Heron Lake Plateau Have you ever heard of the Butterfly Effect?

She managed to right herself, only for Screech to yank at her nape and pin her, Towhee's exhaustion slowing her reactions significantly. She struggled mightily against his hold but he managed to land several blows to her head and shoulders, leaving her bleeding freely from several shallow wounds. She couldn't be sure if she managed to shove him off or if he relented on his own, yet a beat later, the Alpha was free to jump to her feet a second time and whirl around to face him.

Breathing heavily, legs shaking, ears slicked back so they disappeared against her skull, Towhee faced her opponent. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have hesitated to counterattack. But she was so utterly wrecked from the long journey and the previous day's fight, not to mention the fact that she hadn't properly eaten or slept in days. She had to pick her battles here, or she stood to lose her life.

Whether it was a means to distract him and/or throw him off or because it was somehow critical that Towhee know, she blurted an apparent non sequitur: "Did you kill Galaxy?"