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

She felt X's weight shifting on her shoulder. He usually sat so still, so she craned her neck to glance at him. "What's up?" her expression said, orange eyes widening as she realized he was primping. Towhee huffed a laugh, then faced Niamh again. She opened her mouth to point out the hawk's silly behavior when a rush of air announced X's departure from her shoulder.

Instead of landing on the ground nearby, the hawk swooped directly toward Niamh, angling to perch on her shoulder. Towhee stared at this development with her jaw slightly agape. X never did this with other wolves, even Orca, his closest companion after Towhee.

"Wow, he must really like you," the Beta observed. "Do you have yourself a crush, X?" she teased the bird, who puffed up his feathers indignantly right before beginning to gently preen the golden furs on the back of Niamh's neck.

Hope the mild PP is all right, let me know if I need to edit anything! :)