Heron Lake Plateau So many roads.

Towhee stewed for a few days, paying visits to @Niamh and spending nights with @Phox in the thicket, though she didn't give much indication to her deep introspection. She pointedly avoided @Quixote and @Raven, though she felt a little bad about evading her sister. Raven's role in all of this was a complication Towhee didn't want to touch right now.

After marinating for a bit, Towhee decided it was time to speak up to someone. She wrapped up her evening patrol right around nightfall, then plodded up the slope and began heading toward the plateau's far edge. En route, she sent up a howl asking her brother to meet her there. There was something she wanted to discuss with him.

I have no idea what's going to happen in the Camilla thread, so I'm not going to reference here, whoop.

Phox's face still stung from the encounter with the lynx, but when he had checked in on Cinder, the boy seemed to be safe in the hands (paws?) of Raven. Like Towhee, he had purposefully avoided Quixote, waiting until the yellow-green-eyed alpha slipped away for patrol (or whatever he spent his time doing) before scuttling in to make sure the young Blackthorn was healing all right. Satisfied that was the case, he had spent the rest of the day keeping himself busy by checking the caches.

As was his custom, he slipped off to bed a few hours before dusk so he would be able to wake early enough to observe the stars and hopefully gain some comfort from them. Unfortunately, Towhee seemed to forget this (often), and he was roused by her call. Groaning, he righted himself, wincing at the pain that still stung his left eye. The scratch wasn't deep, but it was long and obnoxious enough to cause him pain and irritation.

He approached her with a weary expression, still trying to shake the sleep fog from his brain. Haven't you learned I'm an early to bed, early to rise sorta fellow? Clearly, she hadn't. Maybe this would serve as a useful reminder.

His familiar silhouette moved to meet her through the gathering gloom. Towhee pulled a face when he reminded her of his strange schedule. "I guess not. Who does that anyway?" she countered, giving him the hairy eyeball. Her face smoothed out in the next breath as she added, "Sorry to wake you but I want to float something past you. It's important enough to push back bedtime."

Without another word, Towhee motioned toward their thicket, then led the way there. She stepped inside, shuffling toward the back to make room. Once he climbed in beside her, Towhee paused to gather her thoughts, then decided to switch to signing. It was dark and there was nobody around, yet the subject was sensitive enough that she wanted to make it nearly impossible for anyone to overhear.

-The way Quixote handled Niamh's demotion just doesn't sit right with me. I've been thinking about it for days, trying to figure out what to do, if anything. I'm still not sure, which is why I wanted to talk to you. You should feel honored, by the way.- Towhee couldn't help herself. -Anyhow, it's not like I want to be Alpha but I don't like that Quixote's lording it over this pack all by himself. And Rave hasn't made any indications she'll step up again anytime soon. I don't hold it against her—I'd be a hypocrite if I did—and I also don't want to pressure her. But we badly need more balance in the leadership. We need more leaders, period. We're a big pack. And, well, I think the next leader ought to be another Redhawk, by blood.-

She paused to give her forelimbs a rest, as well as to give Phox a moment to absorb all that. Towhee then continued, getting to her point. -I'm talking about you, in case that isn't clear. I was thinking of approaching Quixote and asking him to appoint you as the second Beta. But I think we both know how he'll probably take that, so I was thinking that if he refused... I'd challenge him.- A shaky breath escaped her, breaking the perfect silence. -I don't want to do it. And maybe it's a bad idea. But what do you think? I just feel like we need to take a stand and do something about this...- She trailed off there, knowing he knew what she meant.

Phox had been doing an awful lot of listening lately. It was a good thing he wasn't as impatient and interruptive as his mother had been. Back into the thicket he went, this time with Towhee to keep him a bit warmer with the biting cold outside. He let her words sink in, trying to mush the events of the past few days together in a way that he thought a level-headed wolf might. Instead of internal monologuing this time around, he decided to do so out "loud."

-I'm so honored,- he said first, that bit not lost on him. He was glad they were back into some kind of routine with one another, even if half the time it was Towhee poking fun at him left and right. It sure was better than the alternative, and he finally felt he had re-earned his Redhawk title fair and square, along with her good graces. -I don't know if I'm the right guy for the job, but I don't know who else is. You're right about the pack being large, but I'm more concerned that Quxiote would continue to make decisions on his own, even if you and I are both betas. That said, challenging him doesn't seem like it will help anything. Maybe we should talk to Elwood and Finley...- he suggested.

Really, what he wanted to suggest was to get the fuck out of here... but considering his history, it didn't really seem kosher to bring that up as a possibility. He had come back primarily for Towhee, and he didn't think the possibility of her leaving was very high (or existent at all). -I think you and I both know Quixote isn't going to say yes to making me a leader,- he admitted, -And who among the pack would back us over him?- He didn't even know if Raven would back them. It was likely she wouldn't want to take one side or the other, and he couldn't blame her for that.

For someone who couldn't hear—who couldn't even conceptualize it—Towhee could be a surprisingly good listener. She was genuinely very interested in what Phox had to say and watched him closely as he responded. He didn't magically have all the answers, which was fine by her. Neither did she. Sometimes it was simply good to hash out ideas out loud (kek) and do some spit-balling.

He raised several valid points. Towhee waited until he was done before offering any ripostes. -It probably wouldn't hurt to talk to them, though I don't want to bother them or stir any pots unless it's absolutely necessary, you know?- She shrugged white-streaked shoulders. -You're probably right about Quixote, on both counts. What's the point of having Betas if you're not going to consult them about anything and just do whatever the hell you want? Up to and including giving them the boot at random.- That wasn't how it'd ever worked in the other leadership dynamics—everyone else had operated more or less as equal members on a team—but that simply wasn't how Quixote operated.

Towhee let out a loud breath through her nostrils, pondering a moment before repeating, -I don't want to create all sorts of drama and risk dividing the pack. It's not like I think Qui's terrible. I just don't like him sitting up on his high horse all by himself, doing whatever without talking to anyone first. He's not even a Redhawk,- the mercenary grumped.

Phox nodded slowly along in agreement about Finley and Elwood. Still, they did seem the most likely candidates to go to for advice. He winced when she mentioned giving Niamh the boot. Phox still failed to see why that had happened, and it still made him dizzy to think that Quixote would do so without even consulting Towhee. Little did they know their own mother had done this on several occasions, whoops.

The "not even Redhawk" comment brought up that fire in his chest again. How could they even claim to be the Redhawks when there wasn't one at the helm? It straight-up pissed him off, and his expression was a very good indicator of that. -What did you call him- or had it been Colt? -the other day? Wet toast?- Neither of them were scoring many points with Phox, and it didn't seem like they wanted to. Shame on them.

Maybe there was nothing to be done for it, a possibility which irritated Towhee greatly because she hated feeling futile. Perhaps it was best to bide their time for now, though if Niamh really considered leaving because Quixote was in charge—a possibility the Beta would barely even entertain in her mind—then shit would hit the fan hard and fast.

In the meantime, letting off some steam by calling the Alpha male names like schoolchildren seemed like a good idea. Towhee snorted and didn't bother correcting Phox. Instead, she ran with it. -Yeah. Dude's a soggy piece of bread smeared with shit butter.-

Phox couldn't help but chortle at the insult Towhee rang off. Too bad he wasn't nearly as creative, but he figured he could try out the waters. -Quixote and Colt are just a couple of toasty turd buglers,- he signed. There was something relieving about coming right out and saying it to his most trusted confidant, devoid of any worrisome thoughts that she might disagree with him. Ever since Phox had come back, he had been more and more certain that there would never anything that could push him away from Towhee ever again. The landscapes might change, but their bond would not be broken. Not if he had anything to do with it.

-C'mere,- he said, pushing his way past Towhee and out into the night. It was a clear one, and he knew that it was more likely they'd see what he was going to try and point out. His eyes scanned for Polaris, then followed it east across the sky where he finally spotted what he'd been looking for. -Remember that?- he asked, pointing in the direction of the constellation. -That's Gemini, the twins.-

When her brother lumped Colt in there, Towhee raised no complaints. She had never liked Colt, though she'd tolerated him and kept things civil, mostly for her Person's sake. Although she genuinely felt bad about Niamh's breakup, she couldn't help but feel she was better off without him. She would find someone better, preferably someone Towhee actually liked so the three of them could hang out together and actually have a good time.

On that note, she looked at Phox, a thought drifting up from the murk at the back of her mind. But before it became even half-formed, her sibling distracted her by abruptly pointing upward. Towhee jumped slightly, then punched him in the shoulder for startling her. Nonetheless, she did as she was told, peering upward and trying her best to follow his directions.

He made the sign for Gemini, the twins, and Towhee couldn't help but smile softly. -Yeah,- she replied, -I do.- She gave him a slightly softer shove now, then exhaled and said, -Hey, isn't it past your bedtime?- as if she hadn't had anything to do with waylaying him.

He always forgot how literally pushy she was, and he let out an "oof" when she punched him, then another groan when she shoved him a second time. She and Camilla were basically complete opposites in that regard. -Yeah, but I hardly ever see these stars,- he said with a shrug. -The morning stars are different. They shift overnight, you know.- If one were to go to sleep for even a few hours, they'd find that the sky had changed quite a bit in that time.

Phox remained there, looking at Gemini and the other constellations that made up the night sky. -That one just above it is Taurus, the moose. I like that one a lot.- He couldn't explain why, but he'd always felt close to that constellation in particular. Maybe because he'd spent much of his childhood (and later adulthood) tracking herds.

-I know someone else who shifts a lot overnight,- Towhee teased. -Pretty sure you snore too, though it's hard for me to tell.- And that was the truth. Sometimes she noticed he vibrated in his sleep, though obviously Towhee couldn't hear anything. -...unless you're just, like, continuously farting with every inhale. But there's no smell.- She laughed at her own words.

Phox pointed out Taurus, so Towhee shut her mouth locked her limbs and paid attention. -Why?- was her natural question when he said it was his favorite. She could guess. -'Cause you're a hunter?-

Phox had no idea that he snored, and he quirked a brow at the thought. He hadn't ever heard Towhee snore, had he? -Funny, yours are silent but deadly,- he said, mock gagging to emphasize just how bad they were. Phox and Towhee really did make the perfect pair, didn't they?

She asked why he liked Taurus, and he shrugged noncommittally. That word has a lot of double letters. -Yeah, I think so. I saw a moose when I got back here, too. I'm not superstitious, but it felt like a sign of good things to come.- He let his gaze linger on Taurus for a moment longer before he yawned loudly, blinking away the inevitable sleep. -I'm gonna turn in, you coming?- He didn't wait for her to reply, but instead lumbered toward their bed and collapsed in a heap. He knew he'd be asleep in no time.

He concurred, then mentioned seeing the moose when he'd returned. Towhee licked her lips and said nothing. It was almost strange to think back on that day now. They'd come so far (or had gone back so far, depending on how you looked at it). She didn't want to dwell on that.

-Yeah, right behind you,- she signed a little absently, watching him settle down. A few minutes later, she tucked herself in beside him, yet sleep did not come easily to Towhee. She thought about their silent conversation and whether or not she (or they) would take action. By the time she finally closed her eyes, the stars had certainly shifted.