Lake Rodney Queen of knives.

For a long beat after Maia finished, Towhee did not speak. She stared hard at the woman's face, orange eyes boring into her pale silver gaze, darting between them as if seeking an explanation that actually made any kind of sense. The way she shifted spoke to her discomfort, which the Sovereign noted dimly.

"He needed some space," she repeated even more slowly. A heavy silence followed before she spoke again. "I guess you two sorted out your differences. You know, I supported him going to be with you." Here came another pause. "I only asked him to hang around because of the miscarriage... and only until I delivered safely. He said he would stay close. But... he needed some space..."

Even in her heart of hearts, Towhee didn't know what to make of it. It was so unprecedented that Eljay would go back on his word, abandon her in her greatest moment of need. Towhee flashed back to the day when she'd clutched him close and sobbed. She felt a flash of heat sweep across her skin, her insides slowly starting to feel like they were broiling.

At the same time, she felt her blood run cold. There was some part of Towhee that sort of understood his motives, though why had he jumped ship now? After everything she'd been through, Eljay's forsaking her and her litter was somehow the worst blow she'd been dealt, second only to the miscarriage itself. It was worse than losing her mate. It was worse than losing her best friendship. It left her feeling poignantly abandoned and bereft for it.