Redhawk Caldera Kiss my (uh oh).

She quickly returned her attention to her present Regent. It looked like Rue planned to say something only to cut herself off again. Towhee gave her a questioning look, hoping to prompt her into continuing. The Sovereign knew her words must've given the woman so much food for thought and she wanted a taste.

Towhee did not expect that question and stared for a beat, wondering if Ruenna had read her mind. Had Rue considered the pairing herself? That couldn't possibly be the case. Maybe it was just a general inquiry as Rue tried to map out who else might be looking to breed the following year. That did make sense, plus it made Towhee aware that it didn't even matter what she said today. Everything could (and probably would) change dramatically by the time any of this became relevant.

But she answered, "I don't know. I hope not." That was true enough. "You'd have to ask him. I can only speak for myself, though I bet he's in the same boat. Things really did not go according to plan for either of us, did they? I mean, we got some great kiddos out of the deal, but..." But nothing looked like they'd imagined at the beginning of the season. There had been so much heartbreak and strife in there. And their family was still in pieces.

It wasn't just that, though, not for Towhee. "Even when things were on an even keel here, I struggled a lot with this litter. On the other hand, Killdeer's been nothing but a blessing. I need more of that in my life: kids I adore, who I'm not entirely responsible for."