Heron Lake Plateau A beating heart of stone.

It's actually my favorite when misunderstandings happen when communicating with Towhee; I figure it's pretty realistic!

There was a lot of room for improvement in Caiaphas's movements, though that was to be expected; it wasn't possible to master any language, much less an unspoken one, in a moment, an hour, a day or even a month. It would take plenty of practice and repetition before she became any good at it. Towhee did hope that she would make that effort, though it was ultimately up to Caiaphas how much she wanted to master ptero.

Once more, the older woman's question gave the mercenary pause. She realized the intended meaning after only half a second, though she picked apart the phrasing for a beat longer before saying, "I never had it in the first place. I was born this way." Towhee tried to smooth out the slight prickles she felt at the words that implied she was somehow missing something. She knew Caiaphas didn't mean anything by it but that was the story of Towhee's life: proving she wasn't disabled, just differently-abled.

Movement snagged her attention and she caught a glimpse of the youths springing about in the bushes. They would probably learn a lot faster—young ones tended to pick up ptero more easily, for whatever reason—and Towhee was tempted to call out to them, draw them out here to show them some signing. But she would leave that up to Caiaphas and only offer guidance if it was directly requested.

"I should get back to my patrol. If you or your children would like any more help with ptero, I'm always around, and there are several others who can assist." Towhee made ready to depart, her tail giving a sweep as she dipped her muzzle in farewell. -I'll see you later, Caiaphas,- she motioned slowly and silently, hoping her pack mate would understand without an interpretation, before Towhee took her leave.