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

She could practically feel eyes burning into the side of her face and turned to catch Maxim giving her a look. Immediately realizing what it meant, she pressed her lips together and scanned the group. Had everyone heard that? How would they take it? Towhee mostly meant it as a joke…

Bronco came in with the save. In spite of everything, she gave him a grateful look as he expertly fielded the awkward question before redirecting the conversation to safer waters. He seemed genuinely happy to see them and made formal introductions.

Teya? Towhee probably embarrassed herself all over again by pulling a face. She missed every word the woman said as she tried to do some mental gymnastics. She thought back on a winter night some time ago, a drunken Reyes rambling about his girlfriend, Teya.

Clearly, he was out of the picture now. All jokes about picking up the Redhawks’ sloppy seconds aside, Towhee felt a strange camaraderie with this golden she-wolf. She wondered what exactly Reyes had done this time. She just hoped it didn’t involve any children, her stomach tightening at the thought.

Maia’s arrival derailed her thoughts and simultaneously reminded her of Eljay’s presence. They still hadn’t spoken directly to one another. Towhee still didn’t know what to say. Maybe he didn’t either. Perhaps it was enough simply to mingle among their mutual loved ones without engaging directly.

Belatedly, Towhee broke the silence to reply to Bronco’s question, saying, This is my youngest son, Jack Snipe, in case he forgot to introduce himself. And this is his sister, Leona, she added, gesturing at the girl who always seemed to hang back at group gatherings. My mate, Maxim, she finished before tacking on, It’s nice to see all of you, and shifting closer to Phox purely for comfort’s sake, curious about the words she caught on his lips: “a hunt”?

But Towhee knew she was an extra in this scene, her son the main character. She would let him capture and hold the spotlight. Jack was as full of antics as his mother, though in a more wholesome sense that might actually appeal to the group at large. He seemed particularly captivated by Bronco, which seemed fitting seeing as he was the one mostly adeptly bridging the gap between the two families.