Moonspear synthwave

Tags for ref. AW!

It was a classically foggy autumn morning. Seal had romped with sister @Orca II through the forest and they chatted about Towee Jr and Sable, speculating where Towhee’s children had ended up and if they would ever return from their quest.

Seal also lamented to her sister that she still missed brother Ray and together they wished for his return. And what of Raiyuk? Would they ever see their childhood friend again?

However, Seal was happy to gush about her new friends Frolic and @Ajei. She told Orca how fun it was to meet new people. Maybe someday Grandma Towee would return and they could go on an adventure together!

For now, Orca left to take a nap and Seal continued on her own through Moonspear’s winding paths. Then, she happened upon @Meerkat’s scent and began to head in its direction.

She spent a week wandering by herself in the hinterlands, drifting from one familiar haunt to the next. It was peaceful but it was also really boring after a few days. Maybe it would’ve been fun if she’d dragged @Phox along with her but she kind of doubted it because she couldn’t stop thinking of poor Sweetharbor.

But what ultimately sent Towhee doubling back wasn’t boredom, guilt or restlessness. She lost her bat somewhere along the way. One night, Batman went out to hunt and just never came back. She hung out in one place—the copse, as a matter of fact—for an entire day waiting for him to turn up but he never did. She wondered if maybe he’d gotten lost and found his way somewhere more familiar.

Towhee started at the nearest village: Moonspear. Whether or not she found Batman here, she wanted to check in with Meerkat’s family. Was Seal doing better? Perhaps she and Orca might like to come with her when she headed back to Sweetharbor? Hopefully Abel was back in the fold, though if he wasn’t, the young cousins might provide a much-needed distraction for the brokenhearted islanders.

Welcomed in by Meerkat, the councilor urged Towhee to head to the family’s ulaq while she dropped by to check on Sialuk et al. The dark Redhawk plodded up the mountainside alone, missing Batman’s familiar weight but looking forward to being reunited with her granddaughters.

It was as if Mother Nature could read the young girl’s mind.

“Grandma Towhee!” Seal exclaimed when she spied her grandam’s familiar black and orange pattern on the trail. The last time they had seen each other, Seal was bedridden post-Tony attack. Now, she had made a complete recovery. That was the advantage of being young… a child could just bounce right back!

She galloped and flung herself into Towhee’s arms. “I missed you!”

Even though it hadn’t been a full month since they were last together, to Seal it felt like a lifetime. So much had happened!

“I have sooo much to tell you!” Seal said as she inhaled. Where to even begin?

It was funny how the kids with the most nautical names lived here on a mountain while the islanders bore monikers like Judah, Malakai, etc. What was that all about? If she took Orca and Seal there, would they ever want to come back to dry land? Towhee snorted.

One of the two girls appeared, looking much better than the last time Towhee had set eyes on her. Towhee halted and waited for Seal to bound closer, opening her arms only to close them tightly around her slim, speckled shoulders. Not only was she in one piece, she was nearly a grown woman now.

Still grasping her shoulders, Towhee pushed the two of them apart, then let her paws drop. Her orange eyes fixed on Seal’s lips, catching the enthusiastic remark. She smiled and tipped her head, one eyebrow shooting upward in invitation.

I’m all ears… or I guess it would be more accurate to say I’m all eyes, she quipped, adding simply, Spill.

Seal smiled sheepishly. She had been so excited she had forgotten to include ptero!

-“I have two new friends,”- Seal explained with animated movements. -“Ajei is from Moonglow and Frolic is from Becheliant. Ajei is verrae kind and sweet. Frolic loves to play and explore!”-

Seal continued and had trouble with her words staying in sync with her movements. -“I participated in my first pack hunt with the adults. I stayed with my Da on the flanks. He cannae run because he’s still hurt. We caught a deer! I’m nae good of a hunter as Orca, but I learned a lot. It felt good to provide for the pack…”-

Then, her sign language became a bit morose to reflect a sad topic. -“We hunted because Moontide’s alpha female died when she was having her babies.”- Seal frowned, not knowing if Towhee was privy to this news. -“Her babies and their Da are living with Moonspear right now. Sialuk and Elentari are helping take care of them. Sometimes I help too… by watching Maggak and Acrux when their moms are busy. I think of them as my little brother and sister.”-

A small, hopeful smile. -“I think… I think I want to become a caretaker someday,”- she shared. -“Maybe a sitter to help with the kids. Or, maybe a medic, like Sialuk… because I am also interested in plants and gardening.”- Seal sounded open-minded and excited about the future. The world was her oyster!

Then, she paused to give Towee a chance to soak up all the updates. However, Seal was itching to hear of her Grandmother's adventures beyond Moonspear!

Towhee took a seat, putting all thoughts about Batman and even Sweetharbor from her mind so she could be present for Seal’s update. And it was quite the monologue! She deeply appreciated the Ptero as her granddaughter regaled her with stories of her new friends and a pack hunt with her family. The reason for it was a tragedy, though for once, it didn’t impact her personally. Towhee was glad of that, though her heart went out to those affected, which would include Sialuk and Kukutux.

I think you’d be great at either of those, Towhee said when Seal moved on to muse about her skills, or both. You could build skills for motherhood one day, she added, pausing to marvel at the thought of great grandchildren before refocusing and pointing out, The fact that you’ve been through the wringer can help help you empathize with your patients and develop a really good bedside manner if you pursue healing.

Although she wanted to keep her focus on Seal, Towhee sat up a little straighter and took a deep breath of the cool mountain air. She also turned her head to rest her eyeballs a moment, admiring the way the fog swirled about the crags and peaks. She soon looked back to her granddaughter.

I’m glad your da is feeling better. How’s the rest of your family? Have my kids shown up?

She mostly wondered about her youngest two, though she wondered if anybody had heard from Fennec or Killdeer, for that matter. Towhee just hoped they’d all continue using this village as a touch point. Even though she cycled through other locations—Sweetharbor and Kvarsheim, namely—Moonspear was kind of like her personal familial headquarters.

Motherhood?! Grandma Towhee must be losing her marbles because only grown-ups had babies and Seal certainly wouldn’t be a grown-up for a long, long, long time… or so she thought. Seal covered her muzzle with both paws to suppress an immature giggle.

But, maybe Towhee was onto something. She did like babies and Elentari and Sialuk’s pregnancies had captivated her. Maybe becoming a midwife was in the cards.

Furthermore, the young girl hadn’t considered how being maimed by the hellcat could ever become her superpower. -“You think so?”- Seal signed, hopeful that great things were on the road ahead. It gave Seal more food for thought than she could process and her brows knitted together in deep thought as Towhee regarded the mountain.

She thought Grandma Towhee was very wise, indeed.

Then, the conversation steered back to her family. -“Me, too,”- Seal agreed.

-“My Mum and Orca are good,”- Seal explained, happy. Though in the coming days, her mom would fall ill with a wicked cold, Seal was pleased that the Sveijarn-Corten household was in a good position to act as the backbone for Moonspear during troubled times.

But then, she shook her head. -“I havenae seen TJ or Sable…”- she signed while frowning. Towhee Jr was not home from her quest and Sable had gone off. Maybe he had followed his sister. -“My Da says she went on a quest to find herself.”- It all sounded very mystic to Seal. -“An’ I havenae heard from Auntie Curse or Cousin Killdeer…Sorry.”-

Her muzzle twisted as her lips pinched together. Since the hellcat incident, Seal hadn’t felt the call to wander around the wilds alone like most wolves her age.

-“Where have you been, Grandma Towhee?”- Seal asked next. -“What cool adventures have you been on?”-

She’d hoped for different news, though Towhee didn’t react beyond taking a deep breath. They would come back, eventually. Well, some of them would. She would hold out that hope, anyway. Just like she was trying to stay optimistic about Batman.

It’s alright, Towhee replied, flashing a smile at Seal that didn’t quite reach her eyes. Life comes with a lot of bad turns sometimes. And they’ve been coming a little harder and faster lately, haven’t they? One of your cousins went missing from Sweetharbor. That’s the only place I’ve been since I last saw you, not counting some wandering that was honestly very boring.

That made her think. Seal looked like she was perfectly recovered from the cat’s attack. And she really was such a sweet-tempered wolf. Perhaps a visit from her might distract her cousins on the island, give them all something to focus on besides Abel’s absence. But Towhee knew Meerkat avoided the coastline like the plague. Would Seal do the same?

I should really go back there to the island and check on them again. Hey, would you like to come with me? I know Dinah would love to meet you. The rest of them too. You could really cheer them up, Seal.

Seal’s ears drooped when Towhee mentioned one of the Seetharborians was MIA.

-“Who?”- Seal asked with a frown, sad to think a little cousin lost in the wilds. She couldn’t imagine how it would feel to have Orca suddenly go missing without a word.

Then, Towhee proposed an idea. A wonderful idea!

Seal perked up and felt destiny call; A quadrant of her ikigai bloomed like a dahlia in September.

To bond with family and bring them happiness tickled Seal’s brain. -“Oh, I’d love tae! You’d think that would make ‘em happy?”- She asked. -“Because I really want tae meet them! Ken ‘em… An’ see tha ocean! Ajei told me about it.”- Her tail wagged. Though Seal was afraid to venture beyond Moonspear by herself, she had no hesitation when it came to traveling with a buddy, especially a master warrior like Grandma Towhee!

His name is Abel. And I definitely think you’d be a lovely distraction for them, Towhee concurred, enjoying the way the suggestion made Seal’s eyes sparkle. We could invite your sister too, though maybe it could be just the two of us this time. I’ll leave that up to you.

Of course, this merited a discussion with Meerkat and Njord. They needed to sign their daughter’s permission slip before Towhee would consider taking her away from the mount. In any case, she would love to catch up with Meerkat and the others for its own sake.

Maybe when we get there, Abel will have found his way home, Towhee thought aloud, then nudged Seal’s elbow and stood. Come on, let’s go find your parents and see what they think.

That all sounded peachy-keen to young Seal.

-“Okay!”- she agreed. -“I hope so…”- she added, thinking of Abel.

Then, she followed her Grandma to go find Njord and Meerkat.