Alpine Lake alligator

a great and grand lake above trickled down into many waterways.

it fed the world around it in this way, it nourished those who came to visit it. she held a feeling that this was not a place where she might be lonely. it was very likely that prey and predator alike collected here on a warm summer afternoon.

yet still she had submerged herself in one of the run offs from above and like an alligator she skimmed the surface in a watchful manner, the sun warm on her back.

When Skipjack asked her to take him on a foray outside the copse, Towhee didn’t hesitate. It would be one of her last chances to hang out with her grandson before he and his parents left. He would return one day, she knew, but he would be a totally different person then, more grown up and worldly. Today, he was still just a child, still wet behind the ears.

Speaking of which, she thought he might enjoy “seeing” one of the nearby waterfalls. Towhee decided to lead him north along the eastern river, passing beneath the shadow of Ghost Lion Crag as they made their way toward Alpine Lake. She let Skip venture ahead, marveling as always at how well he managed to navigate the world.

Skip gamboled in the waterfall’s spray for a while, then went for a proper dip in the pool at its foot. Towhee waded in herself, glad for the relief from the August heat. She figured they would head back whenever he was ready, though her grandson surprised her by asking if they could go see the top of the waterfall.

I guess we could, Towhee said slowly, raising her eyes before dropping them back to his sweet little face. It’ll be good practice for your upcoming trip. But it’s rocky and steep, so I want to be in front. In fact, you could hold onto my tail if you need to. I’ll go slow.

Once or twice, he grabbed onto her, though mostly Skipjack managed the climb without much help. It was quieter up here beside the lake, not that Towhee really knew it. When he asked if he could swim, Towhee agreed, though she insisted they walk a good ways away from the current near the waterfall.

As they trundled along the lake shore, Towhee suddenly spotted a pair of eyes drifting in the water and froze. She said Skipjack’s name in a tone that made him halt immediately as well, his face pointed at her as he awaited an explanation. Rather than offer one, Towhee stepped between him and the water, staring at the wolfish figure lurking in the depths like some kind of crocodile.

thank you for ‘saving!’

it was good for all parties (truthfully really just iope) that there was no malice like a reptile. when she realized the other two were there and one seemed to take a stance between them, well…

she raised her head up higher and paddled softly. how do one look nonthreatening when they swam? perhaps by simply swimming, she was hardly graceful when she was not floating.

i don’t mean to hog the water! halfway onto a shoreline, a healthy distance away. she could not help but wonder if she had wandered into someone’s backyard swimming pool by accident.

It’s my pleasure! I saw that Iope has a thread with Seal set after this, so I’ll try not to bonk your continuity. :)

The wolf lifted her head from the water, then paddled closer to the shore. She looked a bit less menacing now, though Towhee still gently pushed her grandson back from the bank. He whispered a question she didn’t catch at all, though his cooperation didn’t hinge on an answer. His trust in his grandmother showed when he quickly put a dozen yards between himself and the water.

Towhee made a sound of approval, though she remained standing about a yard back from the lake’s edge, eyes still riveted on the stranger. Her lips opened and Towhee caught the exclamation, which earned a blink. Her stiffness relaxed ever so slightly as she withdrew a little further, now to give the woman room to exit the water.

You look more like a gator than a hog, the Redhawk quipped in reply, shooting Skipjack a glance to make sure he was still a safe distance away.

and off the second figure went, away from the reaches of this interaction.

she could not blame either one of them. iope was certain that sending a child away from strangers was often the best bet.

You look more like a gator than a hog,

for a brief moment she thought she was being called a hog. which, no, it seemed she was technically being called a gator over a hog! disarmed entirely she could only look flabbergasted for a moment as she stared at the woman.

i think that's a first for me! her cheeks burned up beneath her fur. well i didn't mean to be a gator in...your lake...?

was it theirs? maybe not by outright claim but iope understood how others could feel attached to places not truly theirs.

The comment seemed to perplex the stranger. Perhaps she hadn’t realized how she’d appeared, lurking in the water like that. In any case, her hesitant use of the words “your lake” immediately elicited a reaction from Towhee.

It’s not ours. We’re just exploring, she said, glancing at Skipjack, who stood very still and listened closely. We live in the copse south of here, past the foot of the waterfall. I’m Towhee and that’s my grandson, Skipjack.

She looked at him again, saw his lips form a polite, “Hello.” He added nothing further, which wasn’t unusual. Skip tended to be quite withdrawn around those he didn’t know. Towhee wondered if he would come out of his shell during his upcoming travels, when surely he would cross paths with many a new face.

Her orange eyes didn’t linger on him long, flicking back to the drab, slightly pudgy she-wolf. Their eyes connected for a beat and Towhee saw they were much more striking than the rest of her. Wondering if that was an uncharitable thought, she broke eye contact but didn’t let her gaze wander far as she awaited an introduction.

towhee and skipjack.

she allowed herself to look a bit at the boy who had just been introduced and offered a soft hello. mostly grey like a storm cloud, but she thought she noticed something red along him too.

grandma and grandson.

her smile was warmer and softer now. maybe a lot less worried about trouble when this seemed like a casual family outing.

i'm iope. she offered, feeling comfortable enough to look right at the other woman now. just doing a bit of traveling around lately it seems. her tail offered soft waves behind her.

what's a copse like?

Towhee found the woman’s lips fairly easy to read, until she gave her name. She couldn’t have “heard” that right. It seemed like it was missing a syllable or something. She considered asking for clarification, then Iope’s question distracted her.

You want to take that one? she asked, looking to her grandson. It’s alright, Skip. You can come closer now.

The blind boy closed the gap, displaying his uncanny precision when he pointed his blank stare right at Iope. Towhee kept her eyes fixed on his face now, trying to catch whatever he said. She was glad he couldn’t see the face she pulled at a telling twinge in her gut.

“There’s lots and lots of trees,” the boy said, speaking slowly at first before declaring a little more boldly, “Ma and Da say it’s named after the dust and pollen that floats around in the air, though I wouldn’t know about that!”

Chuckling under her breath and ignoring her increasing urge to find a nearby latrine, Towhee glanced at Iope. Would she understand Skip’s statement? Surely she’d noticed the vagueness of his gaze, which was considerably more obvious a tell than Towhee’s own missing sense.

she felt trusted by this gestured. for the woman to allow her grandson to come speak. iope gave all her respect in that moment, listening intently to the boy's explanation. if there was anything off about the way he presented this knowledge, she nearly missed it all.

until...

"...though I wouldn’t know about that!"

oh! she wondered but admittedly it felt rude to ask for some kind of clarification.

you make it sound like a beautiful place, though. she smiled so that it might be heard in her voice, even if she remained uncertain on if he'd see it.

have you called it home long? intentionally her question was left open for either one to answer. she was not here to overstep whatever knowledge they wanted to share of their home.

“It is!” Skipjack readily agreed. “I’ve lived there my whole ass life, I was born there!” he added in reply to her question.

Towhee tittered at the boy’s language before adding, My daughter and Skip’s mother, Meerkat, founded the pack with her mate, Njord, last fall. I’ve only been there a few months myself. I’m usually more nomadic. I’m actually teaching this guy my ways ahead of a trip of his own.

She reached out to clap a paw on his shoulder, hoping it didn’t startle her grandson too badly. Towhee glanced at him, then retrained her fiery gaze on Iope.

You said you’re a traveler too, so I assume you probably don’t live around here? Correct me if I’m wrong, she said conversationally.

“Grandma,” Skipjack interrupted before Iope could reply, pressing a paw to Towhee’s elbow to get her attention. “I gotta poop. REAL BAD.”

Okay, uh, Towhee said, glancing around before nudging Skipjack’s shoulder, then gently patting his cheek to point him in the right direction. There’s some bushes about a hundred yards that way. Just be careful, the ground’s a little uneven.

He scampered off with a noticeable waddle in his gait. Towhee snickered sympathetically, then turned toward Iope with an apologetic spread of her forepaws.

Truth is, I gotta go too. Sorry to bail on you so suddenly. Take care, uh… Yeah, she wasn’t going to try to pronounce that name. …of yourself, she added lamely before doing her own poop shuffle after her grandson.

towhee (and skip!) gave me joy as usual! feel free to archive

iope had to snort back laughter at the boy's grand explicit declaration, it was good that his grandmother had a ready distraction. it was good to have a look into a kinder world, a place where knowledge was passed along through generations, where family bloomed.

she wondered if she had always been so soft-hearted or if travel had only amplified it.

there was no upset in her for the boy's expressed need. nor the fact that towhee had the same feeling too. perhaps a family breakfast had gone wrong.

it was good to meet you! she called out as the waddling duo made off. unaware if she'd even be heard by either one, but it was the thought that count, she figured.