Heron Lake Plateau It's almost like a Hallmark movie, but with tentacles.

There had been quite a heap of drama lately, though Towhee didn't actually know the half of it (@Colt's and @Quixote's conversation with her uncle, for instance, or @Screech's and @Raven's tryst). In her world, the turbulent seas were smoothing out and she sensed her keel evening and the wind beginning to fill her sails. The Redhawks were settled—or getting there, anyhow—and she was going to stay at the head of the pack despite her doubts. In a few weeks, all of this melodrama would be put behind them, no doubt, and the pack could properly welcome summer from their little piece of paradise.

There was, of course, the matter of X's continued absence. Towhee was really beginning to worry that he might be gone for good. Following a quick morning patrol, she climbed up to the plateau and began to circle its edges. The heights afforded her a good view of the surrounding landscapes, from the thicket to the north to the river that wound along the entire breadth of the plateau. Soon she found her path blocked by the lake, so she began wending along the shore, though Towhee didn't pay much attention to her pretty surroundings. Her mind was far away, with her missing friend.