Bramblepoint the world we know is turning

Towhee couldn't hear his shouting, yet she recognized what he was doing all the same, having seen it dozens of times in her comrades. She bristled, her jaw dropping when he turned tail and scrambled away. If there was any impulse to give chase, she ignored it. The mercenary's toes clenched in the leafy soil underfoot as she leered at his fleeing back.

"Well—good riddance then! We don't want you around anyway! Deserter!" she shouted after him, quite possibly loud enough for the entire neighboring caldera to hear. She punctuated these words with a snort, then lingered there for a few moments longer before abruptly pivoting and marching back to the territory.