Heron Lake Plateau You know I had heaven and hell in the palm of my hand.

It would take time for everyone to adjust to the recent changes in the upper tiers. Towhee had taken to the Beta role like a duck to water, though she knew that eventually she would face a situation where her step down from power might not go over so well. For instance, she wondered if Colt might make a comeback now that she was no longer in charge. And Raven liked Screech a whole lot more than anyone else in the pack did, so what if he ended up higher in the ranks, something Towhee wasn't sure he'd ever deserve? Then there was Quixote too. He seemed to love recruiting, so would the plateau soon be swarmed with outsiders?

Having effectively rained on her own parade, the Beta wrapped up her patrol, whistled for X and then began climbing back up to the plateau proper. She stopped just long enough for the raptor to settle on her shoulder, then began heading toward the lake and her little island, specifically. Halfway there, though, it occurred to her that getting lost in her own head would probably only put her further into a funk. She didn't need to be somewhere private right now. She needed a distraction. Towhee stopped abruptly (X let out an unheard squawk of protest) and then began scouring the territory for company of some kind.