Redhawk Caldera Coke is good for the soul. The soda, I mean.

Her eye twitched again when he called her by the pet name. Had she not specifically rejected it just a moment ago? "My name is Towhee," she said even as he asked for it. She snorted dryly. "Call me 'doll' again and I'll rip off your face." There wasn't even a hint of mirth in her demeanor as she made the threat. In fact, her expression was still lined with derision and her lip lifted a little. Her tail also gave a telling lash, letting him know she meant business. She was younger and smaller but already collecting quite a few experience points as both a guardian and warrior in training.

Although she was pretty sure she could howl, Towhee had never actually tried and was much too self-conscious to make an attempt in front of this Ashton guy. They would just have to rely on his earlier call summoning the leaders. In the meantime, the young mercenary backpedaled a few feet and took a seat, brassy gaze still fixed on him. She had no desire to make small talk or even really interact at all but there was no way in hell she would leave him unattended at the borders. Towhee would only leave if and when one of her godparents made their way here.

Elwood didn't leave them hanging. When her godfather appeared, Towhee took to her feet again with a sense of relief. She didn't hear her uncle's sharp tone when he said her name, though she blinked in response to his lingering look and furrowed her brow down at her own forepaws for an instant. When she looked back up, she saw Elwood regarding Ashton with not just familiarity but affection. The Xi steeled her jaw, a little baffled and exasperated by his apparent lack of protective instincts. Could anyone just waltz in and out of the Redhawk fold at will?

With a parting woof, Towhee turned. Instead of returning to her earlier perch, she decided to pick up a patrol. As she wended along the familiar footpath, she couldn't stop thinking about her godfather's long look and what it meant. Perhaps she should touch base with him and ask, though first she would have to work out some of her mixed feelings. With a huff, she picked up the pace until she was galloping swiftly along the territory's outer fringes.