Redhawk Caldera Doors slam, hearts open- A child is lost

Neither Alpha approached, although there was a distant howl from Peregrine asking someone else to speak with Trick. Had the situation not been so grim, Elwood might have smiled at the fact that he was already there; instead, he kept his eyes trained on Trick, waiting with bated breath for whatever news he had to share.

The smaller wolf prefaced his statement by announcing that there was good news and bad news. Elwood winced slightly, but nodded, bidding him to continue. He felt his heart soar when he found out that Lucy had been in the care of Neverwinter Forest -- it almost seemed like she had been right under their noses. But his emotions came crashing back down when it was revealed that Lucy had run away from the Neverwinter wolves and that her current location was unknown.

Elwood took a deep breath, steadying himself as he processed the information. It was good -- Lucy was alive, and that was more important than anything else. And Finley was out there searching for her presently, so maybe she would have some luck. He wished he could get a message to his mate and update her with what he now knew, but he had no clue where Finley was in her ventures. Overall, though, he chose to look at the positive side of things; otherwise, he would have no choice but to spiral into despair.

"Thank you, Trick. Really -- I mean it," he said emphatically. "I appreciate your efforts so, so much. And you haven't failed. Heck, you found out more about Lucy's whereabouts than I did. She's still out there, and I'm sure someone will find her and she'll return home eventually." These words were spoken to bolster Trick's confidence as well as his own; hearing them out loud, coming from his own mouth, made them seem believable.