Heron Lake Plateau Down in the Valley

Towhee squinted, his words triggering her own defensiveness after all. She felt a bolt of hot anger blast through her, though she waited for it to simmer before thinking of what to say in response. Maybe she should just do what he asked and never take him seriously. But there was something about the way he phrased it that the Beta felt he needed a swift kick in the pants.

"Fine," she replied steadily enough, "I'll keep that in mind, as long as you do something for me. " She paused, orange eyes bright as they bored into his face. "You keep feeling the need to let me know how much my disability is some sort of personal inconvenience to you. If my birth defect is such an issue for you, either learn how to communicate more effectively—would it kill you to learn some ptero?—or just avoid me altogether. I really don't care which option you choose, I'm just getting really sick of you whining at me about the way I was born."