Sawtooth Spire They're making plans while I watch TV

for @Stag <3

Taki absolutely hated the summers here. Even in the mountains, the weather was insufferable. This was about the time of year her coat at least thinned, coming out in clumps everywhere. But it offered little relief, and she knew it would only get warmer before they were finally blessed with fall again. So that meant she spent most of the warmer afternoon hours in the water.

She had managed to contribute a small weasel to one of the caches this morning—a measly offering, but it was about all she could manage still. She was no longer sick, but it was taking a while to rebuild her strength, something that was incredibly frustrating to someone who had never experienced such weakness in her whole life. By the time she reached the water, she was hot and tired and the coolness it promised pulled her forward quickly on tired legs. She waded in, releasing an audible sigh of relief once the water penetrated her thick coat and cooled the skin beneath. 

Once she was sure her fur was sufficiently soaked, she swam back up to a more shallow part and lay down so that only her head and shoulders were still above water. Then she closed her eyes and tried to let the moment shut out her constantly busy mind.

Drawn to the banks by his mother's scent, Stag briefly observed Takiyok as she waded in the water, irritation rippling out from her frame in the same manner of the gentle ripples that disturbed the pond's edges. He had not lived long enough to acquire a disdain of hotter climes; so far, Stag had only experienced one season of summer, and scarcely knew what was in store.

He noted his mother's form remained alarmingly lean; he was not used to seeing her so threadbare, and the dampness of her coat only served to further accentuate that she had experienced tremendous hardship at the cost of her condition. Moved to alarmed concern, Takiyok's son fluttered to his dam's side in the wading shallows, ears splayed back as he greeted her silently.

The sound of someone stepping into the water made her eyes fly open, and she she turned to see Stag making his way towards her. She offered him a loving smile as she waited for him to reach her and then greeted him with a few gentle licks to his muzzle and head. Her son was probably the one thing good thing in her life, and it made her never want to leave him again. Almost dying had a way of cutting through all the bullshit and showing you what was really important, and her children were definitely the most important thing to her. She still had no idea where Monarch, Mesa, and Ego were, but her oldest Son was right here, and she was beyond thankful for that. 

How are you? she asked, looking him over. He did he already look so much like an adult? It made a twinge of sadness shoot through her chest. She loved that he was growing into a strong young man, but she felt like it had all happened so fast. And of course, she still felt immense guilt at not being here the last few months. The longer she was here, the harder it was to convince herself of any reason why she needed to separate them again.

Stag dropped his muzzle as his dam imparted a few affectionate licks -- she was not free of his own in return, though the yearling settled carefully some distance away.

He was relieved she was back -- selfishly, he knew -- but relieved all the same. It had been a long and strange time without her, and he had been tormented by the guilt he should have gone with her. If he had -- maybe she wouldn't have gotten so sick.

"I'm fine." Stag replied, keeping his tone light despite the guilt that chased him like a demon. He cared more about how she was. How was she feeling? Did she need anything? His gaze passed over her frame with concern before he spoke again. "But never mind that. How are you? Are you feeling any better -- do you want anything?"

Taki smiled at his return affection, watching him quietly as he settled a short distance away. He told her was fine and before she could probe further, he pushed away her concern and bombarded her with his own. Just like that, he flipped their roles as if he was the parent and she was the child; it was unlike any interaction she had with him before, and it made guilt burn more fiercely in her chest. He wasn't supposed to worry about her like that, and she hated that she had given him reason to. She didn't like being sickly and pitied by her own son. It was partially her own stubborn pride, but she also didn't like seeing that look on his face. She had done enough to hurt him, and she couldn't bear that she was still hurting him now. But the sickness had taken its toll on her body, and it just needed time to heal; in the meantime, she was incredibly impatient with the whole process, and it was even more frustrating that there was literally no way she could control it. 

She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, her lips curving into the loving smile reserved only for her children. This, right here, is all I need, she finally told him. And it was the truth—all she really wanted was to spend time with him. But to better answer him and hopefully ease his concern, she added: I'm feeling much better, just kind of tired. She hated how tired she was all the time, and she yearned for the days when she had what seemed like endless energy. I want to hear about you, though, she told him, quickly changing the subject back to him; she was tired of thinking about how weak she was. What have you been up to?

Stag knew he was pushing her own concern away in favor of his needing to tend to her well-being, but Stag was Takiyok's son through and through. He carried his own brand of stubbornness, even if it came out in unusual ways.

He watched as sunlight refracted off of the rippling water, only serving to illuminate the haggardness of his mother's condition. His jaw involuntarily tightened. "That's good." The boy responded, frustrated just as his mother was that he could not control how quickly she healed, nor could he improve the rate in which weight rebound between her ribs. It was unnerving being at the mercy of something totally unknown. "I haven't been up to much of anything." While he wanted to ask more questions, he decided to humor her - if only because he knew he could not deflect forever. "I've been watching Phaedra a lot -- she's Wylla's daughter." No poker face in the world could disguise the light that lit up in his gaze. "We're building a garden together."

She was relieved that he accepted her answer and moved on to answering her own question. She had seen the way his jaw ticked when it tightened, and she wondered if he might press her further, but instead he told her of his time with Phaedra. She was Wylla's daughter, which meant she was Mahler's daughter as well. She hated the pang of jealousy that shot through her heart at that thought. She hated the control her feelings for him still had over her and even more, she hated that the stupid feelings were still there; she was beginning to think that she would never be free of them. 

All of that was easily forgotten, though, when she saw the way Stag's face lit up as he talked about her and the garden they had been building. She couldn't help the loving smile that curved her lips then; she loved to see him happy. Oh really? she answered first. I would love to see it sometime, she told him next. What kinds of things are you growing in this garden? she asked, her curiosity genuine and obvious.

Stag knew very little of Mahler's trysts with others, but he might have held the same opinion as his mother if only he had known. So far, he had only seen bits and pieces of Mahler's actions among his women; he did not profess to understand the relations his mentor-leader shared with Nyx and Wylla, and he did not think it was his place to judge it too harshly.

Onto Phaedra, a lighter, happier topic. "Right now, just mostly dandelions and snails." Stag joked, his tail thumping in the water. "I don't know anything about plants, so a lot of it is trial by fire. We have to build this little rock wall first, to keep all the pests out." Stag mused that it served more than keep the hares at bay; it served as a barrier between the unforgiving reality, and Phaedra's hidden little world. "Do you know anything about plants? What should I help put in it?"

She liked listening to Stag talk about his garden with Phaedra. He seemed happy when he did, and his happiness meant more to her than anything else. She shook her head and laughed softly at his question. I'm afraid I don't know much about plants, she told him. Fighting, scouting, pushing others away—those were all things she was good at, but not gardening. I could help you find rocks for the wall, though, she suggested. You could introduce me to Phaedra, and we could work on the garden together? She smiled, shaking her head as a fly buzzed in her ear. Then she shrugged. If you'd like me to help, that is. She didn't want to impose on his project if he wanted it to just be for the two of them.

Stag didn't know much about plants, either. All he knew came from Phaedra, or occasionally, Mahler -- like his mother, he had never invested in discovering if he had a green thumb or not.

His ears lifted following Takiyok's offer: with her help, they could make the rockwall truly fortified. He was sure Phaedra wouldn't mind. "That'd be awesome," His tail began to wag as he thought of what the two of them could accomplish while Phaedra tended to her hidden garden. "What are you doing tomorrow?"

She wasn't sure why she had been afraid he wouldn't want her to help him, but she had been. So when he seemed excited by the offer, warmth spread in her chest—a warmth only her children could summon within her. Her own tail wagged against the water in response to his, and she offered him a small, loving smile. 

She pretended to think about his question as if she had a busy schedule of something, but then she smiled again. Hanging out with you, I presume, she told him. She had nothing else to do, but even if she did, she would much rather help him and his friend with their garden. Recovering from illness meant she wasn't bogged down by responsibility for once in her life, and she planned on spending as much time as she could with Stag.

Takiyok's smile pressed a similar one from Stag, who grinned idiotically into the water as he saw his mother feign checking her schedule, and then answer. "Good." He confirmed, his tail making the water about them splash. "With two adults we'll get that wall built in no time." Phaedra tried, but she was not big enough to pick up the larger stones -- and it was backbreaking (or, tooth breaking) work as much as Stag made light of it.

He lowered his head into the water, thinking. Little bubbles broke the surface as his gaze traveled from the bank, back to his mother. A slow grin crept across his narrow muzzle as he looked at Takiyok impishly, stilling..

And then he lunged with a great splash her way, scampering off the second the little cascade rained down around her. Stag did not wait to see his mother's reaction, a sense of joy thudding in his breast as they played for some time in the water. The day grew long, and then longer -- and even still, their laughter sounded well into evening.

I hope you don't mind a fade <3 I'm trying to conclude all my older threads across my characters because I am feeling overwhelmy. LMK when you'd like a fresh one!! <333