Redsand Canyon We like to wuki.

Her youngest two were spending the morning with Ruenna at the palazzo, Towhee already looking forward to joining them for lunch later. For now, she patrolled the canyon’s perimeter. It was an uneventful beat, save for the part where she chased a scrappy coyote partway up Shadow Mountain.

After catching her breath and enjoying the views for a few moments, the Praefectus climbed down into the canyon, called it a wrap and decided there was time to stop by the oasis before heading to the former Matrona’s chambers. Towhee wondered if Fennec had surveyed the land and might be preparing her garden nearby.

Maybe @Aquene? :)

So newly anointed as the next Matrona and already she was pulled away from her duties. Word had come that Tamar was close to giving birth. The woman had requested her presence, her expertise, and Aquene would never deny her friend such a request and so she steadied, a deer hide being carefully packed, acting as a bundle for her to carry the herbs important for giving birth. It was a terrifying time for any mother, even an experienced one… birth could be so unpredictable.
 
It was upon her return from the Tablinum that she caught the familiar sight and scent of the Praefectus. Her tail wagged though she made no attempt to call for her. It would do not good and quite literally fall upon deaf ears. She did not know the strange motion language that Towhee used to communicate with many so instead she crept up along the woman’s side, offering a slight bump before moving slightly in front of her so she might lip read.
 
“It’s been quite some time since we’ve had time to talk.” Between the chaos that had ensued and their own duties, it had truly been far too long since she’d been able to converse with her friend.

She didn’t get very far when she felt a nudge to the space just past her rib cage. Towhee whirled, snapping her teeth playfully at Aquene, then grinning and throwing a companionable elbow her way.

That tickled, she complained, nodding to acknowledge the healer’s comment. Yeah, it do be like that sometimes, especially with the demands of young kids. But hey, congrats on the promo.

Towhee made no mention of her own interest in the rank, nor did she voice the opinion that she still wished they’d changed the its name to something else. In her eyes, the term matrona was synonymous with Rue and Aquene deserved her own fancy, unique title.

How’s it going so far? she said instead, planting her feet and shifting a bit to face the medicus properly to indicate she had both time and interest in a proper catchup.

Aquene could not help but snort at the woman’s complaint, offering her a wink. “I mean, better than me trying to yell across the canyon for it to fall on literal deaf ears.” She pointed out before she was acknowledged. “Thanks… it still doesn’t feel real, you know? Like nothing feels different. I guess I thought it would feel different.” Aquene had been prepared to take a role similar to this, just with far less sway over the workings of the pack, a glorified incubator… she guessed there would be some kind of powerful feeling with it.
 
The question came, and Aquene offered a shrug, the hints of her insecurity showing on her features for a moment. “It’s going I guess… it’s… weird… like I still look around for Ruenna to guide, you know?” She understood why the woman had stepped down. “And Arsenio was not happy to learn I had accepted the role and chosen to keep my family in Mereo… it’s hard to not worry about that.”

Towhee’s face took on a contemplative expression when Aquene admitted that she wasn’t necessarily clicking with her new role yet. Towhee idly wondered if coming up with a different title might give the healer a better sense of ownership over it, though she held off on making that suggestion for a moment.

She focused on the mention of Arsenio. Towhee was pretty sure she could imagine how he felt. It was probably very similar to how she’d felt upon learning that Aquene and Kallik intended to follow him to the outpost. She felt for the guy, though mostly Towhee was just selfishly thrilled that they were staying here after all.

She said as much. You can’t please everyone, though for what it’s worth, I’m hell’a pleased you’re sticking around and helping run the show. It feels right.

Towhee hummed under her breath, considering bringing up the idea of a unique title now, though instead she found herself confessing, You know, I briefly thought about taking it up myself, though you’re definitely more suited. With that said, if you need some support, just shout—or, well, tickle me, I guess.

Aquene herself had considered modifying the title, but she remained uncertain. Matrona was a tradition, a title created by Germanicus for Mereo… it was not created for Ruenna in particular but for whoever would lead beside him… it had just happened to be Ruenna first. As a result, Aquene did not truly know how to feel about it.
 
Still, she hummed at her friend’s words, a frown on her features as she nodded. “I’m glad I’m staying too… I had agreed to go to Epoch… but my ability to help wolves remains where the soldiers are… I could teach, it’s true, but I’ve always been one for action… for healing on the fly, not for teaching theoretics to those who would eventually use it.” She offered up, giving her friend a friendly bump with a light chuckle. “Besides, now our pups can train together.” She added on a more lighthearted nature than the future injuries that would no doubt come to Mereo.
 
She had admitted that she had almost taken the role herself and Aquene raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know that I could imagine you anything other than a warrior… even if you would be an amazing Matrona in your own right. I’ll definitely be leaning on you for support, Towhee… I still feel very uncertain in my role.” She admitted, pausing for a moment before continuing. “Especially since Germanicus has sent Kallik on a mission… we are not certain when he will return, and so I am left alone with Siku and Nanuq.”

Well, shit, I’m gonna get old and retire someday… sooner rather than later, if I’m honest, Towhee replied. I’ve spent a lot of time as a leader and a mother, so I think I could still contribute even if I put away my sword, she added with a chuckle. I prefer action too but those who can’t do, teach. And when I can’t do the do anymore, I like the idea of passing on what I know to the next generations.

She hadn’t meant to go on some self-involved ramble and shot Aquene a sheepish glance, though her face went a bit slack with surprise at the news about Kallik. She hadn’t realized he’d been sent off on a mission, especially not one with an indefinite return date. She swallowed, thinking of her recent confession to Maxim. Towhee’s stomach tightened in sympathy.

Damn, Mereo really threw you to the wolves, she quipped. How can I help? Towhee tacked on quickly, trying to steer the conversation back where she’d intended it: supporting Aquene in her new venture.

She supposed Towhee did have a point. Despite how the woman aged more every day, it was hard to see her as anything other than the badass warrior who had valiantly dove in to help Aquene at the borders when Dimitri showed up… somewhere along the way, between his general absence in her life and how secure she felt within Mereo’s borders, she had stopped being afraid of what he might do to her… though some of her nerves had returned with Kallik’s continued absence due to missions and travel.
 
Still, she offered the woman a soft smile. “It’s been… hard, but I think I’m managing it.” She felt as though she had done a good job at managing it all as well. “I’m still really… unclear as to what Ruenna’s job as Matrona was? I know she oversaw us civilians but in terms of her day to day responsibilities, I’m at a bit of a loss.” She admitted to the woman as a deep frown creased her features. “I guess… do you know what she did?” Oh, what a Matrona she was proving to be, not even aware of her own job. She felt a heat rise to her cheeks in admitting her biggest problem at the moment.

Aquene’s request momentarily stumped Towhee. Of course, she ought to consult with Ruenna or even Germanicus about that, though the Praefectus supposed that wasn’t the helpful and supportive answer the healer was after right now. Towhee poked her tongue against her cheek thoughtfully as she reflected on the Matrona’s day-to-day duties.

Only Rue could answer this very specifically—and the Imperator could tell you what he needs from you in the role—but my guess is the title is meant to be self-explanatory. As in, you are the pack’s ‘mother,’ there to guide the civilians and delegate tasks among them. I imagine you’ll need to sort of assess what Mereo needs most and then assign duties accordingly.

But that was a pretty broad stroke, so Towhee tried to narrow down the suggestion to give Aquene a concrete place to start, asking, What trade or specialty do you think is currently underserved in the pack?

Aquene hummed softly at her statements, watching as her friend really processed what she was asking and proposed a few of her own interpretations. She supposed she was right; if there was something that the Imperator wanted her to do as part of her tasks, then she would be asked to do it… it was her role to guide, to be a mother… admittedly, the idea was far less daunting than it might have been even a few months prior… she at least had some experience in that regard now.
 
“I suppose… with Tamar gone, we do not have anyone for housekeeping, for seeing to the quarters from day to day… and we could always use more involved in the healing arts.” But perhaps that was her own bias as a healer. “Perhaps even some scouts… someone more set with diplomacy who does not necessarily fight? It could even be someone retired from the soldier ranks… sometimes I fear sending soldiers on diplomatic missions might… cause tensions, with those we are trying to align with.” It was all proposed more as a question, almost like she wanted Towhee’s opinion on her thoughts as well as she tried to navigate this new role.

You could work on finding wolves who’d do well with those tasks and fit into those roles, Towhee concurred, or at the very least, have potential. You could train them yourself or match them with someone who could teach them the skills they need. On the flip side, you could consult with each of the civilians, ask about their strengths and work with them to figure out where they might best contribute to Mereo’s well-being. Damn, I should be an advisor!

Towhee laughed and stopped there, hoping everything she’d said made sense to Aquene. These were some great places to start, she thought, but there was plenty more ground to cover. She was certain Aquene was up to the task, even if it may take her a bit of time to settle confidently into the role.

You’ve got this, Aquene, the Redhawk concluded with a grin.

Towhee provided invaluable advise, as always. For a moment, Aquene considered how it was likely the other woman who should be stepping up in her place as Matrona, allowing Aquene to simply handle her role as medicus and focus on the welfare of those in the pack… though, really wasn’t that what Ruenna had done, sans herbs? “I think that is a wonderful idea.” All she had needed was someone to bounce the ideas off.
 
She smiled a little more, winking at the woman as she laughed it off. “It’s funny… I was raised to be a ruler, to handle the other shamans of my birth pack though we were always going to be considered lesser than even the lowest of soldiers… and even then, I was never really aware of what I was supposed to be doing before healing.” There was a certain irony behind it. “Thank you, Towhee… you always seem to know what to say.”

Had Aquene ever told her any of this? Towhee tipped her head, unable to remember. Her eyes fixed on the healer’s lips, expression curious. She wanted to hear more but didn’t want to come across as rude if she was making Aquene repeat herself. Hmmm.

You’re welcome. Hey, you wanna walk with me to pick up my kids from Rue’s? Then you can talk to her about all of this. She’ll probably be even more helpful, Towhee coaxed.

We can keep going or just fade this out with a summary of how Towhee is doing <3 Either works for me

Aquene had not been forthcoming with the gritty details of her former homelife. She knew very few had been keyed into the truth, even after Dimitri had attacked her at the borders. Germanicus knew, as did Ruenna to some extent… and then Kallik. She had never shared, not seeing the point of dragging up old trauma, not when others had a habit of looking at her differently afterward.
 
“I would love to.” She didn’t know why she hadn’t thought to simply ask Rue herself… perhaps she did not want to let her down, or make her feel as though the work she had put in had been unseen by the medicus… but she had not. “What is new with you? And how are the kids? I’ve felt so out of touch chasing after my own and keeping up with everything else.”

I need to pare down my threads a bit, so I’m gonna fade this one for us.

The pair began to walk toward the palazzo across the canyon. When Aquene asked her about her recent goings-on, she immediately thought about her conversation with Maxim. That was probably the juiciest gossip she had on offer and she didn’t mind sharing her revelation from a few nights back.

By the time they strolled up to Rue’s front porch and her kids came spilling out to greet them, Towhee had forgotten all about the mention of shamans. Tipping her head toward the door, she offered Aquene a final nudge of encouragement before teasing her twosome into a race back to their own house for lunch.