Heron Lake Plateau I'm working on my backwards walk, walking with no shoes or socks.

Just as she was about to poke her head inside the den—sure that she would find it empty—a groggy Alpha pair stepped out to join her. Towhee felt a jab of guilt when she realized she must have woken them from some much-needed sleep. "Oh, sorry, guys," she said, taking a step back to make space for them even as her orange eyes skated between their bewildered faces. Her heart began beating faster in her chest. So they'd heard, despite their sleepiness.

"I—" she began, feeling another jab, this time of doubt and guilt as she saw Raven's expression in particular. "It's up to you, of course; you're the Alphas. It was just a suggestion and you're welcome to take it or leave it." But that didn't address the first part of the equation. Towhee let out a long breath, then nodded. "But, yes. Well, I don't want to step down, but I think it's the best call for both myself and this pack." There was barely a breath between that statement and the next as she reassured, "I'm not going anywhere, Rave. It's just a title. I'll still be here, doing as much as I can, which is less than before but definitely not nothing."