Redhawk Caldera I can do anything that I want, 'cause, look

And then Bronco appeared, moving toward the group with a broad smile on his rugged face. Towhee snapped out of her momentary hysteria, staring at him as he came closer. Had she known he lived here? Her daughter or grandson must have mentioned it at some point, though Towhee couldn’t recall. He mouthed something at her directly and Towhee could only continue staring at him, still processing his unexpected presence.

Before she could figure out how she was meant to react to the man whose most prominent title in her mind these days was “Fennec’s ex,” someone else came along. Towhee didn’t know her, at least she didn’t think she did. There was a vague familiarity, as if they’d met in passing, but she just couldn’t place her.

She didn’t miss the way the latter arrival looked at Bronco. Towhee’s mystified gaze flicked between the two. She wondered if Fennec and Killdeer knew about this. She knew it was really none of her business, though, so she focused on how the hell to react to Bronco individually. He clearly didn’t conflate her with Fennec, that much was obvious. Should she take his cue and do the same? Could she?

Towhee missed her son’s shout because she was staring at the latest wolf to materialize, perhaps ironically. It was the man, the myth, the legend: Eljay. She hadn’t known how she would feel seeing him after all this time. She would never forget the way he’d comforted her after her miscarriage. He’d promised to stay close, only to disappear, and that had certainly angered and hurt her. But especially now, years after the fact, she could appreciate the long history behind that fallout.

All the same, she didn’t know how to feel and Towhee could only look around at all these familiar faces and whisper to herself, I should’ve just taken him to the coyote whorehouse, unaware that it came out quite loudly, right over Phox’s question.