Redhawk Caldera malice through the looking-glass

Decided to squeeze this in before waking up the kids, heh.

The two howls had been enough to draw Elwood's attention. He was at the borders, but had ventured further south. With Fox's decree ringing in his ears, he decided to investigate; Peregrine's response had been clear, but he set his paws in motion anyway.

It was the first time Elwood had laid eyes on Peregrine since Junior's demise, and he nearly didn't recognize him. The former Alpha's swarthy pelt was streaked with white, as though he had aged overnight. The sight of him was enough to cause a knot to twist in Elwood's stomach. On top of that, he had to swallow the morbid thoughts that rose to the front of his mind -- Peregrine was his closest male friend, and he normally would have confided in him about, well, everything. But he and Finley had decided to keep even Fox and her mate in the dark regarding her failed pregnancy.

The other wolf -- whose voice Elwood hadn't recognized -- had already gone by the time he came to stand next to Peregrine. With a deeply creased brow and a tail held at half-mast, he turned a somber gaze towards his friend. There was a long silence, and then he finally asked, "Who was that?"