Nocturne Summit should they catch us and dispatch us.

One day, Wildfire might be emotionally intuitive enough to spot Finley's fib. Today, though, she was only six months old and so she accepted the Beta's answer at face value. "Oh," she said, a little relieved that her godmother wasn't being besieged by some invisible tragedy. "Yeah," she agreed, voice humble as her gaze turned outward again. She stared for another long beat.

But after a time, her eyes tracked back to Finley's face. "Should we go home now?" she asked in as solemn sort of voice. She didn't really want this adventure to end, yet surely they should head back before it got dark and the climb became downright treacherous, especially for her. Unaware of the loaded nature of her question, Wildfire climbed slowly to her feet but stilled, awaiting Finley's response.