Heron Lake Plateau they don't know what saved by the bell is and they've never felt pain.

@Rannoch <3

The day had been a hot one, and unfortunately night had brought little relief. Liffey had hoped that it might, but had suspected the reality they faced now had been inevitable. In spite of its heat, the day had been cloudless and beautiful. It had also been without even the gentlest of breezes, and so here they were. Hot in the dark, just as they'd been in the sunshine.

Liffey panted as she made her way up the slopes and back onto flat land. She didn't have much hope that she would get some wind on higher ground, but she did know that she would be able to find herself a nice perch to stargaze on. The trees in the Glade were lovely, but they blocked her view of the night sky. Tonight of all nights, Liffey very much wanted to see it.

She settled in at the edge of the Plateau overlooking the Glade and pointed her nose to the sky. It took her only a few seconds to locate the constellations she was looking for, glittering above her. Liffey sighed as she gazed at them and allowed her mind to wander to children they symbolized--three of which now were lost to her.

Wisteria's unannounced departure had been inevitable, and the recognition of this reality made the pain of his daughter's absence more palpable. Rannoch had scouted beyond the glade's border in an attempt to re-trace Wisteria's trail, only to find that her trail had vanished within the mire of Cricket Bog. Dejected by his discovery, Rannoch sought Liffey's company—they'd tell the others in time of what had happened. 

The day had waned by the time that Rannoch arrived at the plateau. His breaths came quickly, as his body attempted to regulate its temperature under the weight of his coat. Rannoch approached Liffey slowly, seeing as she was wrapped up in the splendor overhead. 

"Liffey," he called once he was within earshot. "I'm glad that you've found a new spot to stargaze," his voice was filled with affection; at least one positive thing had resulted from their move.

Liffey wasn't exactly surprised when Rannoch appeared. The pair were always somewhere within each other's gravitational pull, and that was just where she liked him, as well as just where she liked to be. She turned to him with a smile and made a small, inviting gesture with her muzzle. Not that he ever needed reminding that she wanted him next to her.

"I was thinking it might be time to pick out some stars for our second litter," she said as her eyes turned skyward again. She had a couple of ideas in her head already for which animals to pick for her youngest kids, but she'd wait for Rannoch to get settled before she began voicing those suggestions.

Note: 1800 for you!

"That's a great idea," Rannoch replied; the weather conditions were immaculate for stargazing. Removing the distance that had separated them, he settled at his wife's side. "Let's begin," Rannoch prompted with a smile, once he had leaned over and placed a kiss on Liffey's cheek. 

Although he had not prepared, Rannoch had some ideas. "I'd like to start with Aengus," his dark-furred son was the first to come to mind."I think a bison would suit him well," he articulated, "What do you think?"

Liffey scooted a little as Rannoch settled down beside her. She was usually all about the cuddling, but it was such a hot night still. She leaned over to meet the kiss he planted on her cheekbone and touched her muzzle with her nose as he pulled away. Then, it was back to the skies to start work on finding stars for their children.

She smiled at the suggestion for Aengus. It went right along the same lines she'd been thinking. "I thought a bull, but a bison works even better," she commented as she looked across the stars to find it. Her eyes landed on the stars they'd claimed for their older children as she looked. It was over by Deshyr's rabbit.

"There, three stars to the right of that star that makes up the rabbit's tail," she pointed out, gesturing with her nose, "Those two bright stars make up the points of its horns."

Rannoch smiled; he was glad that Liffey agreed with his selection for Aengus. His attention then was directed overhead, and with her description, he was able to locate where their son's constellation lived easily. 

"I like that he's so close to Deshyr, too," Rannoch remarked. He felt good about Aengus' constellation and was ready to move on. "Whose next?" he asked, prompting his wife with a curious tilt of his head.

Liffey was pleased that her mate approves of her choice. But more than that, she was impressed that he located the constellation so easily. She smiled at him. ”I think you’re getting better at this,” she commented, then nudged his shoulder and added, ”Your teacher must be very talented.”

”How about Tiarnach?” she suggested, pondering what to use for her other son. Nothing immediately came to mind, so she stayed quiet to see if her mate had any suggestions.

They continued like this until all of their children were given constellations of their very own. Tiarnach ended up with a marten, Eshe a mouse, and Sionnach--after some debate in which a mongoose or wolverine was bandied about--a fox. Afterwards, the couple simply rested together, watching the stars and talking about their lives until it was time to return home to their little pack of critters.