Moonspear Atari's lantern.

They were overdue, Towhee knew, and for this reason, she didn't stop at the terrace but led her daughter directly toward the foot of the mountain. She motioned for Meerkat to take a seat at her shoulder. Towhee had grounded her for leaving the copse unsupervised a few weeks back and only recently lifted the punishment. The pup was properly contrite and quick to obey, folding her paws primly and staying quiet.

For a few moments, the Regent deliberated before saying, -"Go ahead and call for @Hydra. Tell her who's calling and that we're at the northern borders."-

Meerkat nodded eagerly and threw her snout skyward. Although Towhee couldn't hear it, the pup called, "Hi, Aunt @Hydra! It's Meerkat and Towhee. We're at the northern borders!"

They're looking for Hydra but anyone's welcome!

Cameo! 

A familiar howling. Mira's ears perked, the bug she had been stalking in the clearing outside the den scattered off as she lost interest in it. Though mother's voice had not met it yet, Mira was ever-curious, returning her own simple howl of hi, followed by a short series of meaningless melodies before she fell silent again- listening closely, and more interested now that she had begun to understand language and communication.

She remained in her duties, sometimes tailing after Hydra as a background prop; but on previous months she had been withdrawn to the night. It's taken an adjugement to realign herself to the day-times, but Desdemona is working on it. During the trail and error, she heard the call to not Moonspear itself, but to the Alpha.

Dutifully, the guard dropped to assist behind, but didn't know arrived before Hydra. Politely, she greeted the two in a bow of the head. A woman of beautiful black and reds, with a smaller pup accompanying her.

A smaller howl was noted from afar, assuming to be one of the children born for the season.

The howl that came gave Hydra some pause from her snack with her growing cubs. Her tail waved as she remembered her friend had been due for a visit, though she did not think much of the lateness. No doubt the Firebirds were saddled with children themselves. Placing her cubs in the care of @Dirge and @Alya for the time, Hydra sang back in turn; her children were not quite ready for the borders yet, and she was not prepared to introduce the cubs to them then. She called in turn, I am on my way. It would not be long before she arrived, as she headed toward the waiting duo.

Rather than keep an eye on the nearby mountainside, Towhee instead watched Meerkat. She noticed when the girl reacted to some noise, the pup soon explaining that she thought it was one of the babies calling. The Regent clicked her tongue with interest, eyes sweeping the slopes right as a figure appeared to join them.

-She's a stranger,- Towhee signed to Meerkat, then gestured, -Stay where you are,- right before moving partially in front of her daughter to greet the unfamiliar she-wolf.

Returning the respectful gesture, she quickly introduced, "Hello. I'm Towhee and this is my daughter, Meerkat. Hydra is ex—" Her voice cut off abruptly as Meerkat tugged on her tail. Despite herself, the Regent turned to glance at her, prepared to scold her for the interruption.

-"Hydra just said she's on her way!"- the youngster said enthusiastically, prompting Towhee to face forward again to see if the swarthy guardian would corroborate this.

can skip desdemona unless directly talk to! she more cameoing

The guard was patient toward the two, communicating in a way she did not understand, "I am Desdemona of Moonspear," with a short tip of her head in a polite fashion. Her ear flickered at the sound of her Alpha, and repeated toward the red woman, "Hydra will be here shortly," she said.

It took some time, but Towhee and her daughter would not be waiting too terribly long for her; before very long, Hydra swept upon the scene. She greeted Desdemona with a fond and familiar nip, glad to see it was she that had attended Towhee beforehand; Moonspears borders, by scent alone, were clearly well maintained... but it was always nice to see it, too. You may resume your patrol if you wish, Desdemona, she offered with a wave of her plume, before her gaze shifted to her sister in name. 

And to the guest with her, too. Having missed the introduction, Hydra moved expertly in their direction to get a good whiff of her with a swaying plume. So, you are the one I have been communicating with, Hydra deduced in a drawl with pricked ears and a welcoming smile, leaning forward ever so slightly to sniff at the girl if permitted (and in turn, granting Meerkat and Towhee both the opportunity to do the same). It was good to put a face and scent to it, and her warm gaze shifted to Towhee; there was always a certain relief she felt when she saw the face of her.

She hadn't set eyes on Hydra since winter, yet there was nothing but fond familiarity between them when the mountain's queen appeared. She summarily dismissed her guardian, then eagerly moved forward to meet Towhee and her daughter. Meerkat glanced at her mother, who nodded encouragement, before rushing forward to sniff noses with her aunt, tail wagging so fast it was nothing more than a pale blur.

-"Hydra, this is my daughter, Meerkat. She's been looking forward to meeting the legend,"- the Regent introduced, gently nudging her child to the side to offer her sister-in-arms a nuzzle. -"She's one of four children I'm helping to rear this year, though the only one borne of my own body,"- she continued, orange eyes glimmering as she wondered what Hydra would make of this turn, particularly following their last real conversation. -"The others are my brother's and Niamh's crotch fruit: Alyx, Quetzal and Primrose. And I meant to bring my older two but they're off having adventures of their own these days."-

Towhee paused, looking sideways at Meerkat, who sat in attentive silence. She then moved her gaze back to Hydra and asked the natural followup question. -"How are you and your family?"- She'd heard about the woman's litter via their little messenger here, yet Towhee wanted to hear all about them from their mother's own mouth.

-"Yeah,"- Meerkat chimed in from beside her, grinning from ear to ear, -"where're the babies? I heard one!"-

bowing out post!

Desdemona nodded at her lead, and one toward Towhee as per respect. She didn't wish to linger around more to their more personal affairs, and upon gaining permission, the wolf walked out, and disappeared back to the mountains. With the two peacefully talking, she would properly make sure no intruders would disturb them.

Sniffing at Meerkat with a probing (but gently so) nose, Hydra drank in the scents of her. There was a pang as she thought she detected her brother upon the several among her... but it did not show upon her exterior while she worked at distinguishing the rest. In any event, her sister-by-name said just the right thing in which to remove any off-color feelings that she might have felt. 

The legend, Towhee had referred to her as. 

Hydra found she quite liked that. 

With her ego stroked sufficiently, Hydra was all the warmer for it, turning to look to Meerkat. Her eye was keen enough to notice the similarities present between them, but Hydra attributed this to being her brothers son. Atlas, physically, reminded her much of Arcturus with his bright yellow eyes... the resemblance was almost uncanny, but he was filling out far more than Arcturus had in her own estimation. But when Towhee revealed the girls relation to her, Hydra's gaze turned toward her. 

In front of Towhee, she was comfortable enough to be as much of an open book as she could be... but she was mindful of her daughter. Still, the look that crossed her features then was very much so a, wait a moment... but I thought...? before her gaze turned again to Meerkat. Somehow, the news made her love the girl all the more fiercely before she knew her at all. Blood never really mattered when it came to herself and Towhee, but Hydra knew this one was special; something Towhee had been... what, blessed with? Did she believe in all of that? In fact she did—life worked in mysterious ways. All got what they deserved, and no one more than Towhee deserved the good fortune and brilliance of being a mother... though she knew as most did it was not an easy task. 

There were other children as well, though Hydra's attentions were largely for the most important among them (in her own estimation, anyway). 

Hello, Meerkat. Nice to properly meet you, she grinned, and her gaze shifted to Towhee, motherhood still suits you, whether your fruit came from you or any other; I know how that came to be, though... I cannot imagine how you must have felt when she came to be, she thrilled, turning to Meerkat and wanting very much so for Towhee to gush all about it. She was all but chomping at the bit to do so herself, she was so overjoyed for her comrade. 

Answering her first, now, she informed, they are still too young for the borders yet. I do not want to encourage them this way before they can be here themselves, lest they think it is alright for them to do so. They are bold, she grinned. And to answer Towhee, she looked and said, as for my own family... we are six cubs stronger this season. My brother and sister-in-law bore two cubs together... a son and a daughter. Saviguk and Sialuk are their names. As for my own, I have had two boys and two girls. There is Altair, Caelum, Mira, and Mintaka... It was helpful to have her children around to help rear them in the absence of the one that had run away from it all. She was thankful to have so many hands on deck to raise them.

Her tail waved to think of them as she lamented, it will be some time yet before they move to the rendezvous. But once they are able to travel, perhaps we may meet again at our own rendezvous point, she quipped with a wave of her tail.

-"Awww, okay,"- came Meerkat's reply to Hydra's explanation, bobbing her head as she added, -"I wanna meet 'em someday!"- She hoped it would be someday soon, especially because, -"They all have really cool names! Mira sounds like my name!"-

-"Okay, Captain Obvious,"- Towhee rumbled affectionately, preparing to say something else when Meerkat cut across her.

-"And Saviguk and Sialuk kinda sound like my other name, Suricate!"-

-"True, true,"- the Regent agreed with a huff of laughter, gaze shifting from Meerkat back to Hydra as she said, -"Can you believe this chipper little thing came out of me? I had no idea I was pregnant until I thought I shat myself one night and my turd had a face."- Towhee grinned lopsidedly, wondering how Moonspear's queen would react to that crass little tale.

Two names? That was interesting to Hydra, who only had the one (not including the monikers earned overtime). It was clear that the girl much preferred the name Meerkat in any event, as that was what she went by. Hydra could see the bond between mother and daughter before her eyes, heart warming; a part of her was reminded that Towhee had never thought this would be possible for her. And here it was, before the two of them. 

And the duo were night and day; Towhee and her were two birds of a feather, and though Meerkat came from one of those birds her own feather was on an entirely different appendage that seemed to serve a different function. No less important for that, though. Each feather had a purpose that someday led to flight, and Hydra could see no clipped wings between the two of them. 

That Towhee did not know she was pregnant was surprising to the matriarch, though. You had no idea up until the very end? Hydra marveled, feeling a pang of envy for that. My children, while within the womb, were not so kind—especially in the earlier days. You have never seen a she-wolf become so sick, she lamented, bringing a foreleg to her chest for added dramatic flare, grinning at her own expense. And in the later days, I was ravenous for fare that ought not go together. Fish-venison, simultaneously. Goose, groundhog, and moose liver—also all at once. And when I did not get it, I felt I could cry until there were no tears left, she recalled with a shake of her head and a laugh; Hydra did not cry, and to do so over something so absurd... well, pregnancy hormones were cruel that way. But she had no qualms in sharing such with the duo before her; they were family, and though Hydra knew Meerkat not at all, she plainly loved her and accepted her already.  There was nothing like that for you? She pondered aloud, wondering if Towhee perhaps was not aware of all that came with pregnancy... or if she truly had been so fortunate!

She shook her head at Hydra's question, smiling at the recollection even as she slung an arm around her child and drew her close, just barely resisting the urge to give her an affectionate noogie. Towhee saved the verbal explanation for when her friend finished, her orange eyes remaining riveted on Hydra's lips in the meantime. She didn't glance down when Meerkat squealed and squirmed, though she did release her hold, only for the youngster to drape herself against her mother's foreleg anyway. Towhee smiled gently, arm draping loosely over her small shoulder blades.

Indeed, the visual of a crying Hydra was utterly absurd. -"I just assume by 'crying,' you mean lots of howling and tears of blood,"- Towhee quipped. -"There were signs, which I realized only in hindsight. I thought you were bad gas,"- she said down to the top of Meerkat's fuzzy head, earning a pbbbt she saw but didn't hear. Towhee laughed. -"There were no others, so I didn't gain weight or notice any changes in appetite. I didn't having cravings or feel sick. There was that sense of bubbling, near the end, but I was convinced I would never get to experience it... and didn't really know I had until it was over."-

Of course, pregnancy was just the first chapter, birth a brief footnote. She would get to live out the rest of the story with Meerkat. And now Towhee knew she could have children, so perhaps there would be others in the future. That idea was so monumental to her, she didn't dare think on it right now. Everything would be so different next year. She could hardly wait, though a big part of just wanted to set that whole train of thought aside for now and just focus on bringing up her little miracle.

Speaking of which, she felt more than saw her daughter yawn, then shiver. The trip was so exciting for her, Towhee knew, and she'd lost sleep over it. And then the journey had taken a lot out of her. She was still so young, after all. They ought to head home. She hated to cut it so short, though she knew Hydra more than understood. It had been awesome to catch up, if only briefly, and introduce her offspring to her sister-in-arms. And just as Hydra had already mentioned, they could arrange future rendezvous as their children grew. (Little did she know...)

-"We should get back to the copse. Sorry we can't stay longer. But we'll meet again, won't we?"- She nuzzled Meerkat's head even as she directed the words at Hydra.

-"Can we come back tomorrow?"- Meerkat queried, glancing between both women.

-"Sure,"- Towhee replied with a laugh, meeting Hydra's gaze with a measurement of amusement, knowing Meerkat couldn't really conceptualize time at her age, -"we'll come back 'tomorrow.'"-