Lion Head Mesa (ap) Not sure exactly where I am.

After finishing her last patrol of the evening, Towhee found herself standing at the eastern border. She gazed into the dark distance, wondering when she could expect @Ruenna back from the neighbors' nuptials. Should she wait up, make sure she made it back home safely? Surely her fellow Sovereign could handle herself, though with their members dropping like flies lately, a seed of concern had begun to germinate within her. It made her restive; she felt increasingly vigilant of the wolves remaining in her ranks.

Without really thinking about it, she began to mosey beyond the borders. She wondered if any sounds were coming from the mesa. Was the party loud? Her eyes fell to the ground as grass gave way to dirt. Towhee stopped, forgetting all about what was going on next door as she began instinctively scanning the cold sands for snakes. Her lip lifted and she began to retreat back toward the caldera, stopping again when she wondered whether snakes went into hibernation. Surely none would be out here on a cold night like this one, anyway.

Towhee growled under her breath and began marching forward with purpose. She still looked closely where she stepped but she wasn't going to let some dumb, overgrown worm scare her anymore. Eventually, she reached the far edge of the steppes, without ever seeing any signs of life. Her heart pounded and her pulse felt thready, yet Towhee smiled triumphantly.

Something drew her attention skyward. Was that a hawk circling? It seemed a strange sight for this late hour. Towhee stared, transfixed, thinking of X. She didn't hear Reyes's shouts, nor notice him directly below the bird, at least not yet.