Lake Rodney And even monsters can do good in this world.

Despite Towhee's dour mood, the stranger found it pertinent to approach. For a few beats, the mercenary didn't react. Her forelegs were trembling (the right aching horribly now) and she felt utterly spent. But as the stranger came closer, Towhee thought she saw pity on her face. Her eyes screwed up in response to the well-meaning query.

Wrath surged through her again. "The fuck kind of question is that? Do I look okay to you?" she shot back, her voice overly loud. Though she was most certainly not the type to unload her problems on outsiders, she suddenly found words streaming from her mouth like vomit. "He's not off hunting or tracking! None of this is an accident! He left!" I don't know why. "He left on purpose! He turned his back and he left like a fucking bitch ass coward!"

These words echoed through the frosty air, bouncing off the caldera and back again, not that Towhee knew it. She stood there, panting, chest heaving, as she realized the truth of her words. Nonetheless, she suddenly felt awful for saying such things about Phox, her Phox... "I—I don't mean that..." she muttered weakly, looking down to see that one of her toenails had been ripped clean out while smashing her foot on the ice.