Hideaway Strath How I wish you were here

It was no secret that the Firebirds' adult members were outnumbered by their youth; it was the subject of many good-natured jokes. But when Niamh brought it up now, there was nothing funny about it. Nor was there anything remotely humorous in the subsequent statements. What did Niamh think was going to happen?

To Towhee, it sounded as if Niamh was speaking from a place of fear and grief, so it was up to her to play the rational and reassuring role. She was happy enough to do it. -"Niamh,"- she repeated, voice still low but solid as steel, -"I know it's hard to believe right now, after what happened, but you and your kids, you're gonna be okay. It was a—"- She almost said "freak accident," though it sounded like Kiwi's attack had been anything but an accident.

Rather than pick up where she'd left off, Towhee took a breath and said, -"Sit."- Her orange eyes flicked upward and she signaled at X, who was hanging out in a nearby tree. The hawk winged away and the Kilonova's attention returned to her friend. -"Just take a moment to sit and breathe. You've just experienced a serious loss. I know you're worried about your kids. It'll be hard on them to lose their dad. But you've got the Firebirds and us. The Frosthawks too. We're here for you."-