Redhawk Caldera Be like Elsa, let it go.

The Alpha withdrew from the entryway to give them room to exit, padding a few yards away before coming to a stop again. Once the sleepy Betas joined her, she immediately broke the news: "They're back: Blackfeather Woods." She swallowed, barely giving them a chance to process that information before adding, "And we can't go through that again." She didn't even have to say the word "war," she knew they understood and very likely agreed. "But we also can't live in constant fear and worry. That's no way to live. And it's not the kind of environment I want the boys to grow up in." She gazed steadily into her godparents' faces, knowing they must feel the same way.

But what should they do about it? "I hate to admit all this and to suggest what I'm about to suggest. But," Towhee continued, pausing to puff out a breath, "I've been thinking about it all day and all night. Do you see those mountains over there?" She flicked her muzzle in a westward direction, toward the range that sprawled across the way from Lake Rodney. "They're called the Barrier Mountains. And I think—"

Her voice choked off suddenly as her breath shuddered from her. This was probably the most difficult conclusion Towhee had ever drawn in her life. She had arrived at it incredibly painstakingly. "I sent X ahead to scout out a place that would suit a pack of our size. Because I think that's the only option we have now: we need to move to the other side of those mountains." Her heart was beating painfully in her chest, her legs quaked. "Put that barrier between us and them."