Redhawk Caldera No matter how much it hurts, no matter how hard it gets, you gotta keep grinding.

She felt a little bit like she might puke; her mouth began to water tellingly and her stomach rolled. She wanted Finley to make the call for her and secretly hoped her godmother would forbid her from disembarking. But she couldn't be sure that's what would happen. The Alpha was a new mother, who needed to look after her newborns, no matter the stakes. She must know that Towhee wasn't among the pack's finest hunters. She was disabled, truthfully, and therefore one of the pack's weakest links—at least when faced with a food shortage.

Towhee's lungs felt like they might collapse when Finley replied. "...really?" she breathed. Once more, she was boneless with relief. She wanted to jump up and shout, give her aunt a hug or something. But all she could do was sit there and tremble a little bit like a jello mold. "Even though..." She couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence. Towhee didn't want to argue with her godmother at the best of times, and she certainly didn't want to convince the woman to punt her out after all.

Her throat suddenly felt tight and there was no way she could know if her voice was still working. So the Xi simply signed, -Okay,- and blinked rapidly, trying again to stem more tears. She wasn't entirely successful, however; a few escaped, getting caught at the corners of her mouth where her lips had curved upward in a wobbly smile.