Sun Mote Copse Like a phoenix.

Birds were chirping loudly this morning, not that Towhee knew it. She didn't notice much, these past few days, aside from the pup cradled in her legs. She had been contemplating relocating her somewhere less central, especially during the height of her possessiveness following the surprise delivery, but the Regent decided she would stay put. The log served her well as a den, even though only the two of them fit inside. And she was slowly feeling readier to share the pup—Suricate, she'd decided to call her, her little Meerkat—with the rest of the pack.

Oh, she wasn't ready to leave her side yet, other than to take a quick bathroom break, or even leave her with one of her most trusted loved ones while Towhee went to stretch her legs. She barely let herself sleep. That would come in time, she assumed pragmatically. For now, she indulged herself by never taking her eyes off the child, even now dipping her nose down to ruffle the soft furs on Meerkat's forehead and breathe in her baby scent. But her orange gaze did flicker outside momentarily, somewhat hoping they would get some visitors today.

It took almost no time at all for Niamh to accept the fact that Towhee had become a mother, and that Raven had been wrong. As she went hunting, she pondered to herself if any of her hunches had instead simply been her instincts telling her that Towhee was pregnant. Outwardly, she hadn't hadn't shown signs of being with child-like nor had her personality shown the influence of a great deal of hormones, unlike the way pregnancy treated Niamh. But something had told her to hold onto hope- and accepting the new truth made Niamh gleefully happy. 

She caught a hare and brought it with her toward the log where Towhee made her home, and even though she felt as though she was starving, she was happy to offer it to Towhee, so she could regain some of her strength. Niamh's belly sagged with the promise of more life to join their family yet- it would be a busy spring. 

She chuckled happily as sh approached Towhee, the dead hare swinging from side to side as she carried it, before she lay it down near Towhee, and gve her friend a happy luck on the top of her head before she sank to the ground, wriggling a bit to make room for her ballooned belly. "Ugh. You do pregnancy so much better than I do, I'll say that for sure," She joked, stretching to relieve some of the pain in her lower back, where her heavy belly caused it to sag. "How're ya feelin', Baby-Momma?" She asked revelling in how good it felt to say those words.

Sunlight began to break through the overcast sky, dappling the surrounding forest, and Towhee's heart skipped in her chest. She was so damn happy right now. Her mood only improved when a familiar face came striding forth from the trees, a dead hare clenched in Niamh's jaws. The Regent beamed at her friend, her heart skipping another beat when she saw the telltale signs of her sister-in-law's progressing pregnancy.

Niamh set the rabbit near the log's opening, then settled down beside it after placing a friendly lick between Towhee's ears which made her grin like an idiot. She missed Niamh's first few words due her movements, though managed to capture the spirit of her remark about pregnancy, as well as the followup question. She felt a bittersweet little pang when reminded she had been pregnant the past few months, without ever knowing it. They had been pregnant together, without either one of them realizing it.

But if that thought made her a little sad, the idea that they'd get to raise their offspring together made Towhee smile so hard her face ached. "We get to be baby mamas together," she pointed out and added, "I'm so..." Honestly, the way she felt was indescribable. So the Regent didn't even try to bother. Niamh knew.

Meerkat was currently sound asleep, though Towhee shifted a little to give Niamh a better view before saying, "I was thinking of moving dens and decided to stay put. But here's a thought." She paused, in case her friend was too busy adoring Meerkat, before continuing. "Have you picked out a den? Maybe we could... share?" It occurred to her that Niamh might not want that, though Towhee held out hope. Phox was going to be the father figure to both litters, so it was a practical idea, though her heart was more invested than her head.

Towhee was glowing, and Niamh was glad to see that both her first pregnancy and birth had left her basking in happiness and health. Niamh, of course, envied her for enduring a pregnancy free of symptoms- as she found them to be more of an uncomfortable nuisance than anything, but considering the fact that Towhee had believed that she wouldn't get to experience the wonder she felt now...She would have completely understood Towhee's feelings. Still-she was a self-centered wolf, currently feeling bloated and uncomfortable, and that set a bit of a shield in front of her eyes forcing her to see from primarily her own perspective.

When Towhee moved, she was better able to see the little beige-ish pup nestled at her side and she made a small, high-pitched squee anf though Towhee wouldn't have heard it, there was no hiding the smile that ear to ear smile. 

When asked about her den, Niamh perked her ears. "Oh, dude- I got the den all scoped out an' done up. Might have to get Phox to make it a bit bigger 'cause I like 'em cramped, but of course!" she replied. A second later, she remembered her own birting habits. "Though...I kinda like having...My space...When I go into labour," She said. "Y'know, Bronco's got a den- I can prolly kick him out an' you could stay there 'til I pop out these Rugrats, an' then we can all bunk together?" she said. She tended to boot everyone out of the den until she was done giving birth- as she was an over-protective birther, but had no qualms with sharing space once her children were born.

When Niamh enthusiastically agreed, Towhee found herself feeling almost choked up about it. The disclaimer didn't burst her overjoyed bubble in any way. She understood what struck her as an entirely reasonable request and quickly reassured, "I can actually just stay here until they're born, then we can move in when you're ready." The Regent wasn't prone to gleeful outbursts, though a little squeal of excitement escaped her too.

She paused to duck her head over Meerkat and snuggle the baby ever so gingerly, mashing her cheek against that pale, velveteen fur, before looking up at Niamh again. "One big, happy family, literally," she mused before she finally acknowledged the rabbit. "Thanks for bringing this, by the way," she gestured lightly with the leg the tiny newborn was currently partially draped over, "though I insist we split it in half. How many you think you got in there?" she questioned, nodding toward Niamh's belly. More than one, that was for sure.

Towhee offered to stay put, but that idea made Niamh wrinkle her nose a bit and shake her head. "I prolly won't pop these out until mid April, which is another month away; why don't you take Bronco's den until then?" she suggested again, not finding herself particularly fond of the idea of her friend being stuffed into a log until April. 

She smiled, seeing Towhee caress her child's soft fur with her cheek, and sat back a bit as she tried to think about how full she felt this year as compared to last year. "Well, I'm gettin' fatter quicker this year, so prolly a dozen or somethin'," She said. "However many it takes to make a plague of puppies," It was hard to imagine that puppies could ever be thought about as a plague- but if all of a sudden there were to be 24 or more puppies to feed...It would at least create problems, if not be considered some sort of emergency.

Niamh offered a timeline, then tried to insist Towhee take Bronco's den. Towhee just shook her head, smiling as she said, "No, but thank you. I know I didn't exactly plan to use this but I'm comfy here." And, truth be told, the Regent couldn't bring herself to move the child anytime soon. In a few weeks' time, everything would be different. But, for now, staying right here was the plan. There was no reason to force Bronco out of his home.

She knew her friend was exaggerating, though the Regent's eyes widened. "Damn, you'd better eat the whole thing and a few more to boot, then," she quipped. "Actually," she said in the very next breath, "I'm fucking famished. Do you mind splitting it for us?" In preparation to feed herself, she gently mouthed Meerkat, lifting her and resettling her closer to her belly. She could eat too, if she woke from her nap.

Shifting carefully, Towhee's attention returned to Niamh and the rabbit. "Oh, I named her, by the way." A mischievous look flashed across her face, pausing a beat before fibbing, "I've decided to call her Sloth."

Towhee seemed happy enough where she was, and seemed content to stay where she was even though Niamh knew Bronco wouldn't mind behind displaced if it was for Towhee's sake. The rendezvous site wasn't a bad location whatsoever- Niamh simply had a different comfort level with respect to den security when infant pups were involved, though the chances of Towhee's log den location being any less safe than Niamh's den were slim. After Niamh's pups were born, Towhee and her little one would move in, and they'd be just as Towhee planned- a big, happy family.

She chuckled and nodded, scooching closer so she could snag the rabbit and with a few quick, albeit messy bites, she tore it in two and nudged half to Towhee. She hadn't planned to eat any of it herself- but it was hard to stop herself in her situation, plus, Towhee had urged her to share. 

She licked her lips and perked her ears, burping with surprise when Towhee  shared her child's chosen name. "Buhhh-really?" She fumbled with a grin. Towhee's expression said otherwise- but she could still hope.

Her eyes twinkled when Niamh spluttered, enjoying her reaction momentarily before laughing and shaking her head. "Nah, I'd never give my offspring such a dumb name," she said dryly, giving her sister-in-law a pointed look before her easy smile returned. "I've decided to name her Suricate Redhawk-Blackthorn," Towhee continued in the next breath, eyes soft now, "but I'll call her Meerkat. My little..."

She'd begun to gaze adoringly at the little bundle of joy but she paused and made a point to spell out, -M-E-E-R-K-L-E.- Of course, that wasn't how it was spelled, but that was the point: wordplay. She huffed a laugh, realizing she should really get back into signing more now. She'd fallen out of the habit lately for whatever reason, though she definitely wanted to raise Meerkat (and Niamh's children too) to speak ptero fluently.

-"Thanks,"- Towhee made a point to say and sign simultaneously as she latched onto her share of the rabbit and made quick work of it. Although it was a little difficult to juggle eating, signing and holding a baby, she managed between bites, -"Have you and Phox thought of any actual names?"-

Niamh laughed- both disappointed and relieved that Towhee had decided against naming her adorable, tiny baby Sloth. She was touched when Towhee included the surname Blackthorn. While she was aware that Towhee looked up to Finley and Elwood as her adopted parents, to her knowledge, Towhee had never taken the Blackthorn name as her own. Now, though, the two families were honoured by the next generation brought into the clan, and Niamh felt that maybe, somehow, Towhee had bestowed little Meerkat with the hyphenated surnamed as Niamh herself had also (previously) been married into the Blackthorn family. She was touched, and couldn't find the words to express how pleased that idea made her feel, even though a pang of pain struck her heartstrings at the same time. Colt was gone- so she wasn't technically a Blackthorn, save for the fact that she was the mother of Blackthorn children. 

Niamh, not being terribly well educated in phonetics or spelling, didn't catch what Towhee meant when she combined the words "Meerkat" and "Miracle" to spell "Meerkle." "Uhhhhh," She puzzled for a moment, but given the fact she thought perhaps she'd just misunderstood what Towhee'd just signed, and that she herself probably would have spelled Meerkat's name wrong anyway, decided not to question it, so unfortunately, the wordplay went right over Niamh's head. She avoided the shameful realization by finishing up her portion of the rabbit as Towhee ate her half too. 

Niamh, to be honest, hadn't even realized that she too would have to come up with names, too. She swallowed hard. -Haven't thought of any yet,- She answered honestly. -I assume I got another month at least to cook these ones so we've got lotsa time left to pick names out.- She said. -There's the obvious combinations of 'Pheev' and 'Neeox,' but...They aren't too pretty.- She said.

Towhee stopped eating and pulled a face at the portmanteaus. -"They don't fit into the animal theme either,"- she pointed out. Unaware that she was somewhat surfing her friend's brainwave, she added, -"What surname will you two use?"- She couldn't read Niamh's mind, otherwise she would have also pointed out that she'd been using both Redhawk and Blackthorn for much of her life. As far as she knew, Phox didn't use their godparents' surname, though maybe Niamh still went by it and they would hyphenate too, so this whole generation could share a surname too.

She polished off the rest of the meat, licking blood from her lips and letting out a small, satisfied burp. She had given Niamh the opportunity to reply about last names and, regardless of her answer, there was something else Towhee wanted to ask of her. -"Phox agreed to help me raise Meerkat; he'll be her father figure, for all intents and purposes. And your kids will be her siblings. I'm her mother, of course, but I'd love it if you'd be more than an aunt or even just a godmother to her."- Towhee hadn't come up with a title just yet, though that could wait until she heard what her sister-in-law thought of the general idea in the first place.

Cripes. Niamh realized now that she hadn't exactly sorted out the logistics of her mateship with Phox, and while it didn't scare her to think about it, she did feel somewhat ashamed that those sorts of things hadn't been discussed. With Colt, the first thing she'd wanted to do (aside from...the obvious) was to take his last name. Things became more complicated when her own surname was involved, as she'd been given a hyphenated name upon birth, and then had married, but hadn't added a third surname to her own, and had simply adopted the Blackthorn name. 

-You know,- She said, and thought for a moment. -I was born a DeMonte-Argyle, an' when I was with Colt, I was a Blackthorn, 'cause DeMonte-Argyle-Blackthorn was...Too much. And when he died, I just...Didn't know what to do with my last name 'cause...- She shrugged. It was too hard to think about, and she wasn't sure she still deserved the Blackthorn name, considering Colt had been mortally wounded while she'd been absent. -You chose Redhawk-Blackthorn....An' I'd kinda like our kids to have the same last name, y'know?- She asked. It was, after all, the most reasonable surname to choose for them, given the fact that she was still technically a Blackthorn, having never reclaimed her maiden name, and the fact that Phox was a Redhawk. She shrugged. -'less it got abbreviated to like Hawkthorn, or something. Just to do away with the hyphen.- She proposed thoughtfully. She sniggered. -Or RedBlack, but that's just kinda strange.- She said.

Like Towhee, Niamh wanted her friend to be more than just an aunt or a godmother, and expected that in raising their kids together, they would be brought up in a family that technically had two Moms and one Dad, which seemed perfectly natural to Niamh. -Either way, gotta see what Phox thinks. But...I think whatever it ends up being, I'd really like for us all to use the same surname.- She said. -What d'you think of Hawkthorn?- She asked. For Niamh, it erased the hypen, bringing the families closer together- though it did set them apart from both the Redhawk and Blackthorn families by creating a different surname. Still, it paid homage to both families and, as Niamh liked to think, also paid a small tribute to X given that the word 'hawk' was used in the name. She didn't want to be too contemporary, in creating a whole new name for their bloodline- and she felt fairly certain her yearling kids might not choose to adopt it too, but...A fresh start with the beginning of a new generation did have a nice feel to it.

Niamh didn't give her a direct response, though it almost seemed like a foregone conclusion, so was one even really needed? Towhee shifted a little as her sister-in-law mused about surnames, eventually proposing a new one. She licked her lips and stilled, taking a moment to peer down and admire her baby before replying.

-"I'd really rather stick with Redhawk-Blackthorn,"- she admitted, -"and I'd love to share it with the rest of you, though if you and Phox decide to go with something else, it's just—what's the word?—semantics?"- She rolled a white-dusted shoulder, trying not to get hung up on it. What was in a name, after all? Whatever they all went by, it wouldn't change the nature of their relationships.

That said, Towhee mused, -"I'd like to come up with a title for Meerkat to call you when she's old enough. I haven't gotten very far in the thought process, though I thought of... A-M-M-Y?"- It was kind of "aunt" and "mommy" blended together. The Regent fully intended to go by "mama," so it sounded different enough that hopefully it wouldn't cause any confusions. -"Unless you have any better ideas?"- Towhee invited openly.

Given that Niamh had only just come up with the name Hawkthorn a moment ago, she hadn't really had the time to become attached to it, so when it was shot down, she simply shrugged. Towhee, it seemed, liked the hyphenated name- maybe because it was the truest way to give a nod to both sides of the family. She wasn't sure what Phox would think- if he was a stickler for semantics or not, but she nodded. -I'm sure he'd be fine with it, prolly,- She said with a shrug. Even if he simply chose to keep his surname, it wasn't unusual for the females of the relationship to be the ones with hyphenated names. It would simply apply to the kids- and if Phox was alright with Meerkat having Redhawk-Blackthorn for a surname, he'd likely be fine with their kids having the same. 

Towhee proposed giving her a name, a nickname of sorts, and Niamh was surprised. She'd expected the kid to come up with some kind of name on her own, given that so few pronounced her name correctly as it was, but Towhee's idea was definitely easier...And gave a nod to her responsibility in the child's life, which made her smile. -I like that. An' I like that idea. Ammy, or Amma, or something along those lines,- She admitted. -So...Than, mine should call you...?- She asked, leaving the response to Towhee. Would her kids call Towhee Ammy as well? She was fine with that- and honestly, if any confusion was the result in the kids...Well, they'd all be raised together anyway, so she didn't mind being accidentally called one thing or the other, as long as Towhee was the other wolf getting the other word.

She smiled when Niamh agreed to the nickname, though her expression slipped a little when the Honoree asked her what name she would go by. "Oh," she blurted, "hm." Towhee had forgotten to assign herself a special moniker, though she knew she wanted Meerkat to call her "mama." "Maybe... you can be Mommy and Ammy and I'll be Mama and Towma?" They were homonyms, respectively, so maybe that would make them easier to remember. Although it seemed like a bit much. "Unless... you want to be Mommy to my Mama, full stop?"

Truthfully, she instinctively misliked the idea of Meerkat calling another woman "mommy." However, Towhee knew she could get over it, if it made things easier on the two of them and their kids, not to mention Phox. She did chuckle inwardly at herself for being capable of sharing her most coveted role with Niamh while still clinging to the Redhawk-Blackthorn surname.

I'll go over and edit the Meerkat post I just made if Niamh ends up going by something else, hehehe.

Niamh's brow furrowed as Towhee' offered suggestions, though the list of names did make her a bit confused, and she felt certain that their kids would just end up screwing their titles up (which mattered little to Niamh, to be honest) until she volunteered one option that made Niamh's features light up with sudden eagerness. "Oh!" She blurted, nodding and making approving gestures. -What if my kids used Towma for you and Meerkat used N-e-e-m-a for me?- She asked, though it was fairly apparent with her hopeful expression that her friend would take her up on that suggestion. And she didn't want to separate the children by whose biological mother they had, but for phrasing, it was simply easier to refer to them that way so they could figure out who called who what.

At least that way, Niamh knew that at least she would have an easier time differentiating between four different iterations of something that sounded like "Mama." She didn't address the subject of what their biological children would call them, as she was more or less in agreement with Towhee that Meerkat would call her Mama, and that her kids would call her...Well, hopefully they just called her something that wasn't profane.

This time, Niamh pitched something that Towhee loved and embraced immediately. -"That's it,"- she said, remembering to sign this time, her movements so exuberant that Meerkat began to fuss. The Regent quickly made to soothe her. Fortunately, the newborn settled down as soon as her mother did, so her orange eyes lifted again and she said, without signing this time, "Neema and Towma. I love it."

And now she was all the more excited for Niamh's litter to get here, so she and Meerkat could move in with them. At the same time, Towhee knew she shouldn't wish away these early days with her baby. Who knew if she'd ever get this chance again? Wraen had raised the idea in her mind, yet Towhee didn't dare speculate at this point. She was very much invested in the present she'd never thought she'd have. The future—all of it—could wait.

Murmuring happily under her breath, Towhee began to lick Meerkat simply for the pleasurable bonding aspect of it and for no other reason. Between passes of her tongue, she glanced up at Niamh and grinned, savoring this family moment for all she was worth.

A moment passed, as Towhee fussed over her new child, that with their new Mom-nicknames settled, Niamh felt herself easily slide into comfort knowing that Towhee had given birth to the little darling nestled at her side. Part of her might have sensed it- and part of her had been stubborn enough to believe that Raven had been wrong, and that Towhee could bear offspring. She realized then that she might never have come to terms with her friend being barren, had that been the actual truth- as she hoped so, so much that it wouldn't be so. She felt almost proud that Towhee had defied the odds that had been pitted against her, and that she had overcome what once been a terminal diagnosis for her dreams of reproducing.

Perhaps Niamh, being completely uneducated in the matters of medical sciences, had been too oblivious to realize fully that Raven, on any other day, could have potentially been totally correct. Some wolves could not reproduce- and that no amount of wishing and hoping or stubbornness could change that fact. And maybe it made Niamh a lesser friend for refusing to believe that that might have been the case for her friend. If Towhee hadn't ended up defying the odds and the diagnosis Raven had given her, Niamh might never have come to terms with the fact that Towhee simply couldn't have children, and it might not have done their friendship much good. Especially when she herself was set to go on, continuing to reproduce children as much as she wanted to, for the rest of her life. 

Of course, she was relatively close-minded as well, and likely didn't think of such things. Presently, she was completely infatuated with the beige child, and the way her friend looked as she nudged the gurgling baby to her belly. Whenever she glanced up, she would see Niamh smiling back, ear-to-ear, eyes full of tears. Damn straight her friend defied whatever odds had been set against her. Niamh believed in part that fate had finally been given a shake, enough so that it realized that Towhee deserved more, and that she deserved to get what she wanted- and like the selfish mortal being she was, she couldn't have been more proud of her friend.