Moonspear All of the places we ever go

Bridget explained that she wasn’t reluctant to share. It seemed more like she didn’t know how to explain it, though when she said she would make the effort, Towhee tipped her muzzle encouragingly. She stayed silent, eyes lingering on the woman’s familiar face.

The first words out of her mouth hit Towhee like a slap. Bronco was dead too? She inhaled sharply, then reminded herself she was meant to be paying attention. Grappling with that blow made it more difficult, certainly, but Towhee read each and every word that fell from Bridget’s lips.

Whether it was her scattered thoughts or just the way her brain was wired, Towhee thought Bridget meant she’d wanted to be with Bronco. Even when she mentioned that seeing Bronco’s mate—Teya, Towhee remembered abruptly—made it harder, she still didn’t get what Bridget really meant. She didn’t even realize she wasn’t following until her last two sentences.

Wait, what? You—oh, Towhee realized even as her face scrunched. Slowly, seeking clarification, she said, You had… feelings… for Teya. And… Bronco’s dead…

She wanted to demand all the details. When had it happened? How had it happened? What would Fennec think? Oh, shitting fuck, what would Killdeer think? Did he even know about this yet? Towhee’s heart squeezed in dismay.