Heron Lake Plateau I fought death and lost.

A comfortable silence fell between them as Raven let her sister think, and in those moments, the healer felt a flower of pride bloom in her heart for Towhee. She thought of how disadvantaged Towhee had been to be born deaf, a handicap that might have spelled death for a lesser wolf, and she reminisced on how much she'd had to overcome just to become an independent, functioning part of the pack. That Towhee had climbed all the way to alphaship and managed to hold her own there -- even with the help of a hawk -- was impressive beyond anything Raven could compare it to. She grinned looking at the girl, though Towhee was unaware of everything that was going through her elder sister's mind.

When she finally spoke, Towhee's words were still freighted with self-doubt and uncertainty. That was to be expected, and her words were true -- her mistakes had endangered their pack and could have definitely costed lives. But Raven truly hoped that she would forgive X and, more importantly, forgive herself. No alpha was perfect. She remembered when their own father had made mistakes in his time as alpha over their pack. She thought it was a good idea for Towhee to talk with Finley and Elwood, for the beta pair had led them for a long time and could likely impart a great deal of wisdom on their young successor. She nosed Towhee gently behind her ear and commented, "For what it's worth, I think you're a pretty good alpha." And it was the truth. Perfect? Not at all. But most definitely promising. "Talking with Aunt Flea and Uncle El is a good idea. You could learn a lot from them. Maybe you could even ask Elwood to lead the pack alongside you as your co-alpha. That would be a great way for you to learn some of the finer nuances of being a leader."

She hoped that Towhee wouldn't allow this to discourage her. Raven thought that having a steady hand on the wheel alongside hers might be the best solution -- if Elwood were willing, of course.