Redhawk Caldera Here's Johnny

Pan remained silent, though she could see that he was listening raptly. Elwood was paying just as much attention, though he had questions. He seemed a bit concerned by her mention of Dante, which did not surprise her. What did surprise her was the momentary defensiveness she felt on her fellow traveler's behalf. He had been so nice to her and clearly hadn't harmed her, so why would her pack mates insist on distrusting him?

"Yes," she said, perhaps a bit too emphatically. "If not for him, I wouldn't have found my way home. I had no idea where I was when I came out of the caves. He was really, really nice to me." I don't think all northerners are as bad as my parents say, she thought, though Wildfire was wise enough not to say this part out loud. She didn't mean any disrespect, she just felt that Dante didn't deserve his bad rap.

"I got sick because Big Salmon Lake is ruined," she continued. "The lake is half as big as it was before and there are dead fish everywhere. They stink, really bad. My stomach also hurt 'cause I hadn't eaten in a long time. Haven't," she corrected, amber eyes shifting eagerly to Pan in the hope they were nearing a stockpile.