Heron Lake Plateau Driving through the dark, far as we can go.

A slight poke from X guided Towhee's attention sideways to apprehend a familiar figure gliding toward her. Towhee blinked at the unexpected sign, then managed a weary half-smile. -Hi,- she signed back, favoring her bad leg, then paused when Ceara's lips moved.

-I'm taking them to my sister's grave,- the Beta rejoined without thinking, then caught herself. She paused and lowered the spray of wildflowers to the ground to repeat herself out loud. "I'm taking them to my sister's grave. Do you know ptero pretty well...?" Any number of wolves might have introduced her to the language, which seemed to be spreading lately.

Once upon a time, she might've disliked outsiders knowing and using the secret language (while also, hypocritically, resenting them for being unable to communicate with her properly). But she knew Ceara had aided her sister and, besides, somewhere along the line, Towhee had removed the proverbial stick from her sphincter when it came to outsiders. She was still rather cagey, slow to befriend and slower to trust. But wolves like Niamh had walked into her life and shattered her schemas, just as much as characters like Screech proved that blood sometimes meant worse than nothing.

None of these thoughts crossed her mind at present. She simply looked at Ceara with a tired but genuinely curious expression on her scarred face.