Redhawk Caldera Fighting through a nightmare

Elwood had just started to wonder where Somnia and Finley had gotten to. It had been a few days since he had seen either of his friends, and their scents were not as strong as usual. Thus, he was lingering near the borders, doing what he did best -- worry.

Finley's odor was fainter than Somnia's, indicating that she had been gone for a day or two. Though he immediately thought the worst (and it would turn out that he was right to do so in both cases) he convinced himself that Somnia was probably hunting and Finley was exercising her outrider skills.

He paused, turning to look up at the caldera's peak as it stretched overhead. In that instant, something collided with him, knocking him from his feet and alarming him. After seeing the mangled canine the day before, he was especially wary near the outskirts.

As he righted himself, he realized that it was Somnia that was tangled with him, and he smiled and prepared to greet her jovially. But almost immediately, he could tell that something was wrong. Very wrong. "Som? What's the matter?" he asked, confused by her erratic behavior and the strong smells woven into her pelt.