Redhawk Caldera Leave your bag of bones underneath your bed

He smiled when Alyx seemed to soften at his response. Towhee had plenty of questions, and Phox didn't deign to interject his own until Alyx had a chance to answer.

Niamh approached, and Phox caught a whiff of what he could only describe as "angry mom musk." Oh boy. Alyx was grown now, but he knew that Niamh tended to think of her children as children for much longer than he did. He sought words that might quell her fears, trying to piece together some string of them to soother her mother's worrying. Alyx just told us, he assured her, wanted Niamh to know that they had known only a moment longer than she had. To Alyx, he gave her a reassuring soft gaze of approval. She would do well for herself wherever life took her.

When do you think you'll take off? he asked. If "immediately" was the answer, he was ready for it, based on his experience with Fennec, but he hoped she would stick around for a little while.