Heron Lake Plateau Ka-tet.

Though initially unaware of her mate’s approach, a shift of the fitful breeze brought her a waft of his scent and she smiled affectionately at him as he drew near. Returning his greetings with kisses to his cheek, she eyed their lunch appreciatively and felt a wash of gratitude warm her heart. There was no question that she was well-fed and well-loved, the majority of which was thanks to him. He’d been nothing short of a wonderfully attentive companion, and not for the first time she found herself in awe of the luck she’d stumbled upon in finding him.

Her sister’s words came then, and the unspoken message they carried was a dash of ice water on her insides. After all this time, Quixote still wasn’t a Redhawk? After raising her children, leading their pack for most of a year, and integrating himself into the fabric of their family in nearly every way possible, he still wasn’t one of them? Her face became an inscrutable mask then, blank save for the rearward flick of an ear and the subtle chill that entered her eyes. When had Towhee become the authority on who was and was not a Redhawk anyway? Who had made her the bloodline police? It hadn’t been a problem when the pack was run by Blackthorns, so why was it such an issue now? Much as she wanted to call her sister out on this dynastic BS, that was an argument for another time. For now, a much bigger question loomed.

Could she step back up into the position she’d given up? Should she? The whole reason she has abdicated it was because she hadn’t felt she was strong or focused enough to be the leader the Redhawks needed. But...was Towhee? She herself had made some questionable decisions in her time at the helm, and Raven liked to think that things had been a lot more stable since she and Qui had taken over — her mate deserving more of the credit than she. In the months since, she and Qui had discussed this very topic at great length and he had all but begged her to come back. She had so many doubts, but chief among them: ”Do you think the pack would accept me as their leader again? I mean...I kind of wilted like a dying flower after that showdown with Caiaphas...” The question was directed at both of them, and while she wasn’t overly eager to resume her place as alpha female, she was willing to consider it if they both truly thought it was what was best for their pack.