’s tastes.

Very nice! But where’s the one you made? she asked, unable to contain her excitement at the prospect of Jack’s gift.