Shadewood With all the fire we can breathe.

Riley kept his eye on the stalwart stranger as he and Masque exchanged words; he didn’t love the idea of one-on-one with the strange-speaking woman, but if it came to it, he’d do whatever Masque asked.

He was about to say something when the outnumbered female spoke, recognizing the name shared between them; he looked to his mate for guidance as she calculated what to do next.

Suddenly, Masque changed her mind. It was just as well, for Riley — he followed suit by squaring up his stance. His tail was not quite so high as the curled fling of Masquerade’s, but his posture communicated well enough that between the two of them, Towhee had overstayed her welcome.