Northstar Vale Génnisi

Snow fell in light flakes, though they were more akin to wet clumps that melted as soon as they had reached an earthly surface. The wetness had brought the birds out to chirp in the trees and flutter from branch to branch. Where the woods were thickest, the snow did not reach the ground.

Antigone prowled beneath the vale trees. He carried herbs wrapped in a pond leaf. They would help @Towhee Sr with her recovery and with feeding her children. Though she had only given birth, she would need the energy to deal with hungry puppies. It would not be long before they would be opening their eyes and searching for the world outside their den.

When he had reached the mother’s birth site, the boy slowed and waited outside their home. It was not proper to barge in, he knew. His mind pricked with the thought of what existed in the dark of the den.

Chuffing softly, Antigone waited to know if he might be allowed a closer look.

Things quieted down by the afternoon, leaving the new parents to catch a few minutes’ sleep curled around their little brood. When Towhee woke sometime later, she begged @Maxim to go fetch her some fish and/or mushrooms. Although she hadn’t played wet nurse to anyone’s pups this season, she didn’t want to take the risk of repeating last year’s bout with milk fever.

While her mate was out fetching sustenance, Towhee fed @Sable and @Towhee Jr. She watched as they nursed, wondering if they were awake or asleep. It was hard to tell at this stage. She watched for any signs they were ready to unlatch or, well, unload. It wasn’t her favorite aspect of motherhood, though Towhee was a practiced hand at cleaning up after newborns.

Her heightened maternal instincts whispered that someone was at the door. Wondering if Maxim was already back, she tore her attention away from the pups and craned forward a bit to see her most astute pupil’s face hovering just outside the roost. There was something in his mouth.

-Hey, Antigone, you can come in,- Towhee signed with a thump of her tail.

Towhee’s voice and signing welcomed him in.

The young wolf bowed his head to her and carried his parcel inside. The smells were distinct. The birthing den was warm with life. As he took his time to adjust to the lack of light, his navy gaze fell on the little bundles that were tucked close to Towhee’s body. Antigone was in awe. They were so small and so fragile in their fresh bodies.

Breathless and lost in wonder, the red-hooded boy gawked at them.

When time stretched on and he became aware of his unending stare on the children, Antigone shook his head and placed his herbs near her paws. They should have been brought with meat, he realized. She would need food to keep her strength.

-They’re so little,- he signed to her, breathing the words past his lips in amazement.

She definitely didn’t mind it when Antigone stood there gaping at the two tiny Atomas tucked at her flank. In fact, Towhee enjoyed his open admiration. Was it narcissistic to think these might be two of the most beautiful offspring she’d yet produced? She didn’t give a damn. They were little beauts!

-Yup,- she concurred with his observation, huffing a laugh before introducing both aloud and in Ptero, -“This one’s Sable Roman and this one is Towhee the Remix,”- with a glimmer of mischief on her face.

Towhee gave Antigone another moment to process that before asking, -What’s this?- while pointing at the bundle he’d brought.

Sable Roman and Towhee the Remix, he echoed internally.

She was right, of course. The darkest of the two looked just like her. A tiny pup swathed in black and touched by fire. Antigone thought it was remarkable. They both looked like they were feasting happily on their mom’s milk. The boy watched them for a time, until Towhee Sr mentioned the parcel he had carried with him.

Ah, yes, Antigone spun on his paws and nudged the leaf open.

I brought herbs for you. To help with energy, he said directly at her and motioned to the first. -To help with sleep,- he signed this one with his nose on the second. The berries will be -sweet.- They’re just for fun. The boy hoped that it wouldn’t bother her that he brought something without any medicinal value. He had considered that the bright berry flavor would draw out her hunger and allow her to eat more often. It would keep her healthy.

He nudged the leaf open to reveal an assortment of herbs. Towhee looked at his face more than the greens, taking in his descriptions of each. Along with her steady diet of fish and mushrooms, she would be happy to consume these. Before she could internally grimace in anticipation of the taste, Antigone mentioned the berries were to make everything more palatable.

-That’s very considerate of you, I appreciate it,- Towhee signed, keeping her movements soft and slow so she wouldn’t jostle the nursing newborns. -I’ll take them with my meals. You can set it over there,- she continued, motioning toward an open spot at the foot of the opposite wall, -and I’ll make sure to add some to my dinner whenever I get around to it. Thanks, Antigone.-

After giving him a moment to sort that, she asked aloud, How are things with you? Anything interesting happening out there? Towhee motioned beyond the den’s mouth. How’s your mom doing?

Towhee’s thanks were met with a small dip of the boy’s snout. He was eager to show that he could help her. It was pleasing to him, imagining her maintaining her strength and energy because of the herbs that he supplied. He has listened to his father speak of physical power before. The power to heal and change the internal functions of a body felt vastly superior to anything that muscle might earn a man.

The new mother asked about Tamar. Antigone imagined that she didn’t have a pulse on the happenings in Epoch because she’d just given birth to a new set of pups. Though he wasn’t keen on sticking his nose where it didn’t belong, he thought that he might be able to provide adequate updates to his ptero mentor.

She’s -rounder- than I’ve ever seen her, he admitted with a small smile. I don’t think it’s going to be long before she gives birth. There would be new children in their family. A curious pang of jealousy found the young wolf.

Did you know what they would be before they were born? Antigone asked her with a tilt of his head.

She knew Tamar wasn’t far behind her. Towhee was glad their litters would be born so close together. Their pups would not only be friends but cousins or perhaps even siblings of a sort. It made her think of her godparents and all her Blackthorn siblings. She was glad her kids would get a similar experience, without the heartache of losing their parents.

It also reminded her of Aquene. Towhee wondered how she and Kallik were doing, where they were and if their sons were with them. She had once envisioned a closeness between their kids, Rue’s too. Despite nursing the latter, Towhee couldn’t say she’d ever been close to any of those children the way she would’ve liked. She could only hope things would be different this year, here in this place.

Sorry, she said when Antigone broke into her thoughts with a question, got lost in my thoughts. All I knew was that they were pups… well, hopefully. She laughed. As far as I know, it’s impossible to know how many there are or the sexes, at least until they’re born. It’s kind of fun, the surprise. I had no idea that I’d cooked up this little duplicate, for instance.

Towhee bent to nuzzle the top of Towhee Jr’s head. She knew she was favoring the girl a little bit, though who could blame her? But just because she liked to think of herself as a good mother, she made a point to lean over and lick Sable’s crown too before returning her attention to their guest.

Think you’ll have kids one day, Antigone?

The boy couldn’t help but marvel at the tiny version of Towhee. He imagined that when the child’s eyes opened, they would be bright and sharp and orange. It would be fun to see how much the newborn would compare to her mother in personality.

The question took a moment to register in his mind.

Did Antigone think he would have children?

Blinking blue eyes shifted to the mother while the boy’s mind whirred in thought. He’d never thought so far as to picture himself as a father. Antigone was something of a teenager. The ideas of romance were alluring to him, but he had not considered what these things might lead to.

One day, I’d like kids… I think.

Would their skin crawl the same way that Antigone’s did whenever he found something displeasing? He hoped that they wouldn’t suffer from the needs he had. If he did have a kid that found themselves at odds with the filth of the world, he would teach them the best ways to alleviate such stress.

-Towhee? Is it possible your pups might not hear?- he asked her tentatively, hoping to learn.

She nodded at his answer. He was young, so Towhee doubted he’d given it much serious thought. But perhaps in a year or so, he would bring a girl home to the vale and they would welcome a whole new generation to Epoch. Towhee wondered what Arsenio and Tamar would think of being grandparents.

Antigone had always been one of the most astute youths she’d ever met. She didn’t expect his question, though it was both apropos and fascinating to consider. She gazed down at the newborns again, thinking of something both her mate and brother had reported to her about this batch.

-“It’s definitely possible. I was born deaf myself, so it has to be some sort of genetic thing. But none of my other kids has been deaf,”- Towhee replied, to this day unaware that Meerkat couldn’t hear out of one ear. -“Maxim and Phox say they barely make any noise, which is strange for newborns. Are they making any sounds now?”-

Thx for the kudos on my previous post, btw! :D

<3 I really have to chain my little fingers down with a lot of your posts because I would overwhelm you with kudos, if allowed. >w<

Antigone listened to her with unwavering attention.

Towhee had been born deaf and while her speech was slightly different, she managed quite well to communicate verbally. If she did not openly speak about her deafness, the boy would never have guessed that she could not hear. He was mindful of it, though. He trained himself to look at her directly if he did not know the proper ptero signs for what he needed to say.

Jack and Leona had been able to hear without any issues. Antigone had not met any of Towhee’s other children, or he did not believe that he had. Most of his life had been spent with the wolves who lived in Epoch.

I would like to -help teach- them ptero with you, he offered with a small smile. Perhaps he could teach his new siblings, too. He would need to wait for them to be born, of course.

His offer brought a fond smile to her face as Towhee replied, -“That would be awesome, Antigone. I start signing with them as soon as their eyes open around two weeks old. The more I—and you, and everybody else—expose them to it, the quicker they’ll learn. And younger wolves tend to pick it up a lot more easily. They’ll be fluent in no time, before they can even verbalize properly.”-

Talking about Ptero made her think of her weekly classes. They were so informal, she barely thought of them that way. They were more like casual conversations on a schedule. Nonetheless, Antigone and his family were fastidious attendees. She wondered if they would miss their usual rendezvous over the next couple of weeks, though Towhee hoped to only skip a week or two before getting back out there.

Her merc training would likely be on hiatus longer, long enough that Towhee might ask someone to step up in her stead. @Reyson was probably the best choice for something like that. Towhee made a note to ask him about it the next time she saw him. Her paw stroked back and forth over the new goatskin he’d delivered on the pups’ birthday.

-You’re welcome to teach them anything you like, along with Ptero,- Towhee said after a brief, companionable silence, now broken only by the motion of her forelegs. -I know your parents think of us as family, which means you’re an older brother figure to these guys. They’ll look up to you.-

-That will be impressive,- the boy admitted.

Antigone wished that he had been introduced to the woman’s way of communication earlier in his life. It was remarkable to think of children learning how to speak through these motions before they verbalized. If he was lucky, he might catch a glimpse of this for himself.

After a moment, Towhee said that Antigone would be welcome to teach them anything he liked. The young wolf looked at her, tentative with his gaze. It was nice to be thought of as an extension of their family. He felt the same for Towhee and Maxim, though Jack Snipe grated on his nerves. It would be curious to see how the two newest additions to the Redhawk family would grow.

-I will teach them what I can,- Antigone said. He bowed his head and pushed himself to his paws.

-I should be going. I will come visit again.- A wave of his tail and the red-hooded boy had disappeared into the brush of Epoch.