Moonspear when you're dead and gone

Easy has howled for Kindle and Katmai, but I'll leave this open for a few days in case anyone wants to intercept her before they arrive.

Her legs carried her easily to Moonspear, where she was pleased to find the scents of her son and grandson interspersed with many others. Particularly young women — she hoped they would find strong partners among these wolves.

She spent some time familiarizing herself with these scents on the borders, wanting to commit them all to memory, just in case she ran into one in the future. But eventually, before the day could get away from her, she tipped back her head to howl for an audience.

Kira had been wandering the border when she heard a howl. It didn't sound familiar, but then again, she hadn't heard everyone in the pack howl, so how would she know? She lifted her nose to the air to see if she could catch a scent of one of her pack members.

No familiar scents floated in the air, but she started toward the sound after letting out a howl of her own in response.

She wasn't too far off and it didn't take her very long to find an older she-wolf near the border. It was one she didn't recognize.

 "Hello," she said, padding toward the older wolf. "My name is Kira Lazore of Dawnspear," she introduced.

Like all my characters, I've decided that Easy, too, was struck by the beauty of the wolf that approached her. I just really love this design, sorry. And so did the Morningside matriarch, who admired the girl as she approached with an eye for future grandchildren.

Perhaps her son or grandson would take (or had taken!) to this beauty.

"Hello, Kira," she said, faintly amused as she learned the girl's name. "My name is Ishara Morningside."

When she looked a little more closely at the girl's face, the resemblance was confirmed.

"Your father wouldn't happened to be named Aureli, would he?" she asked, her interest sharpening. If she was who Easy thought she must be, then she was practically part of the family.

Kira nodded once as Ishara introduced herself, but her nod quickly turned into a shake of her head at the question aimed back at her.

"No, my father is-was-is," Kira seemed to have trouble deciding what tense to use when talking about her father. "Kael Lazore," she said. "The name Aureli sounds familiar, though." She racked her brain for a moment, but put the thought aside.

"Are you related to Kindle?" she asked. "Are you here to see him?"

"Yes," Easy replied, distracted as Kira changed the subject. She wasn't ready to let the matter drop, but she answered the young woman anyway: "Kindle is my son, and Katmai my grandson. I'm here to tell them goodbye before I head back home."

She went back at once to pressing the issue: "You must be related to Aureli," she insisted. "You look very much like him, and like our son, and you share the same surname."

Kira looked more like Lighthawk than Aureli, in truth — but the resemblance was still there, and Easy wanted to get to the bottom of it. She remembered something, then: "Remi," she told the girl. "That was what his parents called him. Perhaps you know him by that name?"

"You're Kindle's mother!" Kira's tail flicked with excitement at meeting her. "Oh, I'm sure Kindle or Katmai is around somewhere," she said, lifting her head a bit.

Now, the other wolf was pressing about Aureli...Remi. The name seemed familiar, and for a moment Kira couldn't place why, then her eyes lit up.

"My father's brother," she said after a moment. "It's been a long time since I heard that name, but I believe he was my father's brother." Her gaze shifted as she thought about it. "That sounds right," she murmured. 

Her gaze turned back to Easy. "You have children with Remi? Aureli?"

Easy was sure, too, and she was happy to wait for them to come to her — especially with such intriguing company around.

"He'd be about the right age," she replied, her tail whisking as the connection was made. It made sense to her that the girl hadn't heard much about him, too. Her understand was that Aureli had left home when he was very young.

"I do," she confirmed, offering the girl a smile. "Your cousins, I suppose. Lighthawk and Searchlight are their names. Two boys. But Aureli is a traveling healder — we don't see him very often."

This didn't bother Easy, who'd known from the start that this would be the case. She'd had no trouble raising the boys with the help of her family.

"Kindle knows them," she offered.

"Kindle knows who?" the male in question asked as he snuck up on the pair, his tail wheeling in happiness as he laid eyes on his mother. The two embraced, Kindle exclaiming, briefly, over her obviously pregnant state.

But then his attention was back on the both of them, and he wondered what they'd been talking about before.

Kira's tail flicked around excitedly as Easy talked about her cousins. Before she could say anything, Kindle had approached. "My cousins. Your brothers, I guess," she answered.

"Their father is my uncle," she explained. "I believe he left when he was young, so I hadn't met him, but I'd heard his name from my father."

A thought occurred to her. It might not be the family she was looking for, but she had family. Her ears twitched with excitement from the realization.

Easy watched her son fondly while he puzzled this out, hiding a smirk when his expression suddenly cleared.

"That healer guy?" he asked, but when he turned to examine Kira, he seemed quite sure. "That's why you seemed so familiar. You're related to the mom-kisser."

Easy made a dismissive sound, secretly amused at the epithet.

"He's a lovely man," she assured the pretty girl. "Principled and intelligent — and quite the kisser — " She broke off in laughter when Kindle made to cover her ears, and turned back to Kira in earnest. "Well. Regardless, I'm sure you know you come from very good stock."

Small as she was. Still. Easy fixed Kindle with a pointed look.

Though the obvious had occurred to her, when Kindle said "mom-kisser" she couldn't help but actually think about the obvious. "Uh, yeah. I guess. Like I said, I never met him. I'd just heard his name before."

For the first time in a while, she seemed...happy. "I have family," she said, her tail flicking. "I got separated from my family a while back," she said to Easy. "I'm glad to know there's someone."

"Of course you do," said Kindle at once, almost in sync with Easy, who expressed the same sentiment. She allowed Kindle to finish the thought, however. "You're one of us, now. We're basically cousins, if you think about it. That's the Morningside way."

Easy gave a firm nod.

"Family is family," she told the girl. "You share the well-loved blood of my sons. We're connected in this way."

She looked to Kindle.

"You'll take good care of her," she said to her son, who gave a weary nod of agreement. "Now — where is my grandson? I'd like to give you all my blessings before I head back to the valley."

Kindle huffed and began leading his mother and newly-found cousin deeper into the territory.

"I'm sure he's not far off," he told them.

"We are practically cousins," Kira agreed. "I've just been alone for a while, so it's odd having a family."

The young wolf's heart raced a bit with her new excitement. "How long are you going to be around?" she asked Easy as Kindle led them further into the territory. "How long until the new pups come?" She was maybe asking too many questions of the woman, but she was excited.

"It will be soon," Easy admitted, apologetic already, "But I'll be gone from here. I need to be back in the plains before I bring this litter into the world."

It was a long journey, but one she was determined to undertake. She'd done her time in the mountains. Besides — she knew the kids wouldn't really want her cramping their style. They needed room to bring their own children into the world, and to make their own mistakes doing it.

It seemed they had plenty of help on hand.

It was then that Katmai arrived, his bright eyes dancing at the sight of his grandmother.

"Black bear!" he named her almost in song. He rushed into her arms, and the two shared a longer embrace. "Have you come to stay?" he asked her when he drew away, but Easy gave a shake of her head.

"I've just been getting to know our Kira," she told him, gesturing to the dark-faced girl. "A cousin on Search and Lighthawk's side."

Katmai turned a wide-eyed look on Kira.

"You didn't tell me!" he accused, but his delight was readily apparent.

Kira nodded at Easy in understanding. Obviously she had no personal experience with it, but she could understanding wanting to be home before birthing a litter of pups. 

When they came to Katmai, Kira flicked her tail as Easy introduced her.

"I didn't know!" Kira's own delight echoed back to Katmai. "Aureli is my father's brother," she clarified. "I hadn't ever met him."

Katmai looked confused for all of a moment before he exchanged a meaningful look with Kindle. "The mom-kisser?" he asked, not quite under his breath.

Kindle nodded glumly.

"Well!" said Katmai. "I don't remember him clearly, but I have spent time with his children. You do look like them, now that I think of it. Like Lighthawk, at least!"

On a whim, Katmai stepped forward to embrace his new cousin.

"Welcome to our family," he said, his tail spinning in pleasure. "I'm glad that you've found us here."

Kira chuckled at Katmai also calling Aureli the "mom-kisser", but there was a new light in her eyes when Katmai said that she looked like Lighthawk.

"I feel so lucky that I ran into Kindle that day," she said. "It must have been fate." Her tail flicked, almost uncontrollably. "I'm really glad that I found you guys too."

She looked to Easy. "I'm glad I met you, as well. I don't know that I'd have ever found out that my uncle was around or that I had cousins."

Enamored as she was with her son and grandson, Kira's words evoked something even more powerful beneath her breast. She remembered being alone in the world.

"You are a young woman," she said, a sad little smile on her face. She ignored her boys for a moment, turning to Kira entirely. "I believe it was fate — but you are never alone, my girl. As women, we carry our family within us. When you are alone, you must remember that you carry the future in your womb."

Knowledge imparted, she settled in and looked happily between the three of them.

"Now tell me of the things you've seen," she bade them, her tail whisking in girlish excitement.

We can close up here, if you're ready!