Redhawk Caldera Crunch time

Somewhere near the bottom of the pile, Towhee found a deer leg that had probably been stashed there since the summer. She picked it up in her teeth and carried it to a spot about ten feet away from Quixote. She dropped it and then slung herself down a heartbeat later, long legs stretched out on either side of the dismembered limb. She rolled her left paw to grip the larger end and hold it down as she began gnawing off strips of frozen venison.

Her orange eyes flicked in her pack mate's direction, watching as his mouth moved. She continued chewing the tough, gamy morsel in her mouth before replying, "They don't know we're planning anything, so there's no reason to expect they'd storm us first." Towhee made to tear off another strip of deer jerky when a thought struck her. She froze, head cocking, before saying, "Unless someone tipped them off somehow... but how would that even happen? Who would do that?" There was no skepticism in her voice (it was as flat as ever) but it was written all over her swarthy face. She shook her head.

After a few more bites, she belatedly answered Quixote's query: "I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Towhee paused. "But you're the expert, aren't you? Do you think we're ready?"