Redhawk Caldera Follow your heart, little child of the west wind.

When Meerkat ducked inside the Hobbit Hole, dripping wet from the morning rainstorm and announcing she needed to tell her mother something, Towhee immediately assumed the yearling might be interested in becoming Regent. Her heart leaped a little, since she thought both of her daughters were strong candidates. But it turned out that wasn't what Meerkat wanted to tell her. Actually, she declared that she was going to resume the search for @Phox after all and she was departing imminently.

After recovering from her initial whiplash, the Sovereign made Meerkat sit with her to be certain she really wanted to do this. After all, Towhee was hoping everyone could begin moving on, per the recent pack meeting. The yearling insisted she knew her mother wouldn't demand it of her and that she'd thought about it long and hard. She expressed sadness at missing out on more of her younger siblings' lives but she simply couldn't live with herself until she found them all some answers.

She left when the rain tapered away, after hugging and kissing the little ones and promising she would return with news. Towhee insisted on walking with her as far as the caldera's rim, where she remained standing now, watching Meerkat's silhouette disappear into the distance to the west.