Redsand Canyon So LA.

Towhee stole into the forest just east of the punishment pit, seeking out the stream that wound through the trees and taking a seat beside it. She stared pensively at the water as she mentally replayed the conversation she’d just had with @Phox.

He’d just returned from a foray to the seashore to visit Meerkat, simply to say “hi” but also to check in regarding the plans for a playdate. Towhee had eagerly anticipated his return with an update, though she had not expected for him to tell her, “Njord is gone and I think Meerkat’s depressed.” Out of anyone on this planet, Phox would know.

Now she dipped her toes in the cool water, thinking of her two eldest daughters and their recent heartbreaks. Meerkat had told Phox she would try to swing by Mereo for a visit in the near future, otherwise Towhee would probably be running up the coastline now to comfort her poor daughter, abandoned for the second time, left with three kids to raise on her own.

A restless energy compelled her back onto her feet, now heading due north toward the dirt arena. There wasn’t much she could do for Meerkat—like she’d told Fennec, only time would mend her wounds—and she knew her pack would have her back. In the meantime, Towhee would square up with the first wolf who showed their face at the pit and possibly pretend they were Njord.