Redhawk Caldera Nobody puts baby in a corner

It quickly became clear that Finley was not here. The puppy exhaled sadly, eyes returning to her paws. She watched Tiger lower herself out of the corner of her eye and lifted her head to peer at the stripe down the female's back. It did make her think of Finley, which sparked the minutest amount of trust in little Wildfire's breast. But still she did not budge.

Not until she flopped on her own belly, at least, her nose pointed in Tiger's general direction. She had overcome enough of her shyness to look at Tiger candidly, though she made no real attempt to communicate. In fact, Wildfire let her chin sink to the ground beside her forelegs. She would just lay here until her father returned.

"Why are you starfishing?" a familiar voice boomed out behind her perhaps twenty seconds later, startling Wildfire and causing her to rapidly lift her head, then jump onto her feet. "Duh-dee!" the child cried, pressing herself into his black foreleg. She licked him and included an indignant nip for his abandonment.

"Hey!" Peregrine said laughingly, then looked over at Tiger. "She can be a bit bashful sometimes. I'm sure she'll warm up to you soon enough. Do you wanna play a game with Tiger, Wifi? Maybe we could play... freeze tag?" Without waiting for a reply from either one, he suddenly launched forward, tapping the subordinate with a cry of, "Tag, you're It! Run, Wifi!"

With her father there playing along, Wildfire's entire demeanor changed. Eyes sparkling, she laughed shrilly and darted away from Tiger, dashing just behind her father as they tried to escape being tagged (and frozen) themselves.