Haunted Wood I think I was wrecked all along.

Bridget countered her and Towhee felt her heart sink a little, though it wasn't unexpected. She didn't have the strength to argue, nor the will. This woman knew what she was doing. As much as she wanted to get home, Towhee wanted to be alive when she got there.

"Okay," she said quietly, "then... can you please go to the caldera in the morning, tell them what's happened and where I am?" Maybe Towhee was flattering herself but she imagined the Redhawks were wondering and worrying, especially her kids. With Reyes out of the picture, they were currently down two parents. She knew they didn't want for substitute caretakers but she hated to think Caracal and the twins might feel abandoned. She would never, no matter how much they—and life in general—tried her sometimes.

Just thinking about it made her feel restless, an itchy heat breaking out beneath her skin. Tears sprang to her eyes. Towhee shifted in the wet grass beside the stream, withdrawing her leg and peering at her right paw. It looked mangled. She wondered if it would ever heal properly or if she was going to have limited use of it. With a small thread of horror, Towhee realized this might affect her ability to use ptero.

Of course, Bridget was right there to ask. And if they weren't going anywhere anytime soon and she had the wherewithal to ask, Towhee wondered, "Will this heal?"