Redhawk Caldera love never wanted me.

When Finley replied with just a hint of her usual playfulness, Elwood released a low chuckle. If Ashton actually did have love potions and the like, he would be the most popular wolf in all of Teekon Wilds. There would be no more heartbreak, no more longing; everyone would be happy and at peace.

That wasn't the case, however, and little did Elwood realize that Finley was suffering from a form of one of the previously mentioned afflictions. She instructed him to move and he did, scooting backwards until his head was clear of the roof of her den and he could straighten his forelegs. He sat up, now positioned a few feet from the mouth of Finley's burrow, watching with bright eyes as she exited.

She looked as she always did -- grey fur a bit tousled, especially along her spine where her scars were -- but there was something different that he couldn't quite put his finger on. A sadness in her eyes, though she seemed to be trying to hide it. He knew from his prior experience with her that if he asked outright what was wrong, she would likely change the subject or give him a joking response. So he avoided that route, instead attempting a more roundabout path to coax Finley out of her shell. "How was your hunt? Run into any bears?" he asked teasingly. "You've gotta stop leaving, this pack is going to fall apart without you," he added, referencing a conversation they once had about her being the true backbone of Redhawk Caldera.