Heron Lake Plateau Fantastic beasts and where to find them.

The night was deep and clear, the air so cold it felt as thought it might crack. Snow lay thickly on the ground, a carpet that crunched noiselessly (as far as she knew) beneath Towhee's broad paws. Her head tilted upward to survey the distinct Milky Way streaking across the sky. A great spume of silver erupted from her snout, slowly dissipating in the breathless night.

Eventually, she reached the thicket where she and @Phox spent their nights, not far from Fox Falls. He wasn't there yet. Although she ached for some warmth (and maybe even some company), Towhee folded her haunches and sat just outside, patiently waiting as she stared now at the luminous waning gibbous moon.

For the most part, Phox had become Camilla’s shadow since she had arrived. Now that days had passed without any sign of her pursuers, he was willing to ease up a bit and give her (and himself) some more room. He had still been coming home to bed with Towhee each night, although he made sure to find Camilla a nice place to sleep that was not far at all from where he was. Phox did not know why he had such an attachment to her, but he did. Perhaps he was trying to reconnect with the feeling he’d had with Towhee so long ago, but they clearly lacked now. It had been tarnished when he had left, and he wasn’t sure they would ever be the same again.

Once he was certain that Camilla was safe for the night, he dragged himself away from her and toward Towhee. Their relationship seemed to slowly be getting better, he thought, and he felt more confident and less... pathetic lately. Niamh’s confidence in him had certainly helped. She was sitting outside when he arrived, and he resisted the temptation to woof at her, knowing it would do no good. Instead, he swept around so he approached her from a diagonal so she would more easily see him.

-How’s leader life treating you?- he asked, head tilting to one side. Raven had stepped down, and it had seemed only natural for Towhee to step back up. He still wasn’t sure why she had stepped down in the first place, but he figured he would be filled in on that story whenever she felt like sharing it.

She saw the white tip of his tail first, like a shooting star fallen to earth. Then the rest of Phox materialized from the surrounding darkness. Towhee's facial muscles locked when she couldn't decide between a smile and a frown. She still felt very mixed up about her brother. There were two sides at war inside her: the half that desperately wanted to reclaim their kinship and the half that feared an outcome even worse than the one with Screech.

Thus she greeted him with a rather constipated expression, though it relaxed and softened a bit at his query. -It's good to be back, actually,- she signed in reply. -I only stepped down when I hurt my leg,- she explained after a beat, saving him from having to ask, -and I wasn't sure I wouldn't become dead weight. But for a deaf and paralyzed person, I think I do a decent job.- She smirked.

A thought crossed her mind then. Normally, she would've taken her innermost thoughts to her Person... but Niamh would likely only be hurt by these particular musings. But Phox? He might understand better than almost anyone. -It didn't feel right, not having a Redhawk or even a Blackthorn in the leadership. I know that makes me an elitist.- She shrugged, orange eyes peeking speculatively at him from beneath hooded lids, wondering what he might think of that.

He didn’t have to wait long (or at all, really) for Towhee to explain why she had stepped down. Phox glanced at her leg, which she had been limping on, but he had barely noticed. He’d been far too busy trying to get back on her good side, something that had been a whole lot easier than he had expected... not that he was complaining! -Hardly paralyzed, silly,- he replied with a shake of his head and a smile. She was getting around just fine.

At her next comment, he paused, thinking her words over. -I felt it, too. Even while I was out there, it never felt right to have anything other than a Redhawk at the helm.- Elwood and Finley were always meant to be temporary, right? Just until one of the kids was ready to take over. -I don’t think Mom and Dad would have wanted the pack to go to anybody else but their children.- He had idolized his dead parents ever since he was a child, and that had not stopped. Now that Raven was no longer at the helm, he was even more wary about it. He did enjoy Niamh’s company, but his thoughts on Quixote were vague at best. Did he have Raven’s best interests in mind?

She didn't deign to elaborate about how she'd hurt her leg in the first place or the trials she'd been through adapting to it and then adapting all over again when sensation began to return. None of it mattered now. Towhee's leg would never be the same, yet her paraplegia was barely an issue for her these days. Thank goodness for small miracles, because she wasn't sure how all of this might've played out if she hadn't recovered so well.

If she was an elitist, Phox was more of a purist. When the implication of his words hit her, Towhee found herself smirking again, though she quickly schooled the expression. It made her feel a little better to know she wasn't alone in her feelings... and that there was someone with even stricter standards among them. She cocked her head as she contemplated, feeling closer to Phox now than since before he'd ever left.

-I consider the Blackthorns just as worthy. It was Elwood and Finley who really raised us, not Peregrine and Fox,- Towhee pointed out. -But Quixote and Niamh are only part of the legacy by marriage and that—it wasn't good enough. That said, it's my own fault. Uncle El and Aunt Fin made me Alpha, you know. But I always thought I was better cut out as a Beta. So I bullied Rave into taking over. And then the accident happened...- Her forelimbs fell still and dropped back to the ground as she was reminded of all the history Phox had missed.

But she didn't really feel like rehashing all of that tonight. A little begrudgingly, she admitted to him, -Makes me feel better, knowing I'm not alone.- She froze for a beat, eyes flickering. -I wonder how this all would've played out differently if you'd been here all along.- She sighed and glanced away for a moment, then back to him. -Guess it doesn't matter now. We can't do anything about the past. It's the future that matters.-

Elwood and Finley had been there, yes, but it was Raven who fed them and was with them day in and day out. Elwood and Finley had been busy with their own children soon after the Redhawks last litter was born. Her last sentiment was a hard one to hear, and he knew it would not be the last time he heard it. Phox stepped forward and licked her chin, whining low in his throat. -I’m here now,- he said. It wasn’t an excuse, but it was something. He had no intentions of leaving ever again, least of all without saying goodbye and having a damn good reason to do it (being a piece of shit coward, it turns out, is not a damn good reason).

-Tell me about Quixote. I barely know the guy, but he’s leading this pack. What does Raven see in him?- It seemed that both he and Towhee were much closer with Niamh, and he wondered why that was. Quixote was around, but he didn’t seem nearly as involved in Phox’s eyes. Now that the Theta was getting more settled and into the daily routine, he knew he was going to start expecting more from those above him.

She froze when Phox licked her chin, then decided to accept the gesture without comment or reciprocation. She was beginning to trust him—almost in spite of her better judgment—but it was going to be a long process before she embraced it.

With that said, it felt nice having another confidante. Niamh would always be her Person but Phox was her kin, tied to her by the legacy of their bloodline. Along with Raven (and her children), they were the only direct descendants of the original monarchs currently in residence here.

When Phox asked about Quixote, Towhee took a moment to think. -Honestly...- But she didn't continue right away. -He's not a bad guy. He's done well by Rave and the kids. But,- and she paused again. While they were being honest, why not just say what was really on her mind? -He's kind of... milk toast? I don't know.- Towhee definitely didn't hate him but nor were they particularly close, even to this day.

But as much as she could admit to her elitism, it felt disingenuous to go too far down this path. They were co-leaders and siblings-in-law, after all. He was the father of her beloved nieces and nephews. So Towhee changed the subject by saying, -Niamh, on the other hand, is great. She's my best friend, actually.-

Milk toast? Phox wasn’t sure what that was supposed to mean, but it didn’t sound particularly tasty or good. Just kinda... bland. Maybe that’s what she was getting at. It was a shame, really, considering all the stories he had heard about his parents being great and mighty leaders. He had even once heard stories that Finley was a wild child back in the day. Not that Raven had ever been anything like that, but she was family through and through. Phox couldn’t deny that, and he surmised that Towhee wasn’t particularly thrilled about Quixote either, based on her response. Instead, she directed the conversation to Niamh, and Phox nodded in agreement.

He doubted she had intended to do it, but hearing somebody else named as Towhee’s best friend hurt. Phox knew that he had long since abandoned that title when he went running away... but somehow he had not thought that he would be so easily replaced. And yet here was Niamh, somebody he had actually taken a liking to, stepping into the very empty shoes he had left behind. If only he could take it all back, rewind and never leave the Redhawks. But he had, and what was done was done. He wondered if Towhee had room for two best friends.

-She’s a good one. Not sure about her choice of a mate, though... that guy seemed like he wasn’t quite on our side.- Phox remembered his parting remarks during the Caiaphas debacle. They weren’t kind words, that was for sure. Why were all these ladies picking dudes that Phox didn’t particularly like?

Here was yet another opportunity to vent things she wouldn't have felt comfortable relaying to Niamh, lest she upset her friend. -Not one of Colt's biggest fans,- she signed in grim agreement. -We're civil these days but we've had it out a few times. I'm sure he's not too happy that I'm back in leadership.- But they hadn't actively argued in ages, nor engaged much otherwise, and Towhee hoped that pattern continued.

-Niamh asked me to be their kids' godmother, when the time comes,- Towhee shared, steering the conversation in a slightly different direction. -Have you had a chance to meet Rave's kids? I wonder if they'll have more in the spring too...- With the recent shakeup in leadership, Towhee couldn't be entirely certain who'd claim breeding rights come early next year. It did seem like a foregone conclusion that both Quixote, Niamh and their mates would expand their families though, respectively continuing the Redhawk and Blackthorn family lines.

Abruptly, Towhee realized, -I forgot about Rory,- even though she hadn't even voiced that train of thought out loud. -Have you met her? She's one of Wildfire's kids, came here to apprentice with Tegan.-

So they were in agreement on that, too. Phox wasn’t sure why, but he felt surprised. Perhaps the siblings had grown apart with time, but their opinions remained largely similar about things Phox had only just come into. The news that Niamh asked Towhee to be godmother to her children was interesting, but not surprising given how close they seemed to be. After all, their own parents had been close enough to Elwood and Finely for that duo to be their godparents. And thank goodness they’d made arrangements, or the Redhawk kids might not have come out as well as they did. (er, wait a second...)

He shook his head at the question about Raven’s children. He had scarcely seen Raven or Quixote since the incident, and he hadn’t made a point to seek them out just yet. Perhaps it was time to do so. It occurred to him then that both he and Towhee would be of age when spring rolled around, and that was quite a thought. If Quixote and Raven’s children stuck around, would they then claim the right to the throne, so to speak? Phox didn’t like that idea one bit. Not while one of the previous generation kids was still willing and able to lead.

Towhee then mentioned Rory, and her parting remark finally clicked. -Ah, that would explain why she called me uncle the other day. I had no idea. She was asking something about navigating with the stars. I actually owe her a visit some night to point out the north star.- His to-do list was piling up rather quickly. All that was on top of making sure that Camilla was settling in alright. In fact, there was another question he did want to ask of Towhee.

-Camilla has been having a hard time settling in. I’ve been trying to give her space, but I think it’s making things worse. Do you think there’s enough room in the thicket for her? Just until she gets more comfortable around the rest of the group.- It was a lot to ask, he knew, but hopefully Towhee would understand. It would only be temporary, after all.

-She's okay,- was the only other thing Towhee said on the subject of Rory. She seemed like a good kid, despite her affiliation with Tegan. That thought made her eyes twinkle. She loved her younger brother, of course, but he wasn't exactly the typical mentor type.

Something about Phox's question rubbed her the wrong way, though Towhee couldn't quite figure out why. Maybe it was because it felt like they were establishing some sort of camaraderie here and he wanted to toss in some random third party. In any case, the Beta frowned and signed, -Who?- But before he could even reply, she added, -No, no outsiders. Just us.-

On that note, she turned away from him—thus making herself impervious to any reply—and climbed into the thicket. She circled a few times and then settled, feet tucked beneath her and facing outdoors. "You coming or what?" she asked with a blink, her breath fuming from her muzzle as she spoke aloud.

No outsiders. Did that mean he was no longer an outsider? It was a conflicting feeling, as he did think that Camilla needed the camaraderie more than Towhee at this point. Alas, he wasn’t about to argue with his sister, let alone the beta. She curled up, and he took his place at her side, sleep coming quickly for him that night.