Heron Lake Plateau The Indie Queens are Waiting

Towhee couldn't describe how much she appreciated Niamh's attempts to communicate clearly. When asked for a suggestion on how to differentiate the name sign, the Alpha cocked her head for a moment, thinking. The instant the proverbial light bulb flashed over her head, her whole face lit up quite transparently. "Add this," she said, making a quick sign, "it means gold." That should set it apart a bit from the simple sign for washing up.

Further discourse on ptero was set aside for the moment as Niamh answered her question. Towhee drew in a breath. It didn't surprise her in the least to hear as much. She was sure there might even be some within the ranks who would never fully accept Screech in particular. And she wasn't going to vouch for him or go to any special effort to change their minds, not when her own wasn't even made up either. He would have to tough it out and earn it entirely on his own.

"I don't usually get along with outsiders so quickly," the Alpha revealed, "but it means a lot that you're so interested in ptero. I'll teach you some more words and phrases that you can use around the girls. I think it'll score you some brownie points. Otherwise, all you can do is stick around and prove that you're a good egg, despite your choice of friends," Towhee finished with a smirl.