Heron Lake Plateau searching

Eljay's questions caught Elwood by surprise, but they quickly elicited a smile. He found himself wondering why he and Finley hadn't ever really shared their love story with their oldest son; whatever the reason, now seemed to be the perfect opportunity.

"I loved her from the moment I met her, but it took me a while to realize it," he said, his expression softening as he took himself back in time. "We met at Redhawk Caldera -- I happened to meet Peregrine by chance and he recruited me into the pack, and Mom was already living there. She had traveled to the caldera from Blacktail Deer Plateau with Peregrine and Fox. We became best friends first, but we didn't actually know that we were in love until after we had a big fight," he continued, pausing to give Eljay a chance to digest the information and ask any questions before he kept going.