Sanguine Cove Casting shadows against the sunlight

Di followed Adora's lead and sat, staring up at the birds. She puffed her chest out a little at the compliment, then considered the question. She considered the group. It couldn't be too difficult to come up with four names, right? "Okay," she agreed. Pointing her nose at the first and blurting the first name that came to mind. "How about we call that one Lee?"

Maybe it was weird to name a strange bird after her father, but if it gave her a piece of her dad, who could it hurt?

She looked to Adora expectantly, either for the next name or a dismissal of her own idea. She wasn't sure what she would do if her cousin disagreed.

"I like it! Lee." She beamed at first before she hummed the name. Tail continued to softly thump against the earth. Was it now her turn to name one? She hadn't given much thought to names despite having suggested it! Maybe...

"What about...Addy? Ad?" Which sounded like she was trying to name a bird after herself! But she wasn't, she swore. She figured it would be nice to name a bird after her dad, who she missed most of all maybe. He'd come back soon, right?

Adora was not aware that they had both picked names for fathers. Even if it maybe should have been clear.

ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ || ᴛʜᴇᴍᴇ

Di sighed with relief, unaware she'd even been holding her breath in the hopes of her cousin's approval. She smiled and thumped her own tail against the ground before looking back up at the birds, who were still regarding them with cool disinterest. "Ad," she mused, unaware that her cousin had also chosen her father's name. "I like it."

She took a moment to think, casting about for another name. There weren't enough birds to represent all her lost littermates, and she couldn't pick one that she missed the most. "How about..." she hummed, trying to delay a little longer. "Mmmmm....attie," she landed on, the missing Matos popping into her head at the last moment. "Mattie."

Cool. Good. She had a sort of goofy smile plastered on her face at her cousin's approval. Tail thump, thump, thump'd in a steady rhythm behind them.

For the next name, she thought that Di was about to suggest Attie. Which would have been funny, in her mind. To have an Ad and an Attie, which was kind of like Addy!

Only that sound before had apparently been part of the name. Mattie. A thoughtful hum escaped him. Perhaps she had been preemptively endeared to it for the way it had sounded on the first go. "Yeah, yes!" Her head bounced with a nod. "I think the last one could be..." A slight pause as she shifted her wide paws. "Annie."

Well, names had been given and the birds still stayed. There was a warm feeling that began in her chest and softly spread.

ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ || ᴛʜᴇᴍᴇ

Di couldn't help the smile on her face now, a feeling she'd grown unused to. Maybe she should really spend more time with her cousins and other agemates... she hadn't been endeared to Mona, but Magg and Matos had been okay. They weren't her littermates, but they were friends. Even Mom had friends to help her.

"Lee, Ad, Mattie, Annie." The names felt good. "Perfect." She looked to Adora. "What do we do now?" She didn't know if she was ready to be done exploring yet.

Perfect!

Admittedly Adora had no clue what to do now. She would have been happy as a clam just watching the odd birds all day. How quickly she had been endeared to them once they had been given names! How far less ugly they seemed too, named and cared for.

"Oh! Umm..." She paused some to give some good, genuine thought to it. "Maybe we go find a gift for them?" An odd thought, but one that felt fitting.

ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ || ᴛʜᴇᴍᴇ

Di had long ago determined she was not a leader. The passing months had only proved that further, with the way she'd withdrawn in on herself instead of helping her mother. She waited to see what Adora would do, since she'd suggested this adventure in the first place. Her eyes lit up at the suggestion given. "Okay!" she said, jumping to her feet, tail wagging. She was fully engrossed in this adventure now, just as endeared to the strange birds now that they were named - and named after gone loved ones. "Let's go look by the lake and see if there's anything cool!" All the cool things seemed to be by the lake - or maybe that was her way of keeping to the territory.

Di headed toward the shore, glancing back to make sure Addy was following her. They'd be quick and bring their new friends a present!

FADE