Moonspear Don't you think you should take it a little easy on all the nitrates?

Cousin, he corrected internally, almost automatically, as Towhee spoke of Orca and Lagan. That was half of it. She barely even felt like his sister, though he would've in a heartbeat done for her what he had done for Titmouse. While he had been there, she had only been suspicious, angry for his leaving the first time and hardly familial. But it still hurt a bit to have their ties flung at him as he decided to stay. Her lip curl sent a rare spike of indignation in him as well, and his neck fur rose a bit in response. He had chosen, and he knew it was right.

He watched her leave, barely listening as she and Hydra exchanged final farewells, but it felt like a weight was gone. He hadn't realized how badly the final indecision had pressed down; now they knew, and he was one hundred percent cut loose of it. He leaned into Hydra's nose, then turned to return the gesture, wanting the contact both for comfort and because he enjoyed her presence. "She wasn't happy," he said, but his tone was fairly clear in that this wasn't the case for him.