Redhawk Caldera ...and then everything goes screaming off the rails and it's our asses.

Her first birthday came and went without fanfare. Towhee made a point to seek out @Orca and spend some time with her only remaining litter mate, though she cut it short when spending time with her sister only served as a painful reminder that their brothers were gone. Worse yet, Titmouse @Screech was wanted for murder and @Phox was possibly a hostage.

She woke up the following morning spoiling for a fight. She stomped toward the borders, hoping to channel some of her fury into a patrol, followed by a spar with somebody, anybody. But the tireless march only fanned the flames of her aggravation. She wanted to kill something (someone) so badly. She wished they would go to war already, giving her an outlet for all these horrid feelings.

Never before in her life had Towhee felt an urge to shout at her godparents, yet with each crunching footfall in the snow (that she couldn't hear), she felt the agitation flaring hot in her belly and crawling up her throat like magma preparing to burst from her mouth in a volcanic shower of fiery epithets. Why were they making her wait like this? If it was even remotely possible that Phox might be a captive, why weren't they storming Blackfeather Woods right this very second?

Towhee was about to turn and seek out the Alphas when something caught her eye. She froze in her tracks, snout jerking upward as she squinted at the bright blue sky. There was a dark shape soaring in this direction. Her heart leaped into her throat as she watched it come closer, taking on a familiar shape. The yearling felt her rage cooling somewhat as X came in for his landing, blowing up a sparkling shower of snow as he arrived.

"You're a sight for sore eyes," Towhee said to the raptor, relief written all over her face. She moved toward him, nosing him gently, then stepped back. Some of her earlier irritation returned as she asked, "Where the hell have you been?"

X opened and closed his beak, then did something strange: he bobbed his head eagerly up and down. "What?" Towhee blurted at him. "What is it, X?" She stared and he repeated the same peculiar motions. "Are you trying to tell me something?" He stopped suddenly and nodded; the movement was unmistakable.

Thinking fast—she would have to stick to questions that could be answered with a nod ("yes") or head shake ("no")—the Gamma pressed, "Hang on, did you find Phox?" She could feel her heart suddenly racing in her chest.

X neither nodded nor shook his head. He did something that resembled a shrug. Towhee cocked her head, then snorted in frustration at the language barrier. Even if he could speak her language, she could never read his lips (he didn't have any!). And without digits, it was hopeless to try to teach him ptero. Their bond was strong but their communication was still rudimentary at best...

"What does that mean, X? Did you find Phox?" she asked again, orange eyes boring into him. X shrugged again, then followed it with a hesitant nod. "What? Where? What did you see?" Towhee pressed, forgetting to ask leading questions. She made another frustrated sound, then said, "You think you saw Phox?"

Finally, X bobbed his head more enthusiastically this time. "He was okay?" X nodded again. "Was he somewhere nearby?" The hawk shook his head and Towhee felt her heart sink. "Uh, north? South? East? West?" she asked, pausing between each word. X nodded at the final one. "You saw Phox west of here? Far?" He bobbed his head several times, leaving no room for misinterpretation. Towhee felt her heart clench again, then felt a bolt of wrath sear through her. "Are you sure it was him?" X didn't respond immediately. He then shrugged and shook his head simultaneously.

Towhee swore loudly, then turned and kicked at a clump of snow. All of this startled the red-tailed hawk into sudden flight and she watched with miserable, red-rimmed eyes as he winged toward the rendezvous site. Sorry, she thought after him, I didn't mean to shoot the messenger... And with that, the yearling began running east, screaming at the top of her lungs.