Sun Mote Copse worry never dies

His question disrupted her examination, causing Towhee to do a mild double take as she processed the words his lips had formed. There were only two of them, so there wasn't much room for misunderstanding. "Where's Elfie?" Towhee heard nothing of his demanding tone, though the question itself made her go statuesque for a few moments, a dozen thoughts flying through her head as she tried to sort out how to answer that question.

"I wish I knew," she replied at length, speaking even more slowly than usual as she eyeballed Eljay speculatively, wondering why he'd waited so long to ask. But it worked out, in a way: with Phox and Fig returning recently, at least she could provide more details on what might have happened to Elfie. "There was a final earthquake and a new passage opened up at the rear of the territory, letting those still trapped escape. But for whatever reason, many of them must've scattered, because several are still missing." She paused, then added, "I'm hopeful they'll eventually show up, like the others."