Sun Mote Copse Coheed and Cambria

Instead of joy, enthusiasm, and acknowledgement, he found something else in Fennec's response. She withdrew, hardened herself, pulled away from him. It nearly broke his heart, but he had been through this before. Towhee had been this way before, and he had earned her back. This time, though, his absence had not been his cowardliness. It had been his bravery that had led him down this path. Was nothing the right path to take?

He remembered that she couldn't see him, which meant she couldn't see his limp. How could she? It was just how he always forgot that Towhee couldn't hear (which made calling for her a moot point, now that he thought about it).

I was hurt, he said, steeling himself against all the emotions that were boiling up under the surface. I had to go to Aunt Raven to get help. I wanted so much to come back, to find you. Figment did, too. But we couldn't until I could travel again. I missed you so much Fennec. He missed her, he missed Towhee, he missed all of Asterism Grove. It had been such a good thing, but it had collapsed without leaders.