Heron Lake Plateau there's an endless road to rediscover

It wasn't like the meeting had taken very long.  What had taken long was Quixote crossing half the planet at a reasonable-paced walk.  He was still hurting from his misadventure earlier, and though not as bad as earlier, he just didn't want to aggravate anything and make the process drag on more than it already was.

Even despite the long sight-lines prevalent across the plateau, by the time the black smear of Quixote's silhouette appeared, Towhee was already heading off on her patrol again.  Ceara and some other unfamiliar person were still together, assumedly, so Quixote headed towards them to find out what that earlier howl was about.  Regardless of whether they came to meet him halfway or not, his initial question would be in the same tone of amused almost-disappointment as he looked over the Blackthorn-striped dude, I managed to miss everything?  Quixote was a little bit dirt-dusted, and though he'd shaken off his fur, a few motes clung stubbornly to it on his head and paws.  He'd been off digging for something, obviously.