Sun Mote Copse Brave as a noun

Niamh failed to see how Phox could have been in the same situation- and still made the decision he'd made. He didn't exactly answer her question- at least, not in the point-blank way that Niamh needed him to do it in order to get his point across. Validating her emotions was normally the right thing to do- but Niamh was feeling fairly pithy and had her one-track mind fixated on getting exactly what she wanted to hear from him- and all she wanted was for him to admit that he'd done the wrong thing. He admitted that he would have been angered, had he been in her position- which might have implied that he might have felt that the decision to withold information about Nellie's existance as being wrong...But he didn't say that. She felt it was the wrong decision, and she wanted him to feel that way too. Whatever it was that he'd apologized for- and she'd forgotten already what that was- it hadn't done the trick. She remained mute, staring abjectly at the ground with her ears tilted back when he spoke down to her about how her life would play out if she continued to act this way. She felt as though he was trying to steer her toward forgiving him, and holding the 'you'll end up friendless and lonely' idea as a warning, or threat, if she didn't smarten up and forgive him. Phox wasn't trying to manipulate her, but she felt it as such, and was fairly sensitive to anything that even vaguely resembled manipulation. 

Towhee intervened, albeit cautiously, and Niamh wanted so badly for Towhee to simply come in and fix things. So when she offered either to stay and help- as she cared for both of them- or leave, Niamh didn't even think to take Phox's feelings on the matter into consideration, and nodded, gesturing for her to join them. She didn't stop to think how twisted and out of control things could possibly get with Towhee now tangled up in their issue, which now felt vague and confusing at best. But Niamh- as always- wanted Towhee to be on her side, and her habit of twisting the narrative was edging its way into the corner of her consciousness, begging to use whatever it could to get Towhee to choose her over her brother. 

-S'about Nellie. Phox knew Nellie was alive, with the Frosthawks.- She said. -And when I told him I thought she might be dead...He didn't say nothin' about her being alive. He just let me go on believing that she was dead.- Niamh said, feeling the heavy lump boil and turn over in her throat. She felt that it was a slight against her, that he'd opted to allow her to believe her child was dead. -Nellie made him promise not to tell...She made everyone promise. But she's just a kid. And she thought if someone told me, that I'd drag her back. I'm not the best Mom...But all I needed to know was that she was alive, and being cared for.- She said. She tried her best not to glower at Phox- as he could have, at any point, told her that her daughter was alive...-That's all any parent wants. To know their kids are alive, and that they're okay, no matter where they are.-  Her emotions boiled and bubbled until tears pooled in her eyes and seared down her cheeks. -Am I....that...Horrible of a mother...That an entire pack of wolves...Including you, Phox...Decided it was better that Nellie's existence be kept a secret, and that I should just go on believing that she was dead?- She asked, her teeth bared in both anger and hurt. She sheathed them, and stared at the ground, hard. -Because that's how you made me feel.-