Oystercatcher Tide Pools Midwest indigo.

Her eyes stayed open, though they burned. Towhee knew how vulnerable she was right now. She raised her head to comb her surroundings but saw no one. She let her chin sink to the wet sand, giving herself a moment to rest and recover from her ordeal.

Her grandsons were safe, that was what mattered most. Towhee groaned, though. They probably thought she was dead. And there was no rectifying the situation anytime soon. She barely had the strength to lift her head again, though she needed to do another sweep.

Her orange eyes fixed on a stranger in the middle distance right as her stomach suddenly decided to expel the gallon or so of seawater she’d swallowed during her little misadventure. Towhee gagged quite violently as it came gushing out of her mouth, her eyes streaming so badly now she couldn’t even see him anymore.