Ravenshook Cliffs Lassie 2.0

Towhee was grateful that she'd stopped to rest before arriving at the cliff, as falling asleep on this narrow ledge seemed extremely precarious. She only wished she'd eaten too, not to mention taken a long drink. By the time the sun rose—affording Towhee her first view of the expansive ocean sprawling as far as the eye could see—her mouth was dry as a bone and her guts ached. She couldn't tell if it was true hunger or the anxiety of being trapped on this small, windswept shelf.

At least she was in good company. Although X had sustained a gash across his feathery breast, he had roused in the night and assumed an upright position, preening himself so that his plumage gleamed beneath the morning sun. Towhee watched his feathers rustle in the salty breeze and eyed his wings, which appeared to be unbroken. Yet the bird hadn't left their makeshift roost.

"How are your wings?" she wondered at last, shifting her weight. It was very hard to get comfortable here; the space was cramped and the ledge wasn't particularly smooth.

In response, X stretched them out, one after the other, displaying a host of bent and crooked flight feathers. Towhee knew these must affect his ability to fly but how badly? And for how long? If he could get airborne sometime soon, he could fly to the plateau and fetch help. Her lips moved as she prepared to ask, when the bird suddenly jerked his head upward, beak opening in an unheard cry.

Towhee looked up too and exclaimed, "Niamh!" She resisted the temptation to leap to her feet, lest she lose her balance and tumble into the sea to share Screech's watery grave. The Beta had never been so grateful to be disobeyed, nor happier to see a familiar face. -We're a little banged up but otherwise okay,- she signed, ignoring the twinge in her leg. -Just need a little help getting out of here...-

Her orange eyes dropped momentarily to look around the small escarpment, as if she might find some method to escape its small confines. She couldn't avoid looking down at the frothing surf below and wondering if she might have to jump, which reminded her... -Screech is gone,- she said, looking back up at Niamh's shining face.