Redhawk Caldera malice through the looking-glass

Although he wasn't acquainted with Lasher or Blue Willow, Elwood had to suspect that they would have reacted in a similar way had Junior attacked their children. How could that be pardoned? Even he would have a hard time forgiving an act as unthinkable as that, no matter the familial circumstances. But he knew that it would be easy to dwell on those thoughts for days, puzzling and debating over how someone else would have handled the situation -- and that was not what Peregrine needed to do. He was already punishing himself enough.

As for Elwood's pledge of loyalty, Peregrine replied in kind, but there was a certain flatness to his voice that had never been there before. It would take time for him to heal and to exonerate himself, and it was then that Elwood recognized that nothing he said or did would hurry that process along. Peregrine needed to work it out with himself and with Fox. So the Beta simply smiled a tight-lipped smile and nodded his head.

After a moment of silence in which both of their minds surely roved back to the fight itself, Elwood asked, "Is there anything you need me to do? For you or for Fox and the kids?" Already he had stepped up his duties as warden, but intended to support the family additionally, if necessary. He knew that Sebastian and Tiger were taking good care of Wildfire and her siblings, and he almost hoped that Peregrine wouldn't request that he see the firebirds anytime soon; it would be too painful to be reminded of the life in Finley's womb that had been extinguished before it began. He swallowed hard, pushing those thoughts away.