Heron Lake Plateau I fought death and lost.

There were other opinions that might matter more than Raven's, such as their godparents', and if the majority of the pack didn't accept Screech, there was not much Towhee could do. But obtaining immediate reassurance from Raven made the young Alpha feel better. She gave a sigh, then stilled to allow the medic to finish the cleaning.

Once that was done, Towhee felt like there were a million things she needed to do, not to mention a million people to see. But instead of departing right away, she decided it couldn't hurt to spend a few more moments with Raven. Honestly, her presence was comforting, especially at a time like this.

"I still think it was the right choice to leave," she opined aloud out of nowhere, clearly needing to hash it out with someone, "leave the caldera, I mean. But I didn't expect any of this. And when I gave Screech options"—okay, more like death threats—"I didn't think it through. I never thought he'd actually stand his ground and try to fight us. And obviously I didn't plan any of what happened next. The whole thing was just..." Towhee paused, searching for the right word or phrase before settling on: "Fucking unfortunate."

The Alpha looked down at her paws a long moment, glad at least that her wounds felt a bit better, then confessed, "I told off X. He said he'd found paradise but it was more like a trap, wasn't it?" Her orange eyes lifted up to Raven's face. "I'm sure he didn't mean it and I guess it's my fault. I was the one who sent him out, who took his word and led all of us into danger." She exhaled shakily.