Heron Lake Plateau Stars come swimming out of the horizon.

Towhee eagerly awaited the day when she would be able to start teaching @Kite, @Owen, @Phoebe and @Vasa ptero. For now, they were still shapeless little blobs without eyes or ears, though, and thus their interactions were limited to taste, touch and smell. The Beta didn't mind much. Although some would say the pups were boring at this stage, she found interacting with them sort of fascinating. They alone knew what it was like to live in a world without sound, just like her, albeit for a hopefully limited time.

"Yo, guys," she greeted them when she stepped out of the baking July heat—seriously, the air was thick enough to chew—and into the cool dark of the den. Sure, they couldn't hear her, but that wouldn't stop her from talking to them anyway. "What're you up to? Booling, I bet," Towhee guessed, stealing a word she'd picked up from @Tegan, though she didn't actually know what on earth it meant.

All four were, in fact, presently attached to @Raven, a refined leader and medical expert currently reduced to a glorified milk bar. Towhee licked the Alpha's cheek before returning her attention to the youngsters and settling down on the den floor beside them. She bent down to snuffle at the nearest pup's (dealer's choice) soft, curled ear.