Heron Lake Plateau Wait, there's no such thing as unicorns?

Despite @Raven's assurances that the lump was of no significance, Towhee still found herself in the cruel clutches of some sort of identity crisis. She withdrew. Rather than hang around on The Roost, she rested behind Tegan's Tears between patrols instead. She actively avoided anyone who approached her, even @Niamh. She tolerated only X's company, perhaps because the bird's gender identity seemed as ambiguous as her own felt lately.

By the time she resurfaced, it was almost like landing on an alien planet. Towhee sensed that she'd missed something of great import, though there was no particular reason to feel this way; it was just an intuition. She began making her way toward @Elwood's and @Finley's den before recollecting their retiree status. She didn't want to bother them, plus they might not know any more than she did.

Instead, Towhee sought her pregnant sister. Her innards jolted when she considered that she might have even missed Raven's delivery. Moving more hastily now, the Beta approached the place where @Quixote and his mate kept house. Even if she hadn't missed the birth, she should apologize to her co-leaders for her brief hiatus.

Through all of the stress surrounding Screech's injury and the exile that had followed his dangerous actions, Niamh had had no one to lean on but Colt, who had entered the picture probably right on time both times he had been there to check on her. She still felt an odd, numb sensation when she thought about the day she'd stood on the cliff next to the falls- not even realizing that perhaps Towhee had been prowling in the caverns behind the falls. Towhee had been nowhere to be found, and Niamh had been surprised and a bit upset. All she could imagine was that her friend had decided to ditch her because she'd hurt Screech, or because she was spending all her time with him. Whatever the cause, Screech had yet again managed to mess up an important part of Niamh's life. 

As she'd promised Quixote, she'd decided to start repaying Raven for the help she'd been...And where she was injured, and now Quixote had to feed them both, she knew she should pitch in. She knew what it was like to care for another adult wolf, so she'd managed to hunt down a rabbit, which she then carried with her toward where Raven and Quixote seemed to have set up shop, though her posture suggested strongly that she was somewhat reluctant to go in that direction. What did Raven think of her now? She was just about to take Screech out from her when she'd been attacked- so Niamh felt sure that Ceara's words had resonated more strongly with the alpha than Niamh's reputation had. 

Nevertheless, she felt slightly relieved when she saw Towhee heading in the same direction. Sheepishly, she signed a greeting when she thought the beta could see, but she didn't exactly approach. What if Towhee still didn't want to see her? Niamh couldn't blame her, after all...But then again, her self-confidence had taken a massive beating of the past few days.

She neared the clump of trees where the Alpha pair tended to linger, not far from the shore of the lake. Just as Raven's scent hit her noise—there was something metallic and sickly about the smell that made Towhee's heart drum in her chest—movement caught her eye. The Beta swung to face it, fur prickling, though the tension that sang through her whooshed away just as rapidly when she saw it was only Niamh.

-Hey!- she signed in return. Although she really wanted to find out what was happening with her sister, she also wanted to say, -I'm sorry I've been so scarce lately. I needed time to think about something. I'll tell you all about it later. But first I really need to speak to Rave. Is that for her?- Towhee finished by pointing a toe at the rabbit stuffed in the she-wolf's mouth.

Towhee was surprised to see her, and for a moment, Niamh wondered if she would simply keep on moving. It had been difficult to track Towhee down- even though she couldn't hear, she'd managed to avoid Niamh, possibly with the help of X, or possibly because Niamh's scent betrayed her. Fortunately, she was greeted in a friendly manner, and Niamh watched her friend sign as she approached, picking up as much of it as she could. There was an apology, and a reference to absence, something about talking later, and a reference to Raven. Picking up on that much, Niamh was easily able to tell what it was that Towhee was saying. Her response was given with her mouth still full, but she wanted to practice her Ptero anyway, even though she was still a bit rough at forming complete sentences. 

-"Yes. I wanted to see Raven. See how she heals."- She said, worry and shame showing on her face. -"You hear?"- She questioned, wondering if Towhee was all caught up on everything involving Raven and Screech.

-No, I don't hear; I'm deaf, remember?- Towhee signed sarcastically, in the spit second before her friend's words hit home. -Wait, wait, wait,- she signaled rapidly before switching to speech, "what do you mean, 'heals'? Heals from what?"

Before Niamh could possibly answer, Towhee sent a stricken look in the direction of the Alphas' dwelling. She shot the Gamma a frantic glance before breaking into a gallop, fearful of what she was going to find in the caregiver's homestead.

He still hadn't slept, which was probably not a good thing at all, for obvious reasons, but he couldn't bring himself to do so yet.  There were still too many ways for things to go wrong bouncing around inside his head, and even if Raven seemed stable, Screech was technically still out there.  Even though the now-exile was probably too weak to come back and be much of a threat, his thoughts were clouded enough that he wasn't taking any chances.  Quixote had slowly stopped talking as time went on, but now seemed unable to sit still, taking time to pace around before settling down for a few minutes again.

Despite the maelstrom in his head, some part of him was still paying attention to the world beyond their little bubble.  He'd heard someone running over, breaking out of the small circle he was making to dive aggressively towards the break in the brush, fur bristled and a wild snarl painted across his face.  It was there only a half second before he saw who it was, and his expression faded to something more neutral.  It was Towhee.  He didn't even comprehend Niamh being there at first, as he'd tunnel-visioned on who was the first potential attacker, and finding it was Towhee, figured she'd be happy to beat up anyone else who was a danger.  He really needed some sleep.

He turned away and moved back to sit next to Raven, Towhee's here.  Though he often wore a stubborn mask around everyone other than Raven, it was gone at the moment.  He looked exhausted and likely beyond a measurable point of stress to where the world just seemed hollow.  He didn't even think to explain or say any more, and was just going to stand guard over his mate, apparently.

Niamh tried to pull together some sort of sign, to express whatever way it was that Towhee did get a hold of information- as her expression had been meant more as a general statement than anything, but she didn't get the chance to reply to the beta's sarcastis remark. She demanded to know what was wrong with Raven, verbally, but didn't give Niamh a chance to finish. She'd dropped the rabbit to explain, but before she could say anything, Towhee was off and running. She gave an exhasperated sigh, snatched up the rabbit and raced after her.

Towhee had had a head start, and it seemed as though she had some fire at her heels, because even Niamh couldn't catch up or pass her. She tagged along behind, matching pace once she'd picked up a run, but was unable to overtake the beta so she could explain...And they arrived at Quixote and Raven's living space soon enough anyway. Niamh slowed down as soon as she saw Quixote, but Towhee was determined to get straight to Raven. Bashfully, Niamh hung back, waiting in the background. Quixote introduced Towhee, and Niamh gingerly moved forward as well, still keeping well back from Towhee, with the rabbit in her mouth. 

She peered forward, ears flattened and posture lowered, like a dog who has been disciplined and doesn't want to get another smack. She glanced to Quixote, and dropped the rabbit, whining softly to try and catch his attention so he'd at least see that she'd brought something to eat.

Crappy post because phone, ugh

She spent a great deal of time sleeping. She was doing a little better now — at least not dying in her sleep again, anyway — but the loss of blood had still left her extremely weak and tired. Quixote was doing a wonderful job tending to her, and he protected her with a level of ferocity she hadn’t ever seen in him before.

Her eyes cracked open at the sound of his voice letting her know that Towhee had arrived. An enormous flood of relief washed through her at the sight of her sister, as if somehow, Towhee being around would make things better. If nothing else, she knew she would be safer with the beta watching out for Screech. Towhee was second to none in the pack where defense and ass-kicking were concerned.

She looked rough. Her sleek black coat was matted with dried blood and an assortment of medicinal goops and pastes. The slashes on her face and her throat hurt the worst, and she winced as she carefully pulled herself into an upright laying position so she could greet her sister — and Niamh, whom she noticed was following close behind the beta. ”Hey,” she said, her voice hoarse, and smiled weakly at the pair of them.

She didn't pay any attention to Quixote beyond a quick, concerned glance—dude looked dead on his feet—because every iota of Towhee's focus went directly to Raven. She hastened to the Alpha female's side, a sick feeling of horror spearing through her at the sight of her ailing sister. She crouched beside her, whining loudly as she tucked herself in beside the caregiver and began gingerly licking the unmarred parts of her face.

Her breaths snatched raggedly from her throat when she withdrew, chest heaving not only from the run here but from the red mist closing in on the edges of her vision. "Who," she said heavily, "did this to you?" Her orange eyes flicked from Raven to Quixote to Niamh and back to her older sister again, her own scarred face black as a thundercloud as she added, "The babies?"

She hadn't been there to protect the sweet, mild-mannered Alpha or the nieces and nephews currently residing in her belly. Whoever was responsible for attacking her pregnant sister was now firmly planted in the master mercenary's cross hairs. Towhee would be unstoppable until she saw the perpetrator dead, the only way she could make peace with not being there to protect her family in their moment of need.

:P

He lurched slightly from his seat, as if he had been instinctively going to shove Towhee away before his rational mind pulled on the leash.  Settling again, Niamh drew his attention, eyes locking on to her with hawkish suspicion.  But he nodded and indicated to the side -- he wasn't going to move right now, but she could go put the rabbit down over there or go sit there or whatever.  Quixote didn't care too much beyond the immediate "Raven stays safe" initiative.

The more he reflected on it, the more he was sure he'd made the right choice.  Ensure Raven's safety and the guy stays alive, or get swift revenge on someone who was no longer a threat by the time he'd arrived on scene and maybe lose her in the process.  His anger had burned to cinders, and though surely it would return at a later date when he was rested and things were less uncertain, for now Raven's care was the focus of his entire world.  Forget his other duties, what anyone else wanted, she was all that mattered.

Screech, he said, the name sticking distastefully to his tongue.  He was still out there.  Quixote hadn't been there in time.  He'd failed at one of the few jobs he actually cared about and the unwarranted guilt hung like a dead weight across his shoulders.  Sure, he'd expected Screech to get into trouble again, but not then, not this.

The sharpness of Quixote's look was enough to make Niamh cower slightly, but her presence was accepted, it seemed, when he gestured for her to leave the rabbit somewhere. Sidling in his direction, she tentatively placed the rabbit on the ground near him, before she side-stepped away again, looking up when she caught Raven's weak but gentle greeting. Anything but the look Raven had given the two yearlings would have sent Niamh scampering, as her nervs currently set her on edge, and made her hypersensitive to any sort of reaction or movement. Instead, though, the alpha's sleepy, weary eyes were soft and gentle, but the pain she bravely tried to mask was still there, still visible- and still tangible for Niamh, who could sense the sear of pain as the alpha female sat up. 

Still, she kept her distance, allowing Towhee to move toward her sister and greet her. There was a heat and tension that radiated from Towhee, like static electricity, and Niamh half expected to feel a shock from the anger that Towhee currently felt, as soon as it was able to release itself from her body. She was like a storm cloud, on the verge of spitting flashes of lightning, and Niamh did not want to be struck. When Towhee asked who had injured Raven, Niamh whined softly, and in preparation for some sort of backlash- from any of the three there, honestly- she inched backwards, body still close to the ground and ready to dodge or flop into a fully submissive pose should she be caught in the maelstrom of anger. 

The sound of Screech's name coming from Quixote's lips stung Niamh like a hot iron across her chest. She had been the one to join with Screech. She had been his friend, the one who actually made him feel at home in the pack. And when he'd been injured, she had taken care of him, and prolonged his life- only so that he could come damn near to ending Raven's. And she would never live that shame down.

She leaned into her sister’s gentle grooming, the touch soothing and comforting. With Quixote standing guard and Towhee pressed to her side, she felt invincible. She could feel the anger radiating from Towhee like heat from a nuclear core, and for the briefest moment, she hoped Screech had enough sense to steer very clear of the plateau.

In response to Towhee’s question, Screech’s name rumbled venomously from Quixote’s lips. She added, her voice soft and weak, ”I stopped by Niamh’s den to discuss some details about his care.” She mentioned nothing of the momentary conflict with Niamh, as it really didn’t seem important anymore. Plus she didn’t want to paint this as being in any way the gamma’s fault, because it wasn’t. Screech had made his own choices. ”He attacked me out of the blue. Completely unexpected. He...would have killed me if Niamh and Ceara hadn’t been there.” Her yellow eyes flicked to Niamh with a gleam of gratitude in them. She owed them her life.

Towhee’s inquiry after the puppies made her choke up. She closed her eyes, remembering what she’d seen in her dying dreams. She shook her head stiffly, her body growing rigid. ”My babies....Not good.”

When Quixote's lips formed a familiar name, she quaked, violently, just the once. Raven surely felt it, which was why the Beta immediately suppressed it, consciously freezing her muscles to prevent another lest it cause her sister discomfort. She also pressed her teeth together, the muscle in her jaw jumping visibly as her orange eyes read the caregiver's explanation. She had no idea why Screech had required Raven's care, though it didn't matter now. Towhee couldn't have cared less about his well-being; hell, she wanted him dead, preferably at her hands.

Quelling the strong impulse to jump to her feet and hunt Screech down to the ends of the earth, Towhee pressed her eyes closed a moment, drew in a breath, then reopened them and said, "I'm so sorry, Rave. I had no idea. I was off being a little bitch about the..." She trailed off weakly with a shake of her head. It didn't matter now.

"What can I do?" she asked in the next breath, trying to keep her voice and her anger steady. She pushed herself back onto all fours as if to show her readiness for action, though she pressed close to Raven still, hovering protectively beside her. "Where is that goddamn piece of shit fuckstain now?" she wondered acidly, glancing at Quixote before thinking to shoot Niamh an appreciative if tight-lipped smile and a mute, -Thanks,- for being there when Towhee hadn't.

The pups.  His attention shifted away from Niamh and Towhee, and locked onto Raven. Quixote's face fell, and his move to lay next to Raven was without grace, sort of a mildly-controlled crumple since he didn't currently have the mental wherewithal to finesse it more than that.  It wasn't news to him but he wanted to be as close to her as he could, as if it would fix things.  

Though normally a private wolf, right now he was past the point of caring what anyone thought about the possibly unexpected degree of tenderness with which he treated her.   He kissed Raven's cheek and carefully started cleaning where the blood had ran through her neck fur on his side.  He was here for her, even if the attack had broken them both in different ways.  Doing this was probably one of the few things that kept him from just utterly losing it.  All he could do was prove he was here, that he was sorry he hadn't prevented it, that somehow things would be okay.

Quixote didn't know where Screech was, so he didn't even distract himself from his work.  He had made his choice and was standing by it, even now.

Niamh felt ashamed that Raven had had to stop by to talk about Screech. If only she'd been doing everything right, she wouldn't have had to stop by- and she wouldn't have been attacked. It might have just taken a few more days for Screech to get back to normal, as he'd at least ventured out of her den on his own, so perhaps he'd been close to recovery...There was no way to tell. But she still felt guilty that this had all happened. She heard gratitude in Raven's voice when she was mentioned, but she didn't look up. She was probably just mentioned because it was a necessity, and Ceara was mentioned as well, so Niamh felt slightly discouraged. 

She looked up, though, when Towhee asked about the puppies, and it was with strain that she admitted the puppies weren't good, and this was news to Niamh. Ultimately, she assumed that if Raven knew anything about the puppies, it was because they'd gone still, and at this point, that was a very bad sign. She'd hoped it wouldn't go that far, but Raven would know best, and her confession caused Niamh to see dark spots. Nothing had prepared her for this, and she cracked her mouth open slightly, a wild look of panic slowly spreading onto her features. Niamh did her best to avoid hyperventilating, but the only thing she could do to keep that from happening was to hold her breath. 

She caught Towhee's question about Screech, but missed the sign that had been directed her way as she continued to stare at the ground, where the grasses began to weave and sway, as though pushed by some breeze she couldn't feel. She only had a moment to recognize how odd that was, for the grass to dance without wind before she realized what was happening; the air she'd been holding screamed to be released and she was unable to keep it held in any longer. She did her best to exhale silently, but felt her muscles begin to tremble and shake from lack of oxygen, and felt a slow cape of coldness drape over her. Where was Screech now? That could only mean one thing- that Towhee intended to kill him.

Towhee was furious, and while she might have feared her rage would stress Raven out, in truth the healer was heartened by it. She wanted anger and retribution more than she wanted sympathy and condolences. The latter made her feel powerless, victimized. The former made her feel strong, like there was something she could do. At the very least, she knew that she wouldn't have to worry about Screech anymore. Between Towhee keeping an eye open at the borders and Quixote protecting her here, the ex-Redhawk would be hard-pressed to get anywhere near Raven.

Towhee angrily demanded to know where he was, and Raven shook her head. -"Not sure. I stripped him of the Redhawk name and kicked him out."- She had no idea which direction her brother had gone after leaving the plateau, and frankly she didn't care. As long as it was away from here, it didn't matter what the compass point was. The boy was lucky -- had she not been teetering on the edge of death, she might have killed him.

She swallowed, feeling the now-familiar lance of pain in the damaged muscles of her throat as she did. -"There's...something else you should know." She was nervous now, feeling a cold well of fear and uncertainty in her gut. She leaned into Quixote, taking strength from his solid presence and the warmth of his side. Talking about this last night had not been pleasant for either of them -- and for a brief, terrifying moment, she'd been afraid that Quixote might react irrationally and leave her -- but it was necessary. They needed to know the whole truth. -"A few months ago, right before Qui and I got together, Screech...raped me."- It was like pulling out a thorn that had been festering in her ever since that strangely disturbing night. Her eyes lingered on Towhee more than anyone else, for it was her reaction that the alpha feared the most. Not her reaction toward Screech, but rather her reaction toward Raven herself.

The Beta's fur bristled. She wanted to demand why she hadn't had him killed but clenched her teeth before her tongue could wag. It was likely everyone had been too busy tending to the ailing Alpha to avenge Raven at the critical moment. Towhee's paws flexed against the soil underfoot as she pictured tearing out Screech's throat herself. The progress the siblings had made lately was beyond obsolete now.

Raven spoke again and Towhee's orange eyes fixed on her face. This time, she made no attempt to stay the quaking that shook her to the very core. They'd all been trying to give him another chance—even Raven herself—and he was some kind of deranged incestuous rapist the entire time? A savage snarl burst out of the Beta as this knowledge sunk in.

"I want him dead," Towhee said once the noise subsided. He didn't deserve the breaths he drew. Besides, he would only subject some other wolves to his horrific penchant for treachery. "I want to hunt him down and execute him for his crimes. I'll take X and a couple of scouts." She didn't actually want to ask for permission, she just wanted to go. But she lapsed into a shaking silence then, allowing Quixote and Raven an opportunity to react to her proposal and hopefully sanction the execution.

The change in subject brought him back to reality.  Sort of.  He finished cleaning the spot on Raven's neck and turned his pointed gaze back to Towhee and Niamh, as if daring them to think ill of Raven for what she was going to say.  Towhee responded in a way he deemed appropriate, at least.  Good.  So maybe there wouldn't be any more trouble.

If anyone went hunting Screech down, Quixote figured he had an automatic invite -- after all, he was her mate and the father of her children, and he was pretty pissed off about the whole thing, even if he was too burnt out to show it. But I can't-- 'go,' 'leave her,' something like that filled the end of the sentence.  Quixote looked back to Raven, conflicted, though not nearly as visibly so as he had been overnight.  If any wolf other than her deserved to dole out some vengeance, wouldn't it be him?  Not that he was exactly in the best state to do so now, even if he was willing to leave his mate's side.  She was hurt, the pups weren't far away.  Had he given away his chance entirely?  He searched Raven's face for confirmation that him staying was right.  His mind was too clouded to give Towhee any real yes/no to her sort-of request.

What conflicted Niamh most, up until that point, was the fact that she still had some lingering affection for Screech. It was difficult to shake Niamh’s loyalty, once it had been earned, so she struggled to hate him even though he’d possibly endangered Raven’s unborn children. She had been  reluctant to deliver punishment in leaving him stranded at the borders-

—until that moment.

Niamh’s trembling ceased when she learned the truth about Screech. Her memory flashed back to the day when Raven had warned her about Screech- and everything fell into place. Had Raven been trying to tell her then, what Screech had done to her? The fury Towhee felt seeped into Niamh’s blood like boiling battery acid. When the punishment was proposed, her frailty ceased. This was who Screech had truly been, all along. Quixote couldn’t leave Raven, but Niamh...

”I’ll go with you.” Niamh said, voice steely. Part of her was terrified- could she kill another wolf? Could she kill Screech? Possibly not...But she could help Towhee. She looked to Raven then, who had finally delivered the end of Niamh’s endearment toward Screech. She would soften later, for the dark alpha who had been traumatized by the rape from her own brother. Now, though, all Nianh wanted was for Screech’s wrench reign of terror to end. ”I know where we left him, he can’t have gotten far.”

Raven was so relieved that Towhee's anger didn't spill over onto her, she nearly wilted right where she lay. She still sort of questioned if what had happened was actually rape or not, and -- if so -- whether or not Screech had really intended to do what he had done. But his refusal to talk about it with her afterward, coupled with his general avoidance of her and the way he recoiled in disgust each time she was around him, all piled on top of the fact that he had tried to use what had happened to blackmail her into giving him leadership...it all pushed her more and more toward feeling like it had all been some malicious, manipulative game to him.

Yet somehow, she felt that it was still all her fault. She never should have been around him while in heat to begin with. She was the older wolf, she should have known what was going on. As victim-blaming went, Raven had done a pretty good job of it against herself. But maybe it was all in her head. So far, nobody who knew had looked at her with anger or disgust. Quixote hadn't. Towhee and Niamh certainly weren't.

Towhee wanted to kill Screech, and Niamh was quick to pledge her support. There was an odd expression on the gamma's face -- anger mixed with a strange sort of comprehension. She finally understood what Raven had been trying to tell her that day, when she had warned Niamh to be careful with Screech. She gazed meaningfully at the butterscotch girl, feeling equal parts relieved that Screech was out of her life and sad that it had to happen this way.

Her attention returned to Towhee's proposal and Raven didn't know what to say. She had never been that type of person. She had never killed -- hell, until Screech's attack, she had never even scratched another wolf before in her life. But the harm done to her was so great that she actually found herself looking at Towhee with something dark in her eyes and nodding in agreement with the beta's words. And then she looked at Quixote, whom she knew wanted very much to avenge what had been done to her. She couldn't really get around very well on her own at the moment, but he wasn't the only one capable of helping her. "You can go if you want to," she said softly. "I can ask Eljay to come stay with me, or Ceara. We can howl for you when it's time," she gestured to her belly. But the decision was entirely up to him. She would support whatever choice he made.

Towhee's face grew steely with consternation as she awaited formal authorization. Her orange eyes flitted from Quixote's face to Raven's, missing it entirely when Niamh volunteered to go with her. It seemed the Alpha male wanted to accompany her. She understood his desire to avenge his mate, though she continued peering between the Alpha pair and eventually shook her head.

"You two should both stay here and look after one another and the pups. I'm a master mercenary, this is my responsibility. I'll take at least two scouts with me, probably @Tegan and—Niamh?" As she spoke her friend's name, she finally looked to the butterscotch she-wolf. Assuming the Gamma repeated her intention to accompany the Beta, Towhee turned back to her sister. "I'll ask @Colt if he'll come too."

With that established, Towhee wasn't going to hesitate. Screech already had a head start and she was hellbent on catching up to him as swiftly as possible. "I'm going to summon X and the others and head out directly," she announced, pausing only long enough for any last-minute details before gently nudging Raven's cheek and pivoting to march out of the den and toward the plateau's outskirts.

Had Raven not been as badly injured as she was, he would have argued with Towhee's words -- he was a fighter, he was the alpha, Raven was his mate, of course it was his responsibility -- but he didn't have the will to do so.  If he couldn't even do that, what use would he be out there?  Yes, he wanted to go, but even if he wasn't practically a zombie, then who would be left to protect Raven if all those mentioned went on the search?  Unless Eljay had learned to fight recently, he might even get beaten up by a weakened Screech if he doubled back.  Ceara he didn't know as well, he didn't know her skills.  As much as he wanted to go, he really couldn't leave her in good conscience.  He wasn't going to risk being gone if she needed protection, let alone being gone from her side when the pups came.  If he stayed, they were defended.  If they didn't have success, he could always go on a later hunt.

He sighed, then glanced briefly once more to Niamh and Towhee before his eyes settled back on Raven.  I can't.  There was a strength to his voice that probably made it the most normal-sounding he'd been through the whole thread.  Quixote kissed the crown of Raven's head again, and though there was a pang of regret in case Screech did die at someone's fangs other than his own, he was pretty sure he picked the right choice.

Part of Niamh was frightened that Raven would deny them from taking Screech down, but she didn't feel happy either when their wish was granted. She simply felt...Cold. Cold and angry. She nodded to Towhee, to confirm again that she would go with her, and looked to Quixote, who seemed conflicted about what he should do...But he looked exhausted, and would be better off staying with Raven, or so Niamh felt. She needed someone she trusted to rely on while they were away, and there was no better wolf to look after Raven than Quixote. 

Towhee mentioned bringing X, which Niamh appreciated, given that he would make an excellent eye in the sky if they couldn't track him down. She had previously mentioned Colt, and she glanced to Towhee, impressed that he had been one of her choices. Tegan seemed an odd choice, as Niamh already had a rough idea of exactly how thrilled he'd be to go on a mission to kill someone...It simply didn't seem like something Tegan would do, ad part of her wished that Tegan would refuse- so that he wouldn't see what was going to happen, and stay the same. She needed someone to stay the same...And while she didn't want for Colt to see her the way she currently was, she wanted someone to lean on as well, and someone strong just in case Screech went feral on them. 

Towhee moved to leave, and Niamh turned to pick up the rabbit she'd brought earlier, and brought it over to Raven; she'd catch up with Towhee in a moment. Gently, she lay the rabbit down at her alpha's feet and paused. She knew how hard it would have been for Raven to agree to the death sentence for Screech, and she hoped that Raven knew that Niamh understood that pain. She looked up with an expression that was slightly troubled, but empathetic. "I'm sorry, Raven," She said, tone implying that she was sorry about several things. A touch of her previous frailty returned for a moment, but she fought it back. "You...You were right about him. But...He won't hurt anyone. Not anymore." She vowed, and touched her nose to her alpha's cheek, lingering there a moment and willing herself to pull as much hurt and pain from Raven's heart as she could, if only such a thing was possible. When she withdrew, she bowed her head to Quixote, and trotted after Towhee, about to embark on a mission she knew she would never forget.

This'll be the last one from me. <3

Raven was getting very tired again, and she could feel the warm, muzzy edges of sleep beginning to slither into her consciousness. The loss of blood had left her weak and drained of all energy so that even a short conversation was exhausting -- let alone an emotionally taxing one like this had been -- so she relaxed into Quixote's side and remained quiet while the others sorted everything out. She felt a warm sense of gladness when Qui told her he wouldn't be going. She would have supported his choice either way, but truthfully she had hoped he would stay.

As Towhee was nudging her cheek to leave, she signed to her sister, -I love you, be careful-. Then Niamh approached her, and the gamma's words touched her heart. She shook her head, refusing to accept Niamh's apology. "You have nothing to be sorry for, sweetie," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Keep each other safe, okay?" She smiled and licked Niamh's chin, the tip of her tail twitching in her best attempt at a wag. She would have time later to feel regret about the situation and question the wisdom of sentencing her brother to death, but for now, all she cared about was that they return to her safe and healthy.