Heron Lake Plateau fake happy

Whatever he had expected Towhee to say, it wasn't that. In a rather un-Elwood way, he opened his mouth as though to reply, then snapped it shut a second later when nothing came out. It wasn't just that she wanted to resign from her position of Alpha -- it was her body language, and the obvious defeat she felt, even if she couldn't convey it in the tone of her voice. Elwood felt like he had failed her.

He glanced at Clover and Finley as they replied. Finley had almost pulled the words from his head -- it was everything he wanted to say to Towhee but had been unable to a moment ago. He nodded, and while he didn't feel like he needed add much to what had already been said, he wanted her to know that he believed in her, too.

"Fin's right -- about all of it," he said. "It's not going to be easy, and you're not going to make everyone happy all of the time. But you're not doing it alone; we're here to support you." He considered telling her about Colt and Quixote, but worried that hearing about their dissent would only convince her further that she wasn't capable of leadership. Maybe that would be something he discussed first with Finley. For now, he fixed his concerned gaze on Towhee's downtrodden face.