Northstar Vale so the hollow's low on grapefruits.

His irritability could've been a side-effect of the event with the bear, or maybe just growing pains since he was nearly at an age where such would be common; either way, Titmouse was prepared to abandon Liffey in a huff and let her deal with any issues that may arise from his absence - his tail thrashed behind him, his ears were pinned, and he nearly missed her next series of comments. Thankfully he heard something about being a coward; he didn't know what a coward meant, but the intonation she made, the insinuation that it was a bad thing, made him whip around and bare his teeth as if she had just insulted his ancestors or something.

I'm not a coward! He rasped, bristling all over. I followed you all the way out here, didn't I? He could've abandoned her at any point given how difficult the trail had been, and all the strange high-up places she had ventured to. The fact he'd kept up this far was a feat worthy of some recognition, and yet she was calling him out for turning back now? It wasn't fair. 

Maybe if you were really my family you'd be worth protecting! With that he turned and took some bold, hasty, clumsy steps away from her - intent on leaving before the full power of those words set in. He hadn't been thinking; he just rattled off the first thing that came to mind whether it made sense or not. Like a typical kid, Titmouse wasn't going to hang around if someone was going to call him out on his shit. In this moment he'd prove himself to Liffey: he was a coward, deep down to his core.