Redhawk Caldera Event horizon.

She knew this peaceful phase wouldn’t last forever, though Towhee had not anticipated just how hard fate would strike down the Redhawks—namely, their Patriarch. @Killdeer failed to return from a routine hunt in a haunting echo of Maxim’s fate, pitching the elder Redhawk into a strife that rivaled her younger self’s.

She did everything she could do keep it together for @Amalia and the kids, not to mention the others. But every minute of every day was a struggle. Towhee wanted to go out and search every inch of the wilderness for him, though she knew she needed to stay at the caldera. She asked @Alivia and @Cinar if they could search in her stead.

Killdeer hadn’t merely gotten lost somewhere out there; something awful must’ve happened to waylay the new father. He might need help and time was of the essence. There was still hope for a safe return at this point, though that window would soon close. Towhee couldn’t decide which possibility was worse: discovering he had perished out there or never finding any trace of him whatsoever.

Towhee stood at the foot of the caldera, staring vaguely into the distance to the south. She willed Bushtit to come to her, so she could dispatch him to look as well. Meanwhile, she threw back her head and bayed her tortured grief to the thunderheads rolling in from the east.