Northstar Vale gasoline

sorry i HAD to get this out of my brain now while it was there

somewhere between feeding rotations, maxim had stepped beyond the den. knowing that towhee would be surrounded by safe faces. he intended to go relieve himself and shuffle something fresh.

a task that anybody could have done, but he did intend to still be seen by the world.

which unfortunately deterred him onto the path of @Arsenio — who he wished to speak to now. as equals, as fathers!

The redstone man was not difficult to find.

The closer that it came to Tamar giving birth, the more he needed to busy himself. With the knowledge that Towhee had just brought new life into the world, his mind was full of puppies, of family, of their future. Arsenio never imagined he would find himself in a place like Epoch. The wolves who enriched his life having built a sanctuary in the foreign wilds. Even Germanicus did not press on his mind as often.

Maxim, the Arche wuffed out to his friend. His red tail flagged as he trotted to close the space between them.

arsenio!

and he spoke with a grin that swallowed his whole face. the excitement rolled off of him in grand waves like a tsunami.

i am father once more — and soon you will join me, again.

his gaze twinkled with a brilliant delight and a million unspoken thanks. more children were not promised in the future of soldiers.

here they were.

The redstone man laughed, his voice warm on the air.

I am eager to join you in this. I feel Tamar has carried these pups for a year, he said.

Arsenio was eager to see the newest additions to their family. He wished to know them the way he had known Zulema and Zosime. The former-mercenary wondered if Maxim felt the same. It was a peculiar thing, children growing into their own individual selves.

What have you named them? How many? the Arche asked of his friend. Arsenio planned to visit Towhee, to bring some of the furs he had worked against the stone. The pelt-keeping had become his favorite way to spend time. They would have many to trade when spring came.