Hideaway Strath Shriek.

Rue didn't seem to mind the nickname, nor Towhee's request. She began to tell her tale and the mercenary paid close attention. The chronicler in her appreciate the woman's storytelling abilities. Although she knew none of the characters in this tale, Towhee commiserated with the twists and turns in Rue's recital.

This Liri's amnesia stirred some memories of her own, though Towhee ignored them. "Sorry about your friend," she said, well aware that it was a platitude, though she'd seen the way Rue's features had contorted and really did sympathize. "I've never heard of Red Fern Grove but the Sunspires, those're the mountains east of the caldera," Towhee said to herself as much as Rue, "I think. So you're not new to the area." It didn't matter that much, though it was an interesting detail.

"I have a random question for you," the mercenary said next. "In order to get to the grove, you had to walk past two nearby packs, the Firebirds and the—Frosthawks." Her expression soured before she neutralized it again. "What made you pass them up and decide to join us?"