Heron Lake Plateau On a hill, under a raven sky.

Whether or not he meant to, Phox's cautious approach telegraphed his presence so that Towhee turned, despite his footfalls falling on deaf ears. Her orange gaze settled on his dark face even as he posed a question. She frowned and said nothing, peering at him a beat longer before redirecting her attention skyward.

She only ignored him for a minute or two before she said, "Did you hear?" She lowered her eyes again so she could see his reaction. "Screech—Titmouse—is still alive." Although Towhee was pretty much incapable of conveying tone, there was a hardness to her face and a burning in her eyes that broadcast her hatred for their brother and the fact that he still breathed the same wintry air as them.

And that thought caused her to think of the fourth sibling, the sister they'd lost: Orca. It was true that Phox's participation in Caiaphas's attempted usurpation and subsequent dismissal had scored quiet brownie points with Towhee. But she would never say so. All the same, she slowly signed, -Orca's resting there,- and pointed at the dimly lit island.