Redhawk Caldera aitchugaa-kaluk

Uncle Bronco had died. Frolic’s parents did their best to explain what that meant and she thought she understood. She didn’t feel any particular way about it but she could tell @Eljay and @Maia were quite sad. Frolic tried to cheer them up at first but when that didn’t work, she grew weary of the melancholic air and asked if she could go for a walk. She wasn’t grounded anymore, though they asked her to take her brother or sister with her, so Frolic dragged @Callahan along.

I hope he turns into a ghoul and haunts the island, stealing everybody’s teeth, Frolic said somewhere along the way, leading her brother to shake his head and walk away. What? she wondered, flummoxed, then shrugged and continued padding around the caldera on her own.

She didn’t really believe Uncle Bronco would do something like that. Her elders had told Frolic many beautifully imaginative stories over her brief lifetime, so she reflected on them now as her black paws carried her closer to the border. Her mama and papa had said something about burying Bronco tomorrow, like they might bury a seed. She decided he would become a tree, which everyone could visit. There was no need to be sad. He was still there, just transformed. The only downside was he couldn’t talk anymore, she supposed.

Her train of thought derailed when she suddenly noticed a white figure beyond the borders. Frolic stopped and blinked to a focus, then began trotting toward the stranger, mindlessly crossing the invisible boundary line to get to him. He was impressively large in stature, with white fur marked here and there with scars. Her eyes were drawn to the notch in his ear.

Hey! she exclaimed when she came closer.