Coconut Grove Paradisal Loss

Towhee didn’t understand why she felt so dismal lately. She had chosen Moontide for herself and @Phox, had volunteered to stay back while the others headed off to hunt. Yet here she was, feeling left behind and out, like an old car parked somewhere, forgotten and left to rust.

Quit being so goddamn dramatic, she thought, rolling her eyes at herself as she restlessly ranged along the plateau’s borders. It’s just seasonal depression or some shit. They’ll be back soon. And then…

And then, she hoped, Phox would share a tale akin to “Lady and the Tramp,” where he and Heph had kissed after slurping the same bit of intestine or something. Officially smitten, they would soon tie the knot and welcome a litter in the spring. Towhee would get to play aunt or, if she was particularly lucky, maybe she could be Towma again this year.

But even if her sister-in-law was cool that way, they wouldn’t need her, not really. Just like @Raiyuk hadn’t needed her help with his lodge, a memory which had set an unfortunate tone to Towhee’s stay in Moontide so far. Retirement was supposed to be fun and relaxing, not fraught with feelings of being unwanted and unwelcome.

You’re being fucking dumb, Towhee’s inner voice continued scolding. Pay fucking attention, you’ve got borders to patrol. But she was nearly finished with the circuit and the long walk around the perimeter had done nothing to placate her restiveness.

Heaving a dramatic sigh at herself, the Redhawk decided a change of scenery might help her strange mood. She loped northwest toward the seashore overlooking the neighboring bay, slowing down as she moseyed along the beach. It was too windy for her tastes, so she let the frigid breeze push her inland, her orange eyes casting toward the nearby coconut grove.

With the wind sweeping from the sea, she didn’t smell anything amiss. And Towhee certainly didn’t hear the brief scream that tore through the wintry air. Still, her eyes fixed ahead and she found herself marching that way like a homing missile.