Heron Lake Plateau another five more short graybles

Speak of the devil: X himself appeared in the distant sky, heading this way, and Towhee abruptly realized she was late for her next patrol. She missed the first part of Screech's question (probably for the best), though turned to him in time to catch the latter half: "—talk to X at all? Can he understand voices or, uh, your ptero?"

"Yes, we communicate pretty effectively, actually, which is really kind of miraculous when you sit down and think about it. I can't read his lips—he doesn't have any—and he doesn't have digits, so ptero is out. We sort of use a more rudimentary sign language, for the most part. Plus lots of 'yes' and 'no' questions. By the way," Towhee continued, flicking her muzzle skyward, "here he comes."

Her orange eyes watched as X swooped closer, soon gliding to land on a bough overhead. "I'm coming!" she called up to him, then faced her brother. Her mouth opened to say goodbye, though it clapped shut. She deliberated a moment, then said, "You can come patrol with me, if you want." Without waiting for an answer, the Beta padded to the islet's edge and dove into the water, paddling toward the opposite shore and onward toward the borders.

Last post, feel free to wrap! :)