#science!

Wake up babe, new octopus just dropped

You'd think I would have thought about it sooner. Or someone would have mentioned it. But this still feels like a revelation. See, I just took this photo about an hour ago:

The sun was to my left and a little behind me. Cuz it's morning, and I was facing vaguely southwest.

What this means for me, the fiction writer, is that I can get a character lost in the woods at night, and they can use the moon to navigate. Never mind puzzling over which side of the trees have the most moss (and whether that says more about local moisture levels than sun exposure).

If the sun just went down and you're still wandering around, then the shiny side of the moon is the west. Is your nearest town to the west of the forest? You could find your way home with that.

Did you know that Alpha, Beta, and Omega roles are terms that were originally for birds? More specifically, Chickens? It's now called the pecking order.

And it had me thinking, what if the world was between wolf descent and bird descent roles? But wolves won out? So there's next to no documentation of bird types, especially since they are considered mixed enough to have more wolf type behaviors. Which is unfortunate because there are still plenty of those who are more bird type with their instincts.

Bruce is one of those.

Like the hen at the bottom of the pecking order, he's more docile than most bird type. He's always stressed to the point of picking at himself or at his surroundings. His paranoia is partly based on his bird-like instincts. His nesting and bonding habits are also more similar to a bird than a wolf. He scent marks items or clothes, and gives them to people he cares about. It's why he does grunts, puffs, or other single sounds to convey his emotions.

Bruce gave Dick the plush elephant with his scent on it. But Dick didn't understand that was Bruce reaching out. So Dick smelled like pack (flock) for a bit, since he slept with the toy. He didn't realize that he was supposed to give it back to be re-scented, or ask Bruce to be scented. Bruce knew Barbara was already in a pack, but still wanted to offer something. So the Bat Girl costume had features based off his in a way not even the Robin suit did. Giving his colors to her. Jason got a tool kit Bruce had rubbed with his wrist glands. So when Jason was using them on Red Bird, the motorcycle, he smelled like Bruce. Bruce knew that wasn't going to last long, so he scented every book he gave Jason and scented Jason's favorite books in the manor library. Jason got angry, because it felt like Bruce would scent everything but him and was enroaching into his safe spaces. (He also had given Jason Dick's costume and title, because that was the colors and name of his first chick.) So Bruce stopped trying. (Dick screamed at Bruce for rubbing his wrist on the top of Jason's gravestone.) Tim was pushed away because Bruce was worried he'd get to close and still not have a pack. But he eventually sat at the Bat Computer without patches, only when he was completely alone. And Tim would occasionally smell like Bruce. Only for Dick to question if they pack bonded, which caused Tim to lash out and tell Bruce to stop leaving his scent everywhere. Stephanie was clicked at so many times, and yoinked up like a chick under their parents wings, whenever he got paranoid she was doing something dangerous. She became livid because she has a mother, and since none of the others were pack, assumed it was an act of dominance or him not trusting her. Cass understood body language, but didn't know why his was so different. Almost like a different dialect. Didn't understand why he didn't scent when it seemed he wanted to. Kinda understood that him giving her his original cape was to drape her in his scent, since they both knew she wouldn't wear it as Orphan. Understood, somewhat, that her washing herself clean of his scent meant he never knew how much comfort she took in that cape- even though she had to to get the others off her back because they were jealous of her smelling like him. She was sure he no longer wanted to reach out when his whole demeanor cut her out from his previous small mothering moments. When Damian expressed disgust at Bruce's scent, he nearly mutilated his glands. None of his babies should be in pain just be he wanted them to be his. Just because he couldn't smell like a good Omega. Duke was firm that he had parents and didn't want Bruce to pretend he was another one.

Hawkman and Hawkwoman are the ones to notice that Bruce has more bird-like behavior when interacting with Hal. Which comes as a shock to everyone who hears. Cause, yes, those two are pretty stand-offish towards the rest of the JL pack, but it was explained as part of their instincts. They cared for everyone with fierce loyalty and devotion, but were more devoted to each other- even though they didn't show it the way wolf descendants do.

Hal, hearing this, takes Bruce away while he jokes to break the ice. "Is that why you're always trying to lay on top of me? Are you broody, Spooky?" Which causes startles Bruce to chuff.

On another note, I was rereading this one fic where there was a whole coded language in whistling for the Bat Family, I'll link you if you want.

But now that I'm writing out this ask, I'm just imagining if Bruce being revealed as a bird type because of another Bat Family accidentally coming to their world. And they are also omegaverse, but they know Bruce is a bird type and they're all pack with theirs. And no pack Bat Family watch as these others versions chitter and chirp, whistling and humming. Other!Bruce scritches the base of his scalp and fluffs his Jason's hair, who laughs and exaggeratedly shakes his head like a wet dog. Which just spreads the scent of rain with his own smell.

This Bruce will settle and still in one place or another and one of his kids will approach him. They'll stop until he'll pause and look at them, and then they'll finish closing the distance and cuddle up to his side. And, of course, he'll lift his arm over them (along with any blankets or clothes) and tuck them against his side. Occasionally preening them. He's prickly about clothes fitting right on his kids, so that's another way he'll preen them. And he's perfectly happy to have them preen him back. Messing up his hair, tugging at his clothes, sharing plates of food with him, and getting him to crack the nuts or peel their fruit. They'll be throwing their own coats at him so they'll get their scent on him and he'll get his scent on their clothes. They do bicker if someone throws their hoodie at Bruce while another person is cuddling him. Or they'll get jealous if he doesn't have an arm to spare during a point they seek him out for cuddles. During patrols, someone is always trying to tuck themselves under his cape. His is specifically longer to accommodate his larger chicks. Does that mean he's wearing an impractically long cape? Yes. Did he specifically learn how to deal with it for his chicks? Also yes!

And wolf Bat Family are so confused and jealous.

Damian is especially trying to figure out if this is how he gets his Dame to try to bond with him. So he vocal stima until he feels he has his chirp perfect and gets a moment alone with said parent. When he chirps, Bruce perks up and swings around to look at him. Wide eyed and attention fully on his youngest. Damian decided to just bite the bullet and get close. Which causes Bruce even more surprise. So much so, he instinctively chuffs at his baby in inquisitive confusion. Damian grabs his wrist, ignoring how his Dame flinches, and put the hand on his head. And waits. He's too scared to look Bruce directly in the eyes, in case he's made a fool of himself. But then, Bruce starts to, gently, preen Damian's hair.

But he pulls away after a bit.

"I'm -sorry. I don't want to make -you smell -like me. I know you don't want that. I'll stop."

And Bruce sounds so fragile. Like he wants to keep preening Damian. But thinks Damian will be hostile. Damian knows exactly why and has a realization that breaks his heart. And grabs his Dame's wrist before hr can fully pull away.

"I want you to scent me. I want to smell like you."

And Bruce freezes again. But goes back to light preening. He doesn't know what to do. He's never been allowed to.

THIS IS SO FUCKING CUTE

Wolf genes being dominant, bird ones recessive, so over time bird dynamics are almost completely wiped out of the population. Bruce is an anomaly, both his lineages still carried relatively strong bird genes, so he is a bird, and takes in only wolf children oh my this is simply the cutest.

Talia was a wolf, so Damian is a wolf too, and Bruce doesn't even understand why he's sad that Damian acts like his other children, he doesn't understand his own instincts as a bird.

The kids don't understand him either. They don't understand why he's so strange, why he acts completely different to any omega they've ever met.

Then, as you said, another batfamily. Both sides are hostile, until it's established neither side has bad intentions, then they relax and start planning it out. Both Bruce's move to the batcomputer, and it's barely a minute before Tim is shoving under B's (AU Bruce) arm, getting tucked under his chin instead. Damian migrates over, and disappears under the cape, quickly followed by Cass. Bruce is staring, there's a craving in his chest he doesn't understand, his mouth is dry, and jealousy burning through him so intense he just leaves. Stalks out without a word, intent on getting himself under control. Everyone watches him go, Batkids confused, the Bats analysing, suspicious, more so when no one goes after him.

The Bats are invited to stay in the manor, and keep catching Bruce watching them from afar, then disappearing, always leaving a bitter scent trail in his wake. The chittering, the chirping, all of the unusual noises the Bats slip into confuse the family. The manor is full of distant calling, they can communicate at such lengthy distances, the family is fascinated. Then au Damian falls, and a sharp call has Bruce at his side instantly, making soothing chirps back, gathering him close. Damian leans into his easily, accepting the comfort, until Dick "Bruce?" has him freezing, and he deposits him into the newly arrived B's arms, vanishing.

It pretty much solidifies for the Bats what's happening, and they're beyond peeved. Damian is wandering the manor, unable to sleep, and hears the Bats arguing late at night. That's how he figures out Bruce is a bird, because he hears au Dick yell at B that the family couldn't care less about Bruce's biology. He isolates himself on a research binge, diving into the limited historical records on it.

I also want to deviate a lil bit from your og plan, dear asker, and I want au Dami to hear Damian trying to chirp. He hears the bastardised attempt, and lingers, listening to Damian's growing frustration with himself, until he hears something shatter alongside a yell, and enters. Offers to teach him. He's at an advantage, he has recessive bird genes, somewhere in his instincts, he knows how to do this, and spends days helping him perfect his chirp. Both families are curious what the Damians are doing, because they barely emerge from his room.

Then Damian seeks out Bruce, and, as you said, chirps at him. By the time he's cradled in Bruce's lap, he's seen the borderline terror, the instict-deep confusion, the shame, and wants to cry, wants to fight, wants to shout at his entire family.

Bruce, once Damian reassures him he wants to be scented, finds himself entirely lost, he doesn't know what to do. He's suppressed his instincts for so long, he barely learnt how to indulge them in the first place, he doesn't know what to do.

So he reaches deep into his instincts, and calls. A sharp, loud, panicked sound, that rankles Damian even as a wolf. Jason practically busts down the door, Cass leaps over him, chirping back, ready to help. Bruce, clutching Damian, looks at them, so, so ashamed of himself, and confesses "I don't know what to do."

The rest of the au family is gathered in a matter of minutes, until B is there, and his kids gather under him to reassure themselves after hearing such a distressed call from a Bruce. And he agrees to make a massive document for Bruce, to explain how to deal with his instincts, and act on them.

Okay I'm stopping there but this is definitely going into the list of aus I'm definitely writing, thank youuuu.

What they actually did was kind of neat; they copied genes sequenced from dire wolf DNA and inserted them into the grey wolf genome (replacing grey wolf DNA, as they said gray wolves shared a significant percentage of their genome (which isn't saying a TON considering how much the human and chimp genome have in common without being nearly the same animals, but it's better than taking, say, a turtle's genome or something else super unrelated), to create a wolf with genes that dire wolves had.

And while that's not really the same thing as building a dire wolf completely from scratch, so to speak, and it's not really "cloning" them either, it's still pretty cool science, and just like with the woolly mouse, the work (ie, altering/editing multiple genes at once from sequenced DNA of deceased individuals) COULD apply to conservation of actual species (for example, having the ability to widen the genome of remaining breeding individuals of an endangered species, with DNA from deceased individuals). I'm not sure if it IS applying to other species right now (at least not through this company, despite their stated claims to want to), but it is one of their stated goals and it would work.

Also, they're pretty cute

As they were born in October 2024, they now have their own 2,000 acre reserve where Colossal is monitoring them closely. There are two males and one female, but as they've stated they do not have plans to breed them, I'm not sure where the female is being kept in relation to the males, but I suspect she's the solo-wolf pictured, vs the pics of the pair.