Heron Lake Plateau Motivation proclamation

Soon, there was a small group gathered around the pack's retirees. Towhee glanced at each of them, wondering how they might react to the news she saw coming. Sometime during said assessment, Clover barged onto the scene with a declaration of her own. Towhee missed the words, "I'm leaving," but turned in time to catch the rest. Her lip curled in distaste aimed more at her rudeness than her announcement, though that rankled too.

Rather than look directly at her godparents to see what they made of their daughter's interruption, Towhee glanced at Tegan. He looked as sour as she felt. She felt a powerful twinge, hoping Clover's departure might convince him to stay put. Towhee's attention didn't linger on him long though. Elwood was speaking now. Just as the Beta expected, he formally announced that he and Finley would be relocating to live with the Firebirds.

She sucked in a breath, orange eyes now seeking Phox's gaze. He looked back at her questioningly, as if awaiting instruction on how to respond. He posed a question to Elwood and Finley while Towhee was still trying to regulate her own reaction. She was distracted momentarily when X's talons pinched her shoulder, then his wing tips brushed her head as he took flight. Towhee squinted and glanced upward, wondering at his abrupt departure. Was he reacting to her godparents' news? Weird...

But at least it made her forget to feel upset, if only for a moment. Towhee shook her head lightly, a passive sign of her simultaneous disapproval and resignation, but managed to keep her mouth shut and arms to herself.