Redhawk Caldera stuck in the sunshine riptide.

@Elwood lololololol

So. In case anyone hasn't been watching - Finley Blackthorn was an idiot.

Much as she grew and matured and experienced and learned, there were still so often times when she simply couldn't stop herself from doing something completely stupid. Sometimes the repercussions were small - a twisted ankle, a broken nail, a skin-deep scratch on her shoulder. Other times, they were a little more significant, no to mention lasting. Such as the still scarred and ugly side of her face where she'd been porcupined real good, knocked off a cliff and nearly died.

And now, she had done it again. Though it remained to be seen whether the repercussions would be more like the former or latter examples.

Heart pulsing and nausea swimming in her stomach, Finley sought her mate to confess to him the latest of her crimes. He hadn't been at the rendezvous site, or down by the lake, and so she had taken to the borders - her last resort. Eventually, she had spotted him in the distance, trotting along in her direction on his patrol. She settled onto her haunches promptly, thankful that she just had to wait for him to come to her, and feeling very anxious in the meantime for his reaction to the latest of her spectacular blunders...

Gradually, Elwood was letting down his guard. The war was over (for now), his family was safe, and Redhawk Caldera was in the hands of its rightful heir, Towhee. He had been happy to settle back into the role of Beta; much like Finley, he felt that he was better suited for the role of second-in-command, happy to support and help his Alpha.

Patrols no longer caused his heart rate to accelerate, and they had resumed their usual lack of excitement. He was thankful for the boredom, in a way, and his gait was loose and relaxed as he turned away from the borders. His ears pricked as he spotted Finley a short distance away, sitting primly as though waiting for something, and he quickly headed in her direction.

"Hey, Beta female," he said with a grin as he approached and nudged her shoulder with his snout, tail swaying behind him.

Fin took a breath to steady her thrumming heart as Elwood came nearer. He greeted her with his typical easy smile and gentle touch, calming her nerves almost instantly. His name for her made her chuckle. It was a relief to be playing this role again, and she was glad that he was on the same page with her about it. It wouldn't feel right for them not to share a rank when they shared everything else about their lives. Plus, it was a reminder of the good old days, when they'd been partners in serving a Redhawk alpha. It would never be the same, truthfully, but it still felt good.

"Hello, second-best-beta," Fin replied, reaching to plant a sloppy lick across the side of his head. It was one of the first ways in which she had ever teased him and a wave of nostalgia took her as she said it. A smile swept across her face as she considered their past, but it didn't last. She'd sought him for a reason. It was time to confess.

"So, I'm glad I found you cause... I kinda need to talk to you," she started, feeling anxiety creeping up her chest, "I uh... So.. So here's the thing..."

She paused. Why was this so difficult? Not like it was a bad thing, per se.

"Remember the night before we went to Blackfeather? Well. You kinda knocked me up."

Her greeting prompted a snort from Elwood; not because he disagreed with her on his status as second-best, but because it brought back memories of a simpler time. He found himself reminiscing briefly, thinking about the early days of their relationship. It hadn't been easy, but compared to the state of affairs as of late, navigating their courtship could be considered a cakewalk. But now, he reminded himself, things were getting back to normal -- he had nothing to worry about as their enemies had been defeated and there would be no unexpected surprises on the horizon...

"What?"

He spoke before he even realized the word had jumped out of his mouth. While his mind had been elsewhere for a few seconds while Finley started talking, she had certainly caught his attention with her last statement. He blinked, taking a step back to look at her, then said, "I did what now?"

In retrospect, the days leading up to their departure for Blackfeather had been an emotional blur. With an impending battle to decide the fate of her family, the dramatic reappearance and subsequent third-time-loss of Lucy, and all of the tension and doubt she carried over all of these things, Fin had thought nothing of her chaotic emotions. But now, it all made sense. It certainly wasn't the first time her heart had gone by unnoticed and she'd wound up pregnant anyway, and she had a sneaking suspicion that it wouldn't be the last either. Hopefully this time, her over-exertion in the Woods wouldn't turn out to be a detriment to the little ones she carried now as it had been with Eljay. She never again wanted to wake up in the middle of the night to discover to the blood and heartbreak of a miscarriage.

Fin was quiet and thoughtful as she watched her mate react to the news. He didn't seem to be catching on very quickly, but she had been rather abrupt about it. Clearing her throat, she tried to explain a little better this time. "Well... Remember how you got your dick out and we let our privates have some fun together?" she said, doing just a smashing job of this whole thing, "Well, when a mommy and a daddy really love each other and their bathing suit areas spend that sort of time together, sometimes they make babies." She paused, smiling slightly as she was finding herself to be rather funny right now.

"I'm pregnant, Twig," she finished, a little more softly and a little less flippantly.

He gave a half-laugh as Finley explained the details of how this situation had transpired. He remembered exactly what had happened, and the passion of those last moments before the war began. But there was no recollection of any hint that Finley had been in heat, and that was what baffled him. He shook his head slowly, his expression of confusion gradually melting into a smile. Yet again, they had managed to completely miss Mother Nature's call.

There was something bittersweet about Finley's admittance, though. Sure, the timing wasn't great (as usual), but it was nice to know that something good had come out of the trouble with Blackfeather Woods. The babies now growing in his mate's belly were the reasons that they had done what they did; to protect their family and ensure that there would be a safe place to raise their children and future generations.

The gentle side-to-side motion of his head shifted into an up-and-down movement, accompanied by a growing grin. "Congratulations," he said with a chuckle, and then threw himself at her to envelop her in a hug.

She saw understanding flit across Elwood's face as she spoke. For a terrible handful of seconds, Fin wondered if her mate would be upset about this. There could be reason to be, of course, but I'm pretty sure I went over those in my last post, so I won't again. Her worries were dispelled shortly as a smile brightened his features. She smiled back, her own heart beginning to swim with joy. They were pregnant. Round four would soon begin!

Fin burst out laughing when her mate sprang at her. She succumbed willingly to his embrace, smushing her face into his fur while her tail wagged furiously. "Congratulations yourself, papa Twig," she replied, "Is this an okay anniversary present?" Being a wolf, she didn't know exactly when it was they had gotten together. But I just checked my threadlog and they said their first I love yous February 11th 2015 so close enough awww!

”It’s the best present I could ask for,” he confirmed, his expression lighthearted but his meaning sincere. There was plenty to worry about, but all he felt in that very moment was elation. He was simply thankful that his family had the chance to continue to grow.

Sobering slightly — though with a twinkle still in his eye — he said, ”I guess we should let our Alpha know, huh?”

Fin smiled at his response. It was no chocolates and roses, but she was pretty pleased as well. Finley had never seen herself having children. She'd never seen herself with a mate, nor a leadership position or even a steady pack. She'd anticipated spending her entire life wandering and visiting different places, never staying in one pack for more than a couple of months at a time. Elwood was very much to blame for her change of heart, but more than that perhaps had been Peregrine, the freakin' puppetmaster of her transformation. Without Peregrine, she'd have run away from all of this. Silently, she hoped that every one of her children would find a friend like him somewhere out there in the world...

Speaking of which. She grinned at the idea of telling Towhee, and at the simply fact that he'd called her their alpha. "It's weird still, isn't it?" she asked, ignoring the question for a moment, "Calling her that?" It wasn't anything against Towhee. Lord knows Fin had all the faith in the world in that girl to lead. But still, it was new, and still a little strange to hear that little Teehee with her deafness and her hawk buddy, an alpha.

He gave a quiet laugh and rolled his shoulders thoughtfully. It was odd, to call someone else Alpha -- but only because he and Finley had occupied that role for quite a long time. And to think of Towhee in that capacity was certainly new, but already he was growing accustomed to it. She had stepped into the role seamlessly, and while she still had a lot to learn, her godparents would support her along the way.

"It is," he agreed after a moment, "but we did the right thing. She's come a long way, hasn't she?" he mused, thinking back to the days before Towhee had learned about diplomacy. Like a true Redhawk, she put family first and was fiercely loyal, but he was glad to see her taking on the other aspects of an Alpha.

Fin smiled and nodded in agreement. Towhee was a good one. She had come a long way and had worked hard to earn what they had given her. Finley had no doubt that her goddaughter would continue to work hard and continue to strive to improve herself. And she and Elwood would be there to help her, however she needed. It would all work out - Fin was sure of it.

"She's gonna lose her shit over having new siblings," Fin said with a grin, "Wanna go tell her? And the kid? And everyone else we meet along the way? And that rock over there?" Everyone needed to know of their good news, and that included the Caldera itself - though let's be real, the Caldera probably already suspected. It wasn't often that Fin puked her guts out all over it.

Wanna fade with your post?

"Yeah," Elwood said quickly and brightly, simultaneously agreeing that Towhee would be over the moon excited for a new litter of Blackthorns and that they should share the news with the whole pack. "Let's go," he said, and wasted no time moving away from her at a swift pace, heading straight towards the rock that she had indicated just a moment ago.

Leaning towards it conspiratorially, he said in a stage whisper, "Hey, guess what? Fin's pregnant!" He could hardly keep himself from collapsing in a fit of giggles, and had to admit that he was enjoying the feeling of elation -- it was one he hadn't experienced in quite some time, and he would cling to this brief, innocent happiness.

Yiss!

Elwood agreed enthustiastically to her idea. She began to walk right along with him, eagerly considering all of the ways she could announce this to her goddaughter. She would likely go with the I-have-terrible-news-you're-going-to-have-to-feed-me-more routine. It was a classic, though the more she considered, the more she felt that she could probably outdo herself with another tactic.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Elwood's sudden departure from her side. She watched him curiously as he trotted up to the rock and informed it of her impending pregnancy, just as she'd suggested. Fin burst into laughter at the sight, then ran up to brush his cheek with her tongue. Gods she loved this man. Deciding to join in on the game, she ran over to a nearby tree and did the same. Meanwhile, he ran to a bush, then she another rock, and he a stick, and so on and so on until later @Towhee would come across them giggling like fools over their game, breathless from the fun as they told her the happy news.