Heron Lake Plateau It’s a shame- it’s a crying shame them’s the brakes

He had to decide just how long he was going to let Niamh be kind of a loser before he put his foot down.  It seemed like she'd come back briefly once at least since the event at the border -- or at least clearly came back, past the edges of the territory -- but he hadn't been able to catch her.  He wasn't sure if she was going out of the way to avoid his normal haunts and places he'd expect to find her or what, but it was definitely another thing grating on his nerves.  Colt, though, seemed to be gone entirely, and even though they really hadn't talked at all recently, if he had to pick between the two, Quixote would choose his friend every time.

Maybe if she stayed gone for another few days he'd just decide she'd basically abandoned the pack, maybe howl it at her to let her know that was the decision made.  It'd make things much easier because he wouldn't have to deal with her continuing to overreact (that's what she was going to do, right?).  Unfortunately for her, Quixote's wandering path dropped him right across Niamh's recent trail, though he didn't notice Towhee's scent beneath it.  His mind was fairly narrowly focused at the moment and he didn't even think about it, just spun in that direction and headed quickly after her to not miss this chance.

It didn't take long for him to spot her up ahead, slowing slightly as he closed the distance.  If she thought he was kind of standoffish before, then this wasn't exactly a side of him she'd want to be dealing with at all.  To say the least, his displeasure was obvious, a scowl was carved into his brow and there was a certain edge to his movements that made him seem far less casual than he ordinarily was.  Sure, he wasn't bristling full of anger, but he was very disappointed in her choices, Where do you think you're going?  She left without answering a whole bunch of questions, then created more.  Whatever she was doing wasn't as important as coming to speak with him.