Redhawk Caldera click to MTV so they can teach me how to dougie.

All welcome! But Ima randomly page some people for fun ;) @Ivy @Odette @Andalusia @Benjamin come integrate!

If she'd had any doubt before that she was pregnant, it was completely gone now. The late afternoon found the alpha digging into a cache - the second one she'd raided that day. After spending a good gazillion weeks (in her estimation) throwing up every scrap of anything inside of her stomach, the hunger she suffered from now was utterly insatiable. She was ravenous. She wanted to eat the whole world and it was highly unlikely that anyone could stop the spitfire Blackthorn from doing just that.

Except for the fact that this cache was not exactly bursting with fresh food... Fin wrinkled her nose as she kicked aside a ragged squirrel carcass that looked like it had barely had any meat on it when it was put in there. She needed to talk to her gamekeepers... Wait, did she have more than one these days? Shit, she needed to talk to more packmates about being gamekeepers. Or being anything, for that matter. She was too pregnant to do everything herself. Why was she even doing this?

Fin grumbled and began to dig again, kicking dirt up against her noticeably rounded belly.

Ben wandered through the caldera, actually searching for the children he had met not ago. Or perhaps he was looking for Grammy Mally - Bunnybut Burke or even one of his own sisters. Truth was, Ben felt lonely and was in desperate search to find someone to talk to. It was then that the woman caught his eye; how the dirt flung from behind a tree, slightly stable legs holding her form up. Benjamin smiled a toothy grin, trotting closer. What are you doing? He questioned in his low voice, ink-dipped muzzle tipping to the side. Did he know this female? Did his parents? Can I help? He offered then, having not much else to do.

Fin hadn't spent much time with the wolves that had joined them from the Fen. It was not a conscious thing. She didn't avoid them, nor did she exactly treat them any different from those that had joined the Caldera on their own. They just were, as she just was. A better alpha would have tried harder to integrate the two families - Fin was content to let it be and let the bonds grow naturally between them all rather than attempt to force it. It might have been a wise manuever, except it was done more out of laziness and some ignorance rather than with purpose.

But all of that was not to say she wasn't pleased to see one of Sebastian's kids approaching her in the midst of her frenzied digging. His appearance did wonders to dispel the frustrated mood she'd been in seconds before. This was the first of his kids to actually approach her, though she would have been astounded to know that he was unaware of who she was even so. "Hey!" she replied, offering a smile, "I was just foraging for a meal. Seems this cache is a little low on the goods, though."

She glanced down with a frown, nudging the squirrel carcass with a mild frown. "You wanna help me hunt down another cache? Or maybe even some fresh meat?" Fin quirked a brow at him. They were definitely old enough to hunt at this point, but she hadn't been around them enough to know if they had any talent in this area.

He knew the feeling of unquenchable hunger, and even just speaking about a meal made saliva pool in his mouth and wonder if it was dinner time yet. Surely dad had something nice to munch on for the evening? No Ben, bad Ben - we don't want to be chubby anymore, remember? All this went through his head as the other talked, but he did manage to catch the last bit of her words. Hunt? Had father taught him that yet? Did he want him to learn? I-I'm not the greatest hunter. He answered honestly with a doe-eyed, embarrassed stare.

Fin watched the boy as he processed the invitation, quirking a brow at the sweet, deer-in-the-headlights look he gave her as he confessed his lack of hunting skills. She couldn't help but grin as he wide eyes reminded her a bit of Eljay. She got that look from her eldest rather often and so was quite endeared to this husky boy almost instantly.

"That's fine, I'm not the greatest huntereither," Fin replied with a kind smile, "But that doesn't mean we lay down and starve now, does it?" She gestured with her muzzle towards the woods just a mile or so from where they stood now, thinking perhaps some wild turkey might be lurking about. They were simple enough prey to nab, even for a pregnant wolf and an inexperienced pup.

There had to be a first time for everything, he then decided. If this woman was kind enough to offer help in the matter, he didn't see anything wrong with trying. But; if she ever laughed at him for it, he'd leave for his father instantly. He doubted she'd do it though. She confessed she wasn't the best either, but perhaps together they were pretty decent?

Alright then. He answered. Where to?

Though he agreed to the venture, he didn't strike Fin as being entirely on board. That was alright with her, though. She'd take it over a completely unwilling participant any day. "Let's head to the woods," she said, starting to walk in that direction, "There are usually turkey or grouse wandering around that we could take a stab at. Grouse would be a little tougher since they can actually fly. I mean, turkeys can fly too, but they're often too stupid to do it."

She picked the pace up to an easy canter then. The thought of hunting sparked the fire within her, so she was eager now to get to it. The woods were not far from where they'd grouped up, and so they found themselves pacing through the trees after only a few minutes. Fin put her nose to the ground, sniffing determinedly at the patchy undergrowth for a promising trail to follow.

He followed her obediently, not knowing where this forest was located at all. He had only been here, in the Caldera, ever since their arrival. He didn't like venturing out, nor did he have any friends from out there. If he didn't count his family, he had very few friends at all. We're hunting birds? He asked, voice slightly tainted with panic. He sped up his own pace to keep up, thoughts running wild. They had to eat, father had also told so, but birds were so cool... Are you sure there are no other animals we could hunt? He sniffled carefully around then too, not wanting to give up on hunting altogether.

"Yep," Fin answered succinctly as she continued to stick her nose in every nook and cranny the forest had to offer. The tone of his voice went unnoticed at first, and may have continued that way were it not for the strangeness of his second question. She paused then, lifting her head to turn and give the young wolf a quizzical look. 

"Probably no others we'd have much luck with," she told him, "Is there something wrong with birds?" The alpha suspected that he was afraid of them, but reasoned that there was no better way to get over that fear than to kill some of them. She had no idea that his reluctance was driven by admiration.

N-No - not at all! I... I can kill 'em. He replied as a real bad boy, strut becoming a little more dominant even though it all felt wooden and wrong. He didn't want to - REALLY didn't want to - but he had to now. He had gotten himself in this mess and he was to deal with it accordingly. He was a very responsible man when it came to those things. He knew when to put others above himself and, for such a young sprite, really had his priorities right. He wasn't very smart, but he was a good fella.

Fin watched the boy carefully as he replied. She didn't want to push him to do anything he wasn't comfortable with - which isn't to say that she wouldn't, only that she didn't like having to. He reassured her that he would be able to do what was asked, though it wasn't convincing in the least. She offered him an encouraging smile.

"Good," Fin replied, "Because I just found a fresh trail." Her tail wagged gently as she gestured with her muzzle to the right towards a thicker grouping of trees. She lowered her nose to the ground and headed off, assuming he would be following.

He was glad that the woman didn't question him further and sighed a satisfied sigh. Surely, if father and his siblings could do it, he could also kill something with wings. Perhaps they tasted good, too. Then he had two things to admire them for... Quietly, he just hoped the lady would do the killing and he would be tasked with bringing it back for her. Not that looking at the dead body of something he adored so was anything better.

He sniffed with her, slowly picking up on the trail she had scented but not nearly fast enough to be a great hunter any day soon. So, he followed, as quietly as he could as to not scare away a possible meal.

Finley became absorbed by the hunt shortly after finding the trail. She glanced back only once to make sure Ben was following and once confirmed, set her sights for the prize. She moved through the woods with her head slung low for a little while, then dropped her body close to the ground as well once the scent of wild turkey was paired with the sound of them.

Once she finally caught sight of the rustling of brush ahead and the flicker of a feather between the shrubbage, Finley slowed to a near stop. She breathed in the scent of them and between that and the rest of her attentive senses, she determined that there were about five of them meandering around beneath the evergreen boughs. She waited for Benjamin to come to her side (as I'm presuming he did) before giving him instruction in the barest of whispers. "I'll move to the left, you go to the right. Stay low and quiet. I'll break cover and drive them towards you - you grab whatever you can as the run past. Go for the neck and avoid their feet. They'll thrash you with their wings, but they're harmless so just don't let go."

Fin didn't wait for his response - she simply moved to the left as silently as possible.

They didn't have to walk for a long time to find what they were looking for; those precious animals on who's meat they could feast. Perhaps these were a dumb species though? They didn't seem in the trees nor in the air, just on the ground. He knew the woman had told they were too stupid to fly, but really? If he had been born a bird, oh man, he'd be flying all the time! It looked so graceful and amazing. He halted next to her, listening to her instructions before nodding. Right... Wait, which way was that?

Since she went that way, he'd go that way. Common sense was the only wits he had, he didn't think too complicated. It was strange how his enormous form flailed so gently through the underbrush, nearly as quietly as the woman himself. Finally in place, she awaited the birds' reactions to whatever the lady was doing.

Finley didn't notice Benjamin's hesitation. Her gaze was trained upon the turkeys, trying to make certain that none of her movements startled them too early. They remained conveniently unaware as she crept into position, turned, and waited for her moment. Through the brush, she could just barely make out Ben's bright pelt between the leaves. She couldn't see his face to tell if he was ready to roll, so she gave it a few minutes longer than she normally would have just to be sure. She wanted them to be successful, especially if he hadn't been in the past. This would be a good confidence boost for him, and maybe it would make a hunter of him. They needed those.

Finley waited until at least four of the birds were near each other before she broke cover. She sprang at them with lips peeled back from her  teeth in a silent snarl. They birds scattered noisily, at least two of them heading right for where Benjamin waited. Fin pivoted as she ran, darting after a turkey that had flailed off to the side, leaving the rest for the young kappa to handle.

It took some time for the flightless birds to start scattering because of the female that had wanted him to tag along, and he panicked for a wee while. They were really coming straight at him, and he opened his maw to grab it one's neck. With a tiny snap did it fall limp in his mouth which made him panic even more. He dropped his kill and ran after the other one in a frenzy, grabbing at its neck in the same fashion he had done before. His mind wasn't even there when he had killed two of his beloved friends.

He panted, walking back to his first kill and placing his last next to it. He fell to the ground, energy having run out, and waited for his hunting companion.

Fin tore after the bird she had targeted, snapping at its tailfeathers as it fled. She closed her jaws on the thin fibers of  a poorly placed wing and yanked backwards, a fierce sense of pride flooding her chest as she heard its wild screech of pain. The bird flopped across the ground as she threw it, flailing wildly all the while. She took her own advice as it struggled and held tight in spite of the bashing of wings against her face. She released only to get a better hold - this time snapping her jaws shut upon its neck.

The bird didn't have much life in it after that. It mostly just twitched at her, but eventually fell still as she turned to swing back towards Ben and see how he fared. She was surprised to find that she had further to travel to get back to him than she realized, but after a minute or two, she was breaking through the brush to spot him standing beside two bloodied, lifeless carcasses - a sight she was beyond pleased ot see.

"Nice work, kid!" Fin said happily after dropping her own kill to the ground, "You got two of them! That's awesome! Did they get you with their claws or their beaks at all?" She pressed forward to sniff at him, searching for the scent of wolf blood among that of turkey blood.

Adrenaline had numbed him quite a bit, and he was shivering even as he heard the female approach once again. At least she seemed happy with his catch, though he couldn't say the sight of the dead birds made him feel ecstatic. He pulled in his tongue, lips stained with crimson... no matter how hard he lapped and tried to get it off, it kept coming. It took him a second to realize there was a small cut on his lip and he whimpered when he pressed his tongue against it. Apparently they had gotten him back nonetheless.

A stinging pain also came from his left front pain and just behind his ear. He could see his paw was stained a bit, but he wasn't sure about behind his ear. Uhmm... Can you check - right - here. He said as he turned his head for her to look.

Benjamin seemed shaken, which was understandable considering the fear he had of birds (that Finley had invented). She gave him a reassuring smile as she inspected him, following his instruction to run her nose up along his cheek towards the base of his ear. Something had indeed gotten him, but it was only a scratch - a peck if you will. But it was nothing, and Fin wasn't going to upset him further by making a big deal of it.

"Eh, you're fine. Barely a scratch," she told him as she stepped back, her tail wagging. "Whaddya say to taking these over to your dad and showing off a bit?" She tilted her head to the side, grinning. It was only right that Sebastian get a chance to shower his boy with praise over this victory.

His form relaxed, a sigh escaping him, at her words. He had feared his whole pelt was stained a blood-red, but a scratch couldn't possibly cause that. Though the pain did not fade just yet, he knew he was fine if the woman said so. He trusted her, perhaps more than he did himself, and could finally be sort of proud of his catch. He smiled.

I bet he'll like that... Okay. He nodded with a grin, raising his massive form, flinching when his paw touched the ground. He bit through the stinging pain, wanting to pick up the dead birds and follow Finley.

Closing this one up! I LOVE BEN SO MUCH

Fin could see the pride begin to glint in his eyes as a smile stretched across his lips. She matched his expression with a grin of her own and leaned forward to nudge his cheek gently. She liked this kid. Sebastian's girls were a bit too... Y'know.. for her taste. But this one was a good seed, and she was going to make damn sure that his dad knew about it.

"C'mon," Fin said, turning and heading off towards the rendezvous site where she assumed would be the best place to start looking.