Redhawk Caldera Event horizon.

The ghostly silhouette began moving nearer. Meanwhile, the summer storm unleashed its fury in a squall that matched Towhee’s own. She couldn’t hear the thunderclap but she felt when it shook the earth beneath her paws. The gloomy air lit up like a flashbulb, then the rain came pouring down a beat later. Towhee’s ears flattened but she didn’t move otherwise as her narrowed eyes watched the woman’s approach.

Have you seen a black and red wolf nearby? Possibly injured? she demanded, raising her voice to be heard over the sounds of the storm, or so she hoped.

She knew the answer before she even asked. No, this wolf hadn’t seen Killdeer. Next, Towhee could ask her to keep an eye peeled for the missing Redhawk. But what could would that do? She would probably never see this woman again and, besides, why should she bother searching for some man she didn’t know? It was all so desperately futile.