Redhawk Caldera There was a shift in the paradigm

The Elwoods contradicted one another. Peregrine knew the father was trying to put on a brave face for his son (and him), yet he took the youngster's response as more truthful. He smiled softly at Elwood Jr's uncensored opinion on the matter, holding back a chuckle at his sulky declaration. He had been such a quiet, easygoing pup before Finley's absence. Again, the Alpha couldn't and didn't blame him for acting out to some extent.

"I'm a Master Gamekeeper, which means I'm the best hunter in the whole wide world," the swarthy wolf replied with a playfully pompous grin, "and I still only catch maybe one out of every five critters I go after. So don't beat yourself up too much." He winked his sightless eye, which was sort of a peculiar experience.

He paused and took a steadying breath before deciding to bite the bullet. "I was thinking about doing another sweep for Finley. Wildfire's down for the count, so I was thinking of going myself and possibly taking one or two wolves with me." He met Elwood's eyes, trying to convey the subtext to his Beta without having to say it out loud, lest he upset Elwood Jr. This is our last ditch effort.

If he went out there and couldn't find her, nor any trace of her, he would return to the caldera and treat her absence as official and permanent. They would be down one of their loyalest members, not to mention their Beta. But they had officially arrived at the point where they would have to move on with their lives, because lingering in purgatory forever was no way to live.