Heron Lake Plateau If he ever singles you up, if he's ever stupid enough

The point of contention, apparently, was her younger sister's place in the pecking order. Towhee's brow furrowed as Fiadh vented, upset particularly by Tegan outranking her. She couldn't hear the girl's tone, of course, though she could see that her words were fueled more by hurt than anger as she wondered if she was useless and whether her efforts didn't matter.

"You're definitely not useless, Fi," the Alpha replied, her voice as wooden as ever but a patient expression on her face and a gentle look in her eye. "A lot of different factors go into ranks," Towhee explained, aware that it was vague. But that was the leaders' business. With that said, she couldn't help but wonder, "What rank would you like to be?" There was no law saying that personal preference couldn't be factored into the formula.

But, of course, proving herself would be one of the primary contributing factors. "I've always known Clo was feisty," Towhee said in the next moment, "but I'm only just now seeing that side of you. I think there's a lot of potential there. I even think I could learn some things from you two." She paused, orange eyes sparking with an idea. "If I allowed it, would you be interested in challenging Tegan for his rank?"