Redhawk Caldera Vessel

His claws barely made an impact on the hard, cold earth. He ripped grass up by the roots, and made long, jagged marks in the dirt with his claws, but with every rake of his paws he felt the earth tighten. His father had been buried elsewhere, but his ghost had been trapped just here, and he felt determined to keep digging until he could catch a sign of it, and pull him out. 

None of it made sense. He whimpered and sniffled, tears spilling down his cheeks as he dug feverishly, startling when he was interrupted by a surprised voice. He whipped his head up, inhaling sharply at the sight of a wolf he'd never seen before. At first, he felt he should cry out- this was surely a trespasser, and he felt both vulnerable and frightened to realize that even in the wake of such a horrifying nightmare, worse things could actually happen in real life. What if this guy had come here to-

"...He'll come by some day, and you'll know him when you see him. He's got a white chin, that makes his smile look even bigger than it already is...White forelegs too. Most of his fur is pretty dark, kind of like his Towma, who would be your great-Towma. But he's got brown on his shoulders, like a superhero in a cape..."

"You're-" He blurted, as the memory of his father's voice recited the man's description, word for word. 

And then the ghost appeared again, and Ponyboy gawked at him, mouth hanging open. 

It was his Dad, but he was...Old. And he was almost see-through. He looked weary, but there was a gleam of fondness in his eyes that made Ponyboy's defensive stance relax. "D-dad?" He asked.