Redhawk Caldera Stuck in '93.

Alyx followed, blind and numb to the familiar caldera sights they passed by. She was never particularly fond of this place, but now the world felt like it was draining of all its colours, taking the rugged beauty of home with it. She made herself focus on Towhee's footsteps, placing her smaller paws precisely where the Sovereign's had been. If she focused only on that, things didn't feel quite so overwhelming.

It was a lot to take in. Everything Towhee told her left Alyx reeling. From the sounds of it, Niamh died naturally, which just didn't make sense — her mom wasn't that old, was she? Then Alyx remembered that Niamh had run away from home prior to that after some kind of altercation, and she wondered if it was possible for a wolf to die from sheer stress. Or maybe it was heartbreak?

The most shocking thing was hearing that someone rescued her baby siblings, only to lie to everyone for months about their identity and what happened to her mom. Now they were probably old enough to be messed up over it. Phox was a saint for being able to forgive them for that, because Alyx's insides churned with rage at the very idea. How could someone do that, knowing full well their real family was searching desperately for them ...

She didn't get to finish the thought or even respond to Towhee, much less acknowledge her (only living) mom's eyes on her. All she could do was unsteadily rise and plod into the nearest bush to blow chunks.