Northstar Vale My crystal nails.

Tamar emerged and took a seat, inviting Towhee to elaborate. She drew in a deep breath, then turned when she saw Arsenio approaching with some food for his wife. Towhee’s lips parted, eyes drawn to the gash on the Arche’s muzzle. He glanced inside the den, then situated himself beside Tamar.

Maxim offered a succinct reply, though Towhee knew it was still on her to explain why she was so reactive to this development. She glanced at her mate, then drew in a second breath. She thought about sitting but decided to remain on her feet, humming with angry energy.

First of all, they moved in without us being aware, which is fucked up on a couple levels. When I went to visit what I thought was a ghost town, they not only appeared, they ganged up on me. There were at least four of them. I just… She exhaled forcefully. With all the new pups, having a random group of strangers park right next door really chaps my ass.

But what could they do about it? Towhee hadn’t gotten that far, aside from her comment to Maxim. Even if they’d known where Fennec and Killdeer had wound up, they couldn’t just run off. Leo was here. This was their home. An hour ago, she would have called it a safe haven.

Towhee gnashed her teeth furiously, realizing these strangers and their goddamn gall had abruptly robbed her of that sense of peace.