Phantom Hollow There's no place like home

She noticed the uncertain twitch of his ears, so when he admitted he knew the way to the caldera, she was not surprised. Wildfire felt a surge of relief and a disproportionate amount of gratitude toward him, despite the fact that he hadn't even helped her yet. She could tell that he intended to do so, for he began to detail a plan. She could only nod in assent. He was wise not to want to escort her the whole way, though Wildfire would have done whatever it took to let her pack know he was only helping her.

"I know, um, Big Salmon Lake and then Shy Deer Steppes. Oh, and Broken Antler Fen." She was pretty sure that covered most of the surrounding territories with which she was familiar. "And it's close to Lake Rodney and Haunted Wood," she added. Not so long ago, she had even mistakenly considered these two to be part of the Redhawks' claim; she had since gotten her facts straight.

While she waited to see if he would recognize any of those, Wildfire inquired, "What's your name? Do you know the Redhawk wolves...?" If he did, it was quite likely he was not on good terms with them, as it seemed her parents and pack got along with very few outsiders, if any at all. If that was the case, then she wondered why he was helping her. Perhaps he was like that mountain lion, who had pretended to be friendly at first, only to turn on her... or, hell, like Junior, who had greeted her so amiably only to try to tear out her throat.