Kintla Flatlands it's the hap-happiest season of all.

@Scimitar Now's as good a time as any, eh!? :D Set a few hours after this thread

"I should've let her fall off the cliff."

Fin mumbled bitterly to herself as the last few shards of daylight slipped away and the dark of night completely fell upon her. She wasn't sure how many hours had passed since she'd fled the Plateau, but based on the way her every muscle loudly complained with each painstaking step, she could only assume it had been rather a while. She had finally managed to quiet her mind at least, which had for a while raced with thoughts about what had happened--Had Dante really broken the bond between their packs, had Junior made it all up, was Junior still batshit crazy with fever, should she have knocked Junior down and pissed on her to completely humiliate her, etc. etc. The only thing that had come of her speculation was a massive headache, and thus she'd given up on her musings.

In the darkness of the night and her thoughts, Fin failed to notice as the land that she limped upon suddenly gave way to a three foot sloping drop. With a surprised yelp, Fin was suddenly falling. Instead of sliding the full way down to come to a tumbling stop at the edge of the creek, only her front half actually had made it to flat land. The curve of her stomach rested against the curve of the ground, leaving her rump and back legs stretched out on the plain where the rest of her had once been.

Pain rocketed through her from the moment she hit the ground, causing her to tense as she winced against it. After a moment, the stabbing subsided to just a ponderous ache, and she opened her eyes to stare blankly at a little creek that flowed lazily along only a few feet from her face. The minutes passed with her lying still until she decided to try and move. She managed to shift a single paw underneath her before deciding against it under the influence of another throb of pain.

"Yeah, no, okay, I'll just die here," the Blackthorn grumbled as she gave up and rested her full weight upon the ground, still twisted uncomfortably upon the uneven plains. It was more comfortable than movement, and she supposed if she was going to die anyway, she might as well just leave herself exposed and vulnerable as she was.

Fin shut her eyes again, hoping to will herself to sleep. Or death. Whatever. Something cold touched her nose shortly after, causing her to peek at her muzzle with a single eye. Melting quickly along her muzzle were tiny white flakes of snow, and Fin gave a little smile, assuming that this was the world telling her that she really was done for. At least I don't have to wonder... she thought to herself before closing her eyes again.

He was a ways from home – a rare occurrence for the Alpha. He needed to clear his head though – Bazi’s sudden reappearance in to his life had not set his heart on fire the way one would have expected, but instead had made it cold. He would soon gather the pack for a meeting – they needed to know of the potential threat that Noctisardor Bypass offered them, and, of course, the ivory ex-Alpha’s return.

It was a commotion that brought him forward. The sudden sound something crashing through foliage, and then the silence that descended after – as if some beast had fallen.

It took him a few moments to investigate further, and upon closer inspection, he noted the she-wolf that laid rather cryptically on the ground. She was petite in stature, her pelt a delicate cloak of silver. She was, by standards, attractive, and had the cinnamon wolf’s mind not been aching with the simple presence of his ex-girlfriend (was she even an ex-girlfriend? They hadn’t even had a chance to start dating before she had up and left him) he might have been pleased with his luck.

Of course, closer inspection gave way to the female’s injuries, and lifting his brows, he wondered if she had done that just now. Snow began to sprinkle his coat, and with a low chuff to announce his presence and to not startle the girl, he moved closer. “I’d hate to see the other guy,” he joked softly, though his eyes roved her features in slight concern.

Finley didn't hear the gentle footfalls that told of the stranger's impending presence, and thus her first clue that he had arrived. His "sudden" appearance caused her to start, and despite the pain it caused her, her entire body jerked instinctually to face him. "I will bite you!!" she barked out before she even laid eyes on him, her hackles raising as she scrambled to get onto all fours, somehow succeeding only in rolling the rest of the way off the higher plain.

She tumbled slowly into a pile of silver fur, fully aware that she had not succeeded on making herself any more protected, however she had at least managed to make a fool of herself so.. Win. Her initial panic and surprise had passed very quickly while her pain had increased, so she simply laid there and peered up at the clearly non-threatening wolf awkwardly. "....kidding," she said after a beat, an embarrassed smile twitching briefly upon her muzzle.

He startled her – and as she violently shifted because of it, he could see the pain flash across her face, and the cinnamon wolf cringed outwardly. There was an awkward silence that he allowed to hang before them as he regarded her critically, and a low chuff escaped him. “I’m not sure you were,” he offered then in response to her 'kidding' comment. His tail gave a casual flick as he debated what to do next..

..It was too tempting to leave the crazy female here and continue on his way, but – alas, at times he did have a heart, and could show concern for those that weren’t in his pack. “Are you going to be okay..?” Blinking, he let the words fall from his jaws as a simple statement – it was a bit of a walk.. but he could perhaps offer her shelter and a healer at the Creek. If she didn’t turn out to be a douchebag.

The stranger gazed upon her with what Fin assumed to be a lack of interest, which was a bit disappointing since at the very least she'd hoped she might have come off as endearing. Her ears flattened against her head as she heaved a sigh of resignation, reluctantly accepting the fact that perhaps not even she could manage to be adorable with a gnarly wound twisting across her back and flopping around like a suffocating fish. She shuffled her limbs more carefully this time to push herself up onto her haunches. She winced at the pain the effort caused her, but caught his question still in spite of the distraction.

"I doubt it," Fin replied, not a touch of jest in her voice, "I was actually just considering how lovely it would be to start pushing up daisies right about now..." The sweet chocolate of her eyes flickered as she pulled her gaze from her paws to the cinnamon wolf's face, curiosity suddenly etching her own. He didn't seem like he really wanted to stay and chat, but he was kinda pretty to look at, so she quickly decided that that was just too damn bad. "Sorry about the whole.. 'Imma bite you' thing," she said with a tiny smile, "Just the last vestiges of instinct trying to make me not get killed."

She was rather.. open, with specific thoughts – something that was completely opposite in nature to the burly man, and as such, he regarded her carefully. Injured as she was, the soft trace of ebony intermixed with silver seemed to enhance the beauty of her fur, and only then did he realize he found himself in front of a female that he found relatively attractive – something that had not happened for awhile, likely due to the simple fact he had blocked such possibilities out.

Perhaps, finally, he was cured of his heartache.

“That happens,” he muttered, though his tone was relatively dry – his own form shifting as he gave a nod to her injuries. “Do you have a home or someone who can look after that for you?” After all, Swiftcurrent Creek had a rather skilled healer, and if Paarthurnax could help heal those wounds that battered his companions body now, perhaps he could steal a few more stolen moments with her.

He was really not much of a talker. Just as the stranger regarded her frame, Fin began to study his character. There was not much to be gleaned from the stoic way in which he held himself, nor from the lack of expression upon his face. Even his eyes were a little blank (though Fin was probably just exaggerating things in her head at that point). That was his voice that held something that gave her pause. His questions were those that suggested a concern for her that nothing else of him betrayed. Fin was intrigued.

"A home yes, though I have quite the hike to take before I reach it," Fin replied, "Someone to take care of me? Not so much. I had been being treated by the healer at Blacktail Deer Plateau. Up until some little bitch kid threw me out... Fuckin' bitch kids..." Fin gazed off at the little spot in the distance where she knew rested the Plateau, a little frown twisted upon her muzzle. She turned back to the cinnamon-pelted male after a moment, curiosity replacing the look of disdain that had been there a moment ago. "Why do you ask?" she questioned boldly, a smile teasing the corners of her lips, "Do I look that mangled and diseased?"

Scimitar allowed his tongue to make a small 'click' from the roof of his mouth at the mention of Blacktail Deer Plateau and their shenanigans -- he had never had much of a positive run in with the wolves there (starting with their founder) and so the brief information she provided him came of no surprise.. but he made no comment further on it. Being at the other end of the map, they hardly concerned him.. and last he checked, Fox was within their ranks, doing her thing. Probably still squatting on neighbours borders and pissing others off with each passing moon.

Her question caused his eyes to rove over her quickly, and his shoulders lifted in a nonchalant shrug. "Enough for me to question my morals if I simply turn around and leave you here alone," he determined, his gaze thoughtful before they sought out her own. He could not place the small puzzle before him as to why she had been in Plateau borders if she did have a home somewhere else -- but nor could he be bothered to ask.

Scimitar never had been much of a prying beast.

As handsome as the male was, Finley was quickly growing bored of him. He didn't take the bait she laid down before him, not to learn more about the state of unrest she'd left the Plateau in, nor to at the very least hit on her a little. He was so serious, so humorless. Obviously she needed to screw with him a little.

"Oh yeah?" she said sweetly, lightly flicking the tip of her tail to and fro, "Anything else about me make you want to question your morals?" She eyed him mischievously, wondering if he'd be clever enough to pick up what she was laying down. Or if he'd just grunt and comment about the weather.

If he had thought Bazi was one to keep him on his toes, then he was sorely mistaken -- and a sardonic snort escaped him in that moment as his eyes flitted over the silver she-wolf in a moment of disbelief. She was toying with him, that much he knew, and he was quick to give a shake of his head. "Darlin'," he rumbled, a wry grin of his own just barely flitting on to his cream muzzle. "You would break."

Scimitar was not a flirt -- he didn't even know how to, and so instead of coming up with something clever to retort back with, he stood there for a moment that stretched more in to an awkward minute than a drum roll before a grand line. "Though a distraction would be nice."

Fail.

So he did have a sense of humor. Finley's smirk widened as she succeeded in dragging a little grin out of him. It was there only briefly before he shot her down with his logic. She responded with a haughty shrug. She was sturdier than she looked, though on a real level, she was practically broken in half already. She didn't really have the strength the be mounted, particularly not by a big ol' beast of a wolf like this one. A big ol' beast that uh.. was staring at her. Not talking. Was something going to happen here? Were these his bedroom eyes? ....was he having a stroke?

After what seemed like the longest dramatic pause EVER, the man finally spoke again. And she could only a quirk a brow in confusion. What exactly was he going for here? Some heavy petting maybe? What a weird guy. "A distraction, eh...?" she repeated, biting back the desire to laugh in his face, "I dunno. I would certainly hate to be broken, but I have to wonder if you're maybe just bluffing. Or are you really that uh... gifted.. down there?" she asked. Let him try that on for size (LOL).

Scimitar was very much out of his league, and while he thought the silver female might have put the conversation to rest when he had taken her bait, she instead ran with it -- and it somehow now involved his manhood.

He himself had to resist the urge to run then. It would certainly be easier to do so, and then once back on Creek lands, he could lick his wounded ego quietly. Blinking down at her, a small snort of amusement escaped him. He chose deflection instead -- somehow, it seemed easier when the conversation was not about him. Especially when the topic itself involved his in question gifted area. "Do you have notes to make comparisons?" It was a light tease -- but certainly something a female might easily become offended by.

Somehow, he felt he would have a hard time offending this one, though.

Finley smirked at the male's response. He hadn't brushed her off and left yet, which was good. His retorts were even getting a little wittier. She could tell though that he was still out of his league in the arena. Clearly he did not usually entertain chats about naughty bits. But then again, did Finley? ....God that was a stupid question - Peregrine was her alpha. Of course she did.

"Oh, I've done extensive research on the subject," she assured her, allowing a little sultry flavor in her voice as she gave him an alluring look, "A scientist's job is never done, though..." She turned her head a little and quirked a brow, wondering if he'd pick up the hint and just how awkward he would get over it.

The silver spitfire knew no shame on the subject, and rather than balk at his hinted suggestion earlier, she went willingly with it -- and, of course, took it a pace even further. "Really," he mused, his aqua eyes studying her with no true emotion upon his features. It seemed strange to him that standing before him, shame could flood his cheeks at even considering her proposition when he was tied to no one -- a free agent, so to speak. And yet guilt did find him for even participating in the conversation, and his mind flashed with three particular females that he somehow felt had betrayed by even doing so.

Finally, with an amused shake of his head, the regal shrugged his shoulders. "You win -- I tap out," he rumbled, releasing a gentle sigh. She knew she had him -- she was simply waiting for him to break. "Someone back home means a little too much to me to even have a conversation like this," he offered, his tail giving an idle flick. Someone? Or a few someones?

Had Fin been able to see beneath the fur to see how red his cheeks became from her teasing, she would have been absolutely delighted. As it was, she had to rely on reading his body language, which the reserved male did not relinquish easily. He uttered a single word in response to her provocative declaration, giving her little to feed off of were she to push the topic. Unfortunately, she didn't need to for he suddenly admitted defeat.

Fin gave him a pout, but her shoulders shook lightly from the chuckle that bounced around in her chest. She quirked a brow as he mentioned having someone back home. "Oh yeah? I promise I won't tell her," she added before she remembered the game was over, "Sorry, I'm just screwing with ya. You make a delightful target. You should work on that." She gave him a grin that masked the slight disappointment she felt at the fact that there would be nothing happening between the two of them. Likely it was the still very recent sting of being "rejected" by Finn, but she actually was feeling rather reckless and frisky, even with the throbbing pain in her backside.

*name drops to stir pot!*

“Well,” he rumbled then, choosing to slide his figure lower and lay upon the snow-blanketed ground, the conversation feeling more casual to him now rather than uncomfortable. It wasn’t that Finley wasn’t attractive – but somehow, despite everything that had passed between him and Bazi, he felt disloyal to her even looking at his current companion the way he was. “Maybe you can offer me insight.”

He stopped for a moment, relishing in the fact he had a current outlet for his frustration – he couldn’t vent to anyone else about this. Not without their own impressions already formed. “I had started to court a girl back home. I was her Beta – she was my Alpha. When things were starting to get serious.. she pretty much bailed. She said she was going to take a trip to a neighbor pack where a friend of hers was.. she wanted time to think. And she was handing me the pack. She didn’t tell anyone else.. just left. Said she would be gone for a month. She didn’t return until a few months later.. after I sent a group of scouts to check on her. She had injured herself, and was resting in their pack.. They brought her home, and now she’s.. almost expecting to pick up where we left off.”

He paused, one ear flickered as he studied for Finley’s reaction. “What do you think? Am I a sucker? Ever since she took over the pack from our ex-leader, Fox, she’s been so.. flighty.”

:o

Finley smirked at his retort. She fully anticipated that their banter would continue, which is why she was so surprised when he suddenly began to rant about his personal life. She couldn't help but quirk a brow as he unloaded on her about his little girlfriend and how she'd been a flaky disappointment to him in multiple ways. He was so reserved and... robot-like. It was strange to see him so freely discussing such intimate details about his life with a near stranger. She supposed he must really be hurting if he was willing to discuss this all with her.

Fin wasn't certain what to say. She'd never been good at advice. If she was, she'd probably have made better decisions with her own life... "I dunno," she started slowly, sinking onto her belly just like he had and donning a thoughtful look, "I mean, what she did was pretty shitty. Like seriously, time to think? What's that about? But anyway, I still wouldn't call you a sucker, though. I mean, I myself just had a nice falling out with a guy that I had a little.. something... going on with. I mean, I knew he was just as terrible with the whole romance thing as I am... But I still expected something out of him, y'know? And all I got was a shit ton of nothing... If either of us is a sucker, it's me." What... what was she talking about?

"I guess my main point is - We all do stupid shit when our hearts get involved. Don't be down on yourself for letting her turn you into a fool. I think that's just part of the gig," she said with a tone of finality. Hopefully, Scimitar hadn't expected a whole lot of earth-shattering wisdom from her. Fin wasn't really very good at the whole 'wisdom' department, let alone the deep epiphical kind. "For what it's worth, I think she's WAIT what do you mean since she took over for 'Fox'? MY Fox? Wolf? Named Fox? Looks like a Fox?" Oh, Fin. Let's all just be impressed that she got there eventually.

It seemed strange to unload on to another -- Scimitar had not even relinquished this confusion to Kaskara or Paarthurnax, both of whom he was closer to than any other he could think of. Somehow, it was the tempting thought that he was likely to never see the silver she-wolf again, and his woes would be brought to rest the moment they parted ways.

She too offered some insight -- apparently, having also been pretty serious with another, it would seem they both sat here now, in the cold, quietly trying to make sense of their lovelorn life. Suddenly, her jokes made more sense.. she too had been looking for a distraction. "And here I thought you were so suave," he uttered teasingly, though felt his own shoulders sag slightly with the defeat of the conversation. There was no magical way to read Bazi.. she did not come with a manual, and whether he was ready for it or not, she was back in his life once more with hurricane forces.

Instead, the conversation drifted to something far more interesting -- and something that did threaten to have his dirty laundry spilled. "Like a fox? Sassy as fuck, and generally acts on the impulsion of what she feels is best?"

*shamelessly makes wild assumptions*

Scimitar echoed her description, adding words of his own that fit perfectly with the Fox they (apparently) both knew and loved (maybe?). "Yeah, I do believe that's the one," she replied after a moment of thought. "So you're from the Creek then?" she asked after a moment as Fox's history returned to her. She was pretty sure it was the Creek that Fox had been at before she came to the Plateau. She'd left that place in quite a whirl of drama, it seemed. Fin vaguely remembered some details about the whole fiasco, something about doing douchey things to some douchey pack... then running away and fighting with someone... Some.. Ohhhh.

"Wait, so your girl is whatsherface?" Fin asked slowly as it dawned on her, "Batsy? Or.. Bitsy?" She remembered the stories that had been passed around the Plateau as gossip after Fox had joined them, as well as words that had been shared between the fiery alpha and herself. She set her gaze upon the burly, russet wolf, pondering now more than ever who he was exactly. "What's your name anyway?" she asked, wondering if it was one she might recognize.

He had to withhold a snort of amusement as the name 'Batsy' escaped his companion's mouth. Close -- and yet there was a sneaking suspicion that Fox, if ever telling the story of the ivory she-wolf, might have purposefully mispronounced her name as well. "Bazi," he corrected, a lopsided grin smoothing over his lips.

Of course, with this connection between them now, Scimitar knew his anonymous advice-taking minutes were now over. Standing, the large wolf gave a great shake of his cinnamon pelt, releasing a low chuff of disappointment to how the conversation had turned. "I'm afraid you know too much now for me to tell you," he spoke, giving his muzzle an idle shake. Last thing he needed was an informant to the ex'Creek leader running home to tell her how much of a mess the Creek was in emotionally -- Fox would either not give another thought toward it, or.. would be far too tickled by it.

The little smile on his face told the whole story. Fin smirked, suddenly feeling a little rather cocky as she surmised that as much drama as there was between Bats--No, no, Bazi--As much drama as there was between Bazi and whatever this guy's name was, he loved her. They'd work out their problems and live happily ever after, Fin had little doubt about that. He was also impressively resistant to the vaginas of other women, so that would probably work out in their favor too.

She narrowed her eyes playfully and smirked as he refused to give his name. It seemed he wasn't quite done with their games, but that was just fine by Fin. She had a name that she could refuse to give too. "Fine, be that way," she quipped back with a lighthearted shrug, "I'm sure I'll manage to figure it out on my own." She did have Fox at her disposal, after all. She could easily describe this male to her once she got back to the Caldera. As long as she remembered to do so, which apparently she wouldn't because it's been how long and I haven't brought it up in another thread yet lols.

A lopsided grin teased at the corner of his muzzle, but he did not fully allow it to pass -- his eyes roved over the she-wolf before him, amused by her response. As much as their conversation was a nice distraction however, the cinnamon wolf knew he could not stay here for much longer.. he would need to make the trek back to the Creek and face what awaited him there.

"Are you going to be able to make it back home?" His tone was still dry -- indicating with a nod of his muzzle to the injuries she had sustained.. still unexplained. He did not know where her home was -- but he did not that if Fox was there, it was a place he should probably avoid. What small friendship the two held previously had seemingly dwindled to nothing.. as had become apparent during their last encounter.

Last post for meeee! <3<3<3 You can either reply again or just toss this to the archives :D

It seemed that their interaction was to be at an end. Fin had to admit that she didn't mind all too much - she did have quite a ways to go and all of this sitting upright was really starting hurt, almost badly enough for her to start outwardly reacting to it. "I'll be fine, I swear," she reassured him with a nod, "I will hold you personally responsible if I don't make it, though." Not that it would really matter, but she did one to get one last tease in before he left.

She gave him one final grin before he too said his parting words and headed off, presumably back towards the Creek and to the woman whose vag he actually was interested in. Though it had been her intent to try and make some decent progress towards home that day, she managed only about half an hour's worth of travel before she curled up on the riverbed for some well needed rest.