Redhawk Caldera Macabre midnight.

There wasn’t a cloud in the sky as Towhee sidled along the western borderline, though there was a notable chill in the October air. Every so often, a twinkle would catch her eye and she’d swing her head to peer toward Lake Rodney. It wasn’t a good idea to venture far in her condition, though she couldn’t help but think of all the fish. She licked her lips, though she resisted temptation and continued her plodding patrol.

When she finished, she turned to begin climbing the nearby slope when she spotted a distant figure out of the corner of her eye. She paused and turned, squinting. Towhee’s orange eyes slowly widened and her heart jumped into her throat. She almost took a tumble as she pivoted a little too hastily, then scrambled downhill and began loping toward the one and only Bushtit.

They moved into the shade of an apple tree and sat for hours, regaling each other with the events of the past several months. Her son insisted he hadn’t been up to much of note, aside from wandering far and wide, and enjoying every minute of it. Towhee sensed he was keeping something from her but her playful wheedling didn’t coax it out of him. She gave it a rest, focusing on how content she felt when he seemed tentatively happy about the news of younger siblings.

I’d ask you to stay, she said as the day began to wane, long enough to meet your siblings. And for the winter. But it sounds like you’re enjoying the adventurous life. Good for you. I’m envious. Towhee gazed at him for a long time. Before you head out, care to take me to the lake and fish with me for a bit?

It was dark by the time she returned home, alone but not empty-handed. Towhee carried the huge catfish up the caldera’s flank, pausing at the rim to stare out into the wilderness. Bushtit had already disappeared into the night. Her heart panged. Her bad leg twinged as if in sympathy. The fish muffled her sigh as she began picking her way downward.

It did not stifle the small cry that escaped her lips when her ankle rolled and she fell forward, in part because it flew out of her mouth when her chin hit the dirt hard.