Redhawk Caldera coming out of my cage

*recycles* :)

To say that Towhee was on edge would have been the understatement of the year. Upon reaching the shore of the caldera, she plunged into the shallows without ceremony, welcoming the distracting chill of the water as it sloshed against her legs. As the water deepened, she buckled her limbs and started to paddle, teeth immediately beginning to chatter as she swam toward the middle of the caldera. Ignoring the numbness creeping through her body, Towhee plunged beneath the water and disappeared.

Her head broke the surface a moment later, a great breath gusting from between trembling lips. Treading water, her orange eyes rolled skyward and she spotted X circling overhead. She barked at the hawk, then made for the opposite bank. She could barely feel her legs as she trundled onto dry land, shook out her coat and then peered back over the water. Within seconds, it settled, the surface becoming placid as if she'd never been there at all.

Trying not to think of that fitting symbolism, Towhee motioned for X to join her. She plopped down on the gravelly shoreline and began licking the moisture from her coat even as the hawk descended. The icy water had helped distract if not calm her. She was still beside herself, her anger and frustration at Tegan a volatile mix with her apprehension and fear over the upcoming undertaking. But despite everything, the Alpha refused to consider leaving her brother behind. They would not disembark for the promised land until Tegan returned and Towhee gave him the chewing-out of a lifetime.

She felt something nudge her elbow and she glanced down at X. She couldn't quite get her facial muscles to cooperate enough to smile, though she made a rumbling noise at the bird before saying, "Tell me more about this place you foun—" Towhee's voice cut off abruptly when the bird's head whipped to the side, her own head rapidly following.

"Hey, Clo!"