Stone Circle An arrow in the wall.

She tried to be patient. But when most of a week went by, Towhee grew restless. Why hadn’t anyone come to fetch her? She knew her son wouldn’t simply ignore her presence, so perhaps her message had gotten lost in translation?

She stood at the borders once more, calling for an audience. Towhee hoped a different wolf would come this time, preferably Fig himself but anyone who could properly understand her. Maybe someone else would simply take her to him, though Towhee knew better than to get her hopes up there.

Figment had never known exhaustion like this. He was constantly amazed by his children—in good ways, of course, but sometimes also not so good. Such as his amazement over how much of a handful two tiny little creatures could be when they couldn’t even open their eyes. Tauris of course took the brunt of their neediness, their hunger and restlessness. But Fig was tireless in his resolve to keep them all fed and cared for, and when they kept their mother awake, he stayed awake alongside her so she wouldn’t have to be alone.

It was exhausting.

This time when Towhee called, the guilt over not going to her that had been eating away at him drove him to abandon his hunt for the time being and answer. He made good time, but was weary to his bones enough already that he looked it when he arrived. Still, he gave her a smile as he reached out for a hug, signing a silent hi mom after he stepped back from the embrace.

cameo!

 

A sound that would inspire nightmares roused Ikki from her dreams. It was not for the first time she had heard it, but now she knew it was real! Bewildered, Ikki loosed a banshee scream of horror as she sprinted and hid beneath her mother, who perhaps slept through the initial sound but might have woken to hear Ikki.

Her heart leaped into her throat when her eldest son materialized. He looked decidedly careworn, reminding her of Caracal and the Sweetharbor crew. Towhee wondered if he and his mate(?) could use her help here for a while. But she was getting ahead of herself.

As soon as he reached for her, she pulled him into a tight hug. Towhee gave him a happy squeeze, then let go and grinned at his tired signing. He looked like shit and she was so happy for him.

Hey, you. I’d love to hear the whole story, she said, but maybe after you’ve had some sleep. How can I help, Fig?

Towhee desperately wanted to meet his children, though she reminded herself to be patient. Being a new parent was wonderful but tough. As much as she wanted to see her newest grandchildren, she wanted to be there for her adult son first and foremost.

cameo for Ink too

Inkeri heard the noise and blinked blearily trying to figure what it was until her daughter screeched like hell had opened and hid under her.

Soft soothing sounds as sje curled the girl into her downy fur. Murmuring sweet kindness and love in her own language.

Towhee's comment coaxed a tired smile to Fig's face. As wonderful as a nap sounded, there was simply too much on his internal to-do list for him to take such a break just yet. Even spending time to visit with his mother felt wrong, though he knew it was something he'd put off for long enough.

"Sorry I didn't come sooner," Fig said, "I've been distracted, as you can imagine. But what are you doing out here so far from Moonspear?" He, of course, had stories to tell, but it seemed she already knew some of them. He knew none of hers, so it only seemed right to have her start.

None of that, Towhee replied to his apology, nipping at the fur on the side of his neck before drawing back to give him a look. You have a secret wife and secret kids and you want me to talk about my boring, dusty life? she couldn’t resist teasing.

Before she could say anything further, something fell out of the sky and landed on her right hip. By now, Towhee was used to this, though she still turned to make sure it was Batman before looking back at her son.

Nah, you’re not hallucinating from lack of sleep. There’s a bat on my ass. Look, I’ll tell you all about it while you take me to your den. I mean, if that’s okay? I’d love to meet your family but we can drop you off there to get some rest while I find food and whatever else you guys need. Sound like a plan…?

In his exhausted state, it was easy for the irritation to rise when Towhee disregarded his question and turned this back on him. Having a temper was not typical for him, but sleep deprivation and stress could do wonders for your character. Not an ounce of the annoyance showed on his features, though, for he was too tired to actually react. And shortly enough, he was distracted as what looked to be a winged rat dropped from the sky to cling to his mother's haunches.

Fig blinked stupidly at it for a moment while Towhee offered something like an explanation. He took a moment to consider whether or not he was truly awake or if this was some strange dream while he nodded and agreed to... whatever Towhee had just said. Gods, he needed sleep.

Fig didn’t have much to say about anything, which earned an empathetic look from Towhee before she gently nudged him to start walking. The sooner they made it to his den, the sooner he could get some shuteye (and the sooner she could meet his surprise family).

I don’t live in Moonspear anymore, she told him as they shuffled along. Wondering if that might wake him up a bit, Towhee added, Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. I just decided I’d rather move from place to place, visiting with family without worrying about leaving a pack in the lurch. It’s working pretty well so far.

And she was quite thrilled to add another destination to the list: this Kvarsheim place. Towhee mostly kept her eyes on her son’s face to catch anything he might say, though she spared a few glances around to take in the territory as they passed through it.

The nudge was all Fig needed to realize he was supposed to be walking. Turning, he began the now familiar trek back to his family—his North Star in a still less than familiar territory. He listened with interest to Towhee's explanation, one question popping onto his tongue in response.

"Is Fenn still there?" he asked, wondering how well his sister was doing since their less than warm farewell so many weeks ago. It felt like an entire lifetime had passed since then.

When he asked about Fennec, she shot him a particularly sympathetic look and said, She was still there last time I was there, without any inkling that that might change anytime in the near future.

Towhee wondered if he’d mind if she told Fennec about this. It would be very hard to keep it from her. There was no way she could stop herself from telling Phox, though if Fig explicitly asked her not to tell his sister, she could at least try to honor that. She really hoped he wouldn’t though.

Are we there yet? she quipped after a brief pause.

I wasn’t sure if we wanted to drag @Tauris, @Katla and @Swift in here so if we want to fade this to vague once they reach the den, I’m cool with that. Whatever works! :D

Fig only nodded in response to the news about Fennec. He wondered if she hated him, if she was happy at Moonspear without him, would she ever forgive him? But he voiced none of those questions. He didn't expect Towhee to necessarily know, for one. For another, it felt wrong to wonder them. He had chosen a life apart from his sister—he would not burden anyone with his anxieties over what he had left behind. Not even himself.

"Yes, I keep my pups ten yards from the borders," Fig replied with a smile, teasing her impatience. He settled into an amiable chat with his mother then as they walked, eventually reaching his new home where he would spend a happy afternoon proudly showing off his family.

I'll go ahead and fade <3