Redhawk Caldera There's a neon light

For @Somnia <3

It had been a busy few days, full of visits to the Alphas' den in order to visit the caldera's youngest members. Elwood had darkened the Redleaf-DiSarinno doorstep at least three times, both with and without Finley. He was surprised at how enamored she was with the babes -- he would have expected such a flighty, unpredictable creature to be a little more wary of the tiny life forms. Instead, she was bordering on obsessed, and he couldn't help but think of their future...

With a grin on his face, the Beta male strode quickly across the wintry landscape. His destination was the ice cavern that he and Finley had skated in a few months ago. He and Somnia had decided that she would help him find a gem or jewel to give to Finley -- a (perhaps cheesy) symbol of his love. As he neared the rocky face of the squat mountain, he tilted his head back and howled: "Somnia, come here!"

As his call reverberated off the trees and slope, he waited excitedly, shifting his weight from paw to paw. Occasionally, he peeked into the cavern, then scanned his surroundings for any sign of his friend. At his feet lay a pile of the lightning bug leaves that he had taken from Ashton's den at Somnia's suggestion, which he had carried oh-so-carefully in his mouth -- he didn't want to crush their source of light before they even entered the cave.