Heron Lake Plateau Krigsgaldr.

Hanging out with @Phox and @Camilla served as an excellent distraction following the defections of Niamh, Elwood, Finley et al. She surprised herself, at first, mingling so much with her brother's crazy wife. But Camilla was a packaged deal with Phox and, in any case, the Beta was pretty used to the nutcase by now. She was even vaguely fond of her, if only because she was the vessel that would one day soon carry Phox's progeny.

The plateau did feel emptier lately, though Towhee knew that pups were on the horizon; that would make the place bustle again. In the meantime, she busied herself with patrols when she wasn't spending inappropriate amounts of time as a third wheel. She was at one just now, plugging away despite the gathering clouds and light rain that began to fall.

bat was gone. finley was gone. at this point, tegan didn't even care that towhee remained. or quixote, who was still pretty fucking badass. it didn't matter to him who was here and who had gone, not anymore than it did before. so if more wolves got up and left -- so be it. tegan would be the last wolf left in this god forsaken plateau. just, remaining. 

if anyone had noticed anything, it was that tegan's scent, of all the scents, was more prominent along their borders. typically, he was more in the center of the territory or just completely fucked off somewhere weird. well, no longer. all the kid did was patrol. because fuck everyone else. tegan spotted towhee coming at the opposite direction, headed towards him. his expression stayed neutral, dull, even -- gaze going right through her.

Fortunately, the rain remained light and the physical activity offset any chill. The ground underfoot did grow a bit soggy as time wore on, so that by the time Towhee was about ready to wrap it up, her forelegs were quite muddy and there were splatters on her chest and flanks as well.

During the final home stretch, she found herself crossing paths with Tegan. She had observed him during other patrols too. He didn't look quite forlorn, though what she did see was even more concerning than outright despondency. Tegan looked utterly expressionless. There was no light behind his eyes. He didn't have any Teganisms™ to throw her way. Hell, he didn't even see to acknowledge Towhee's presence.

They were walking toward one another and it seemed like he might simply pass without saying a word. Just as that was about to happen, Towhee reached out one muddy leg and touched the spot where his shoulder blade met his chest. "Hey," she said simply, waiting to see if he'd stop and look at her.

for a little while, it seemed like towhee might let him walk on by -- which was pretty preferred. his pelt was dusted with the light rain, but his face was pretty damn wet, water dripping from his chin. not sure how that happened. but, anyway, towhee stopped him. pressing a muddy pale to his pale pelt and offering a simple greeting. tegan held his tongue for a moment, wanting to tell her to fuck off for getting him all dirty -- but instead he just stopped in his tracks and stared at his own muddy feet for a minute. he let out a heavy breathe. 

"wassup," he greeted back in a mutter, tail flicking once as he looked back up towards his sister, ears pressed forwards, water dripping from his chin.

She didn't pick up the mumbled greeting but he did glance at her. Towhee's lips pursed as she returned his gaze, reading the pain there. It was such a strange look on him, not that she could fault him. He'd just lost his best friend in the world. For several seconds, she deliberated, then quite suddenly pulled him into a wolfish hug, crushing him against her chest and holding tightly in case of a struggle.

"Just need you to know I'm here for you," she rumbled in his ear.

there was no struggle. 

towhee stared at him for a moment, something that drug across tegan's mind as a look of pity. he didn't want to be pitied. and as strong limbs pulled him in for a hug, something tegan often verbally and physically detested, he stood completely still. the only thing that drew reaction out of him were her words, forcing a flick back of his pale ears. but tegan remained silent and still for the duration of the hug. only when towhee pulled away, did tegan shake out his damp pelt and look back at her. 

he shrugged. "it's alright," he said gently, ears still pushed back. only person he wanted was finley, and she'd left him too.

Tegan didn't protest, though he didn't exactly return her embrace. Towhee didn't care about that. She held him tightly for a moment longer, then released him. He pulled back in time for her to catch the words that fell off his lips: "It's all right."

Her brow furrowed. "No," she countered, "it isn't." She didn't add anything else; it would've felt like platitudes. Blinking away the rain that suddenly fell harder and faster, she added, "It sucks donkey balls. And I know it's not really consolation but..." Towhee let out a blustering breath before repeating, "I'm here. I'm always gonna be here."

Not wanting to force her company on him any further—he could seek her out if he needed or wanted her—the Beta offered a parting pat and then began to move away.

tegan's brow furrowed at her choice of words, pulling away from her coldly. "don't compare this to donkey balls, towhee," he said firmly. it didn't lighten the mood, it didn't make him chuckle, it didn't make it any better. it was just insensitive. and tegan knew a thing or two about being insensitive. 

"i know," he said, a little gentler -- not that towhee could even hear his tone, but his expression softened, "thanks, i'm gonna get back to my patrol." and then he did, without waiting for her to answer. he'd act like he was deaf too if she tried to call after him, unless she like, physically stopped him.