Redhawk Caldera My "people skills" are "rusty."

In the seconds before Raven's arrival, Elwood simply provided a calm, quiet presence for Towhee. His yellow eyes immediately shifted to watch Raven as she carefully examined her young charge, using her own tongue to clean Towhee's face. It didn't seem to take her very long, and Elwood was relieved when the caregiver announced that Towhee's nose was no longer bleeding.

"Thanks," he murmured quietly, even as Raven signed to Towhee to make sure that she was okay. The girl signaled back that she wasn't in any pain, and Elwood readied himself to head back to the shelter, assuming that their playtime had come to an end. But Towhee surprised him and invited him to continue their game, only pausing when her gaze was drawn to a spot on Elwood's pelt. He craned his neck to look at himself and spotted the smeared, drying blood. He gave a shrug to show her that it was alright.

"It's okay, I'll get cleaned up later," he said, making a halting gesture for "later." He reached out to gently tap her shoulder, saying and signing, "Your turn!" as he trotted away, watching her over his shoulder.