Heron Lake Plateau The clock may run out on us.

She didn't hear Elwood's approach or his question, of course, but she sensed his arrival and looked up to see the stricken look on his hoary face. "It was an accident," Towhee explained, answering the question she hadn't even heard, "she was exploring the mountain south and west of here. She fell. X saw it all, though there was nothing he could do."

And it wasn't that she blamed the bird, nor thought he needed to make up for it. In fact, she felt sorrier for him than she did herself, thinking of how awful it must've been to witness Orca's tumble and feel so utterly helpless. But as she glanced at him—he had swept down to stand near Niamh—a thought occurred to her.

It wasn't the time or place to voice it yet, though. This hour was for laying Orca to rest. "We'll need to pick somewhere to bury her." Towhee paused, lower lip wobbling. "I was actually thinking of doing it on The Roost. It's central, it's safe, it's peaceful... a good place to rest." It would be difficult carrying the body through the water, though Towhee was more than willing to do that if the others agreed it would be a suitable final resting place for Orca.