Redhawk Caldera Hideaway

It was October and things were getting back to normal at the caldera. Well, most things. Wildfire frowned as she peered down at her ankle. She had really put it through a lot lately, between the pack hunt and helping find Finley and bring her home. It was swollen and very, very achy today. She would have to stay off her feet again and get Raven to assist her with pain management.

Naturally, lying around doing nothing got old fast. As the morning wore into afternoon, she pushed herself to her feet, keeping her sprained one off the ground. She then began to hop away from the rendezvous site, aiming in no particular direction. The wind picked up and it began to rain, which actually felt kind of good on her angry ankle but more than a little cold and unpleasant on the rest of her body after a while.

She saw the mouth of a cave up ahead and stopped, leering at it. Ever since the tornado, she had sworn off the tunnels. But when the wind picked up and icy rain began to lash at her, Wildfire swallowed her fears and ducked inside the mouth. She wouldn't go any further, just deep enough to get out of the bad weather.

The instant she entered the cave, a foul smell struck her nose. Despite herself, Wildfire turned and peered into the deep, dark bowels of the earth. She thought she saw a shape back there, a little wisp of white against the darkness. Against her better judgment, Wildfire began to creep further into the cave, only to stop short and stare, aghast, when she realized she was looking at the corpse of her Uncle Ray.

OK, I'll play..... with myself.

He no longer needed to orchestrate a final search party for Finley. She was home safe, if not in the best condition. As Alpha, Gamekeeper and Caretaker, he took it upon himself to look after the Blackthorn family while she recovered. The best thing he could do was provide meat, so that Elwood wouldn't have to leave her side very often. The food would help her heal more quickly too, of course.

He was returning from a hunt, a dead groundhog clutched in his jaws, when he passed the cave where Wildfire stood. He ducked inside to say hello, only for a revolting stench to cause him to unceremoniously spit out the corpse. "Did you—" He began to ask her if she used this cave as a latrine or something when he followed Wildfire's line of vision and saw the desiccated body against the far wall.

His stomach sank immediately as Peregrine stared at the corpse of his younger brother. "Oh, Ray," he muttered, stepping over the groundhog and gliding past his frozen daughter. "What the hell happened, man?" he asked the dead body, lips pursing against a bitter sigh.

After a few seconds where she stared, transfixed, Wildfire began to backpedal back toward the cave's mouth. She turned when she heard the squelch of paws on the wet ground just outside, her stricken gaze settling on Peregrine's face. She didn't get a chance to warn him before he spotted Ray's body for himself. She lowered her head, stepping aside to give him room but not without giving him a gentle nudge as he passed her.

She pressed her back against the wall just inside the den and took a seat, watching her father as he spoke to the unresponsive corpse. She looked down at her little red feet, then her amber eyes strayed to the groundhog lying on the floor nearby. She didn't even have to ask; she knew it was meant for the Beta's family.

"Want me to take this to them?" Wildfire asked quietly. "I can stay," she added quickly, "or call someone." She was unsure what her father might want in his moment of grief, so she pressed her lips together and fell silent.

Ray didn't answer him, of course, and explain how the hell he had crawled into this hole and died. Someone did speak, though. Peregrine slowly turned, moving the entire front half of his body to better see Wildfire sitting in the cave's mouth. He frowned thoughtfully, contemplating what should be done.

"There's nothing we can do for him now. I'll take the body further into the cave for burial and let the pack know later. I want to talk to Dean first if I can," Peregrine thought aloud. "Go ahead and take that to Finley et al. I'll be all right. Thanks, Wifi."

He shot her a thin smile, then faced forward again. Reluctantly, he moved closer to the rotting corpse. Gently, he clipped his teeth around his brother's stiff scruff and began to drag him deeper into the cave. He wasn't willing to go too deep, so he might want to mark it somehow to make sure his pack was aware of the grave site. What a scare it would give an unsuspecting spelunker if he didn't.

Peregrine dismissed her. Wildfire bobbed her head to acknowledge his words, then rose to all threes. Carefully, she bent over to pick the groundhog off the floor. With a final parting glance, she then stole into the open air again. Cold rain lashed against her face, causing her to squint. She took a deep breath of the fresh air.

She then began moving, slowly and steadily, toward the Blackthorns' den. She would deliver the food and make sure they knew it was her father who had caught it. Perhaps she would hang out there a while. She and Aunt Finley could commiserate, she thought with a wan smile.