Redhawk Caldera Homeward Bound

He didn't laugh, but then the joke wasn't meant to be funny. Towhee's eyes carefully tracked Mou's movements as he sat down with a scowl, which fell into more of a hangdog expression. She didn't feel bad for him. He deserved every bit of his misfortune.

Of course, she'd never met Prevost, but she felt her brother's sense of loss: Phox's, not Mou's. For the nth time, she thought about trailing him to Frosthawks. Towhee would find peace and quiet with Raven and her family. They could all do "yogurt" together every day. It wouldn't be a half-bad way to retire.

Her body went taut. Towhee wasn't even five years old yet. She still had several fighting years left in her. It felt like every title she'd ever worn had been peeled from her. It left her bereft in ways she hadn't fully comprehended yet. But it also gave her a unique opportunity to start over.

-"Everybody leaves,"- she said in way of reply to Mou's statement. -"And it's taken me five years to accept that reality. It's not even good or bad. That's just is."- Towhee paused, shook her head thoughtfully and grumbled, -"There's nothing left for either one of us here. We should leave too."-