Sun Mote Copse Plasma storm.

Only one side of her mouth twitched upward into a smirk at his words. She took them how he meant them: he was loyal to the pack, not solely to her or anyone else in the ranks, including his mother. After watching the rest of the yearlings slowly trail away toward the horizon, it was heartening to know that at least one intended to stay with them, find someone and settle down right here.

"That makes me happy," she admitted, trying to quash down any inappropriate implications. "I don't hold it against them but it's been hard, watching the others go. I bet Niamh's thrilled to hold onto you too." Mentioning his mother's (and her best friend's) name aloud was a little like pouring cold water over her own head, not that she needed that when the rainstorm really picked up and did the job for her.

Well, the leaves offered a decent amount of shelter, though Towhee huddled even closer to her daughter. Meerkat was fast asleep now, boneless and warm. As the Regent shielded her smaller head with her own, it put her muzzle quite close to Bronco's. She enjoyed a closeup view of the scars on his snout before turning her head slightly to press a kiss between the pup's ears.

For a few moments, she was silent, her thoughts drifting all over the place. Then, despite her own better judgment, Towhee couldn't resist temptation and she asked, "Okay, I gotta ask: how do you plan to have children if the mere mention of s—reproduction makes you hurl?"