Lake Rodney Queen of knives.

She imagined both @Phox and @Niamh had noticed and wondered at her scarcity around their homestead, though Towhee couldn't be sure. Maybe they were too busy focusing on her pregnancy, not to mention her recovery. She still thought about demoting Niamh, though less savagely every day. Maybe sometime soon, she might even be able to talk to her, though she wasn't there yet.

There was @Reyes to consider too. Where was he? How was he? Towhee tried to push him out of her mind, yet she never succeeded. She was still angry with him—every time she pictured Reyes breaking Niamh's leg, fury seared through her—but there was room now for other feelings too. She missed... well, all of it: the cave, the companionship, the promise of a bright future.

The pups wiggled and Towhee's lips quirked into a wry smile as she meandered along the creek, idly scouting for someplace that might suit as a den. She'd thought it over and decided not to use the Blackthorn den after all. Her orange eyes roved to and fro, wondering if @Eljay was close by, yet unwilling to call for him just now.

Growing tired, she took a seat beside the water. She hadn't seen @Whip or @Zsuzsa lately. She might not have cared, except their ranks were thinning. Especially if Eljay left for the fen, that would leave only the Sovereign, the Regents, @Ruenna and @Lenny to hold down the fort, at least until @Fennec and @Alyx came back...

When she felt rested enough, she climbed back onto all fours and decided to search for the caretaker after all. She scoured the territory, which was a feat in her condition. She even spied on the Regents' den from a distance. Towhee couldn't find him anywhere and assumed he must be visiting @Maia then. She tried to count how many days had passed since she'd shooed him in her direction and felt a jolt of alarm when she realized that was three days ago now.

Her fruitless search had led her to the southern border. Since she was here anyway, Towhee decided to shuffle closer to the shore of Lake Rodney. Her orange eyes darted around a bit suspiciously the further she ventured from the foot of the caldera. What if her former mate appeared or something? Feeling on edge now, Towhee stopped beside the water and—aware it was an exercise in futility—howled.