Redsand Canyon Boot Straps

“Yeah, leaning hard into it,” he said with conviction, prompting Towhee to lean into him, butting their heads gently together. It caused her to miss his remark about speaking to the Imperator, though as soon as she felt his mouth moving, she leaned back to catch the rest. Confusion flickered over her face when he mentioned separation, wondering what she’d missed. The context was impossible to guess.

Do what separately? she asked, feeling a twinge of relief when he quickly clarified. Oh, we can talk to him together if you want. And then I was thinking you should probably go to the vale and see if, y’know, we’re actually welcome there, Towhee said with a laugh.

Perhaps it was a foregone conclusion—she couldn’t imagine any reason they would turn them away—but of course Towhee wanted to give Arsenio and Tamar the heads up beforehand. She thought about the last time they’d seen them, during their little field trip with the kids. A sense of rightness curled in her belly at the recollection.

Yes, I’m ready to speak to the kids if you are, she remembered to answer.

i know jacksnipe is on NPC so not sure how we wanna handle that for teo buuut @Leona is welcome to crash in now <3 (and apologies for double tag)

together, for talking to the imperator, yeah. and right. should probably make sure with epoch instead of assume. he laughed warm. gently nudged at her chest for a moment.

he went ahead and tipped his head back, calling for the children. he saw no need to actually get up and call them outside. it wasn't as if he could make towhee deaf(er) with his call.

briefly he wondered if any other redhawks may stick their nose in here to see what the commotion was about.

Jack! Stop it! Leona's voice could be heard shrieking outside of the den, somewhere in the vicinity of the common grounds, and then a drum beat followed as she could be heard running alongside him. They were only playing - but when things got too rough for Leona, she let him know.

When she heard the summoning howl of their father Leona's game immediately ended, and she urged her brother to change direction. They arrived together at the den - laughing, as Jack made it to the door first. While he got settled she drifted in to nose at her father's chin.

Hi, da, she said and then turned to Towhee to smile and (poorly) sign, -hi milk- (thinking she had the ptero sign right for mother). She didn't have any idea what as going on, and wasn't mindful enough to ask outright.

Teo let us know Jack will be going to Epoch, so I’ll reference that here. :)

Maxim summoned their children. While they waited, Towhee tried to brace herself. Hope for the best, she thought, and prepare for the worst. If they framed this move correctly, Jack and Leo would hopefully find it an exciting turn of events rather than some horrible surprise.

They arrived in a whirlwind of autumn smells. Towhee grinned when Jack promptly leaped toward the gifts Reyson had brought, sniffing at them and asking questions. Leo, meanwhile, drifted toward her father, though she signed a greeting to Towhee, who could only affectionately roll her eyes.

Clapping her paws together for attention, Towhee waited until three sets of eyes were looking her way before saying, You guys remember Epoch? In the vale? With Tamar and the little kids? We’re gonna go there again, only this time, we’re gonna stay. We want you to come with us, but if you like, you’re welcome to stay here in Mereo. The packs are right next to each other, so there will be plenty of visits.

Despite giving them a choice, Towhee’s expression probably very loudly screamed, Please come with us!

“’Course we’re going with you, I’m bored of this place!” Jack promptly shouted.

Trying to fight her smile (and ignoring the fact that her son had spoken for her daughter), Towhee looked hopefully to young Leona.

there was a need to scoop up leo when she came to nose at his chin. although he watched her sign milk at towhee with a smirk. deeply humored and he welcomed it. only then would he try to pull her up between the two adult bodies.

towhee quickly divulged into the details of things, painting it far better than he would have.

jack quickly chimed in, speaking loud and confidently. we. only that was not his choice. no matter how loud or excited he would be.

what do you say, little lion?

affectionately he nosed her chin back, like she had done to him on arrival.

Mom started talking about Epoch, reminding Leona of their visit there, which to the girl hadn't been so formative as to be memorable; she remembered they'd gone somewhere but not why, or who they met, or what they did. Such things took the back seat in Leona's head, who was much more focused on games and training (in that order).

The longer the explanation went on, the more that Leona understood of it. It sounded like mom and dad wanted to take them away from Mereo, which was a surprise Leona was not prepared for; Jack shouted in favor of it, and mom had a bright look upon her face, the kind which Leona had missed during the frightening span of time that Towhee was injured and not accepting visitors; that touch-and-go moment right after the chaos.

What do you say, little lion? Her dad asked, nudging her while she processed.

It really didn't feel like a choice. Leona wasn't about to say no to her esteemed, beloved parents. Jack's right, we're going! Leona piped up finally, and stood strong beside her brother with a mimicked posture, feigning the same energy that he exuded. Deep down though, Leona knew she wasn't being truthful; but she was a kid, and not only did she desire happiness in her family unit, but she was afraid of being left here alone even if here was her one true home.

Leona didn’t disappoint her mother. Not, Towhee reminded herself, that I would’ve been disappointed if she’d opted for Mereo… That was a partial truth, though; that much she could admit, at least to herself. They were old enough to be given a choice, though still young in many ways, so of course she was relieved when they chose to stay with their parents and make the move with them.

Cool, Towhee replied, trying to stay nonchalant but unable to hold back a grin. I think you guys might really enjoy the slower pace in Epoch, though I’m sure you’re more than welcome to come back here to Mereo to train whenever you like.

With the decision made and the kids onboard, Towhee knew they ought to seek out the Imperator. And she would do that, soon enough. Right at the moment, she tore her eyes away from her husband and children to survey their humble home. She would definitely miss it, though there was part of her that thrilled at the idea of living among open greenery again.

It’ll still be a few days before I can walk around easily, much less make a trek like that. But we should start cleaning and packing up anything we want to take with us. And take the opportunity to let everyone know what’s happening, say our goodbyes and all that. If anyone cries about it, just remind them we’ll be right next door.

Last post from me, feel free to wrap and archive! :)

last from me <3

it seemed they would be moving as a whole unit. admittedly it soothed the more frazzled parts of him. trips to mereo would still occur he imagined, it just would not be so frequent.

he was content now to either go wrangle out some goodbyes or lounge amongst his family. the most important of matters (in his eyes) besides the actual moving had been sorted.