Sun Mote Copse Relationships and politics should not mix

*CLAPS*

But Wraen was the true Sovereign. Towhee was only keeping the spot warm for her. And as she reasoned at length, it was clear to Towhee that she was better suited to the role of a queen. Towhee had always been better in a supporting role, using her power to uphold those worthier of the crown, from Raven to Phox to Wraen. She had always intended to pass the throne back to Wraen when she felt up to it and, instead, she was going to abandon it.

Of course, it was much more complex than that. And as Wraen made an airtight case for herself, Towhee found herself at an utter lack of words. What could she say in the face of such eloquence? She really had thought this through carefully. It had all the elegance of a prepared speech while remaining calm and somehow heartfelt. There was so much Towhee wanted to say in response, yet for all of Wraen's words, she couldn't find a single one.

Honestly, she'd gone rigid at the first three: "I am leaving." And long after the former Sovereign finished, Towhee remained not only silent but very still. It took literal minutes for her to unlock limbs and find her voice, except her throat had closed and gotten stuck somewhere along the way. So Towhee was left with only her ptero, her forelegs moving clumsily.

-I didn't want for any of this to happen,- was all she managed. And that was true: she'd certainly never meant for any of this to happen, nor anticipated it in any way, from the hornets to the impromptu alliance. -I don't want you to leave...- And, perhaps more importantly—in fact, significant enough that she finally croaked this last bit aloud—"But you aren't well."