Redhawk Caldera Find me a find, catch me a catch

Well... the pups' future aunt and uncle were definitely helping him get a lot of last-minute child-rearing practice. Peregrine mused about this and everything Finley had told him as he made his slow way back toward the caldera. He wanted to climb up the frosty slope and curl up beside Fox. Before he could retreat to his happy place in good conscience, though, he needed to seek out Elwood and check in with his friend. Finley had really put the poor guy through the wringer, by the sound of it. Plus, there were two sides to every story and he wanted to hear Elwood's take on the situation.

When he came to the foot of the mountain, the sky had grown overcast and it started to sprinkle lightly. Ignoring this, the Alpha male tipped his muzzle into the air and summoned @Elwood by name. He would have gone to him, wherever he was, but the Alpha was pretty taxed from today's long walk and he hadn't had the chance to go for that soothingly cold dip. He didn't want to push himself too far and risk further injury with the pups right around the corner. No, his patient would have to come to him for this particular therapy session.

When Elwood heard his name on the breeze, carried by Peregrine's voice, he froze in his tracks. Immediately, he assumed the worst: Finley had already told him about his allegedly traitorous behavior and there would be no waiting for Fox's babies before leaving -- Peregrine wanted him out now. He wanted to skulk away, to head in the complete opposite direction, but the rational part of him knew that he would have to face the music at some point, whether it was now or later.

So it was with a lowered head and tail that Elwood approached his Alpha and (former?) friend, his ears splayed to the side and his gaze averted. Never mind the fact that there had been no malice in Peregrine's tone when he called -- Elwood still anticipated that there would be no happy ending.

He halted a few feet from Peregrine, looking at the ground next to the swarthy male's feet. "Peregrine..." he murmured, waiting for an explanation as to why his presence had been requested.

Elwood looked just like a beaten puppy when he arrived in response to the Alpha's call. Peregrine regarded him silently for a moment, then stepped forward and gave the Beta male a nudge to the shoulder. He then slowly seated himself, minding his sore shoulders.

"I just spoke to Fin. She told me what happened," he said, grimacing. "I'm sorry she told you to leave. I let her know she was totally out of line. Nobody wants you to leave, El," Peregrine said, feeling it was highly important to get this out before anything else. Maybe Elwood would stop looking like a wilted flower someone (I'm looking at you, @Finley) had forgotten to water and maybe stomped on a little bit...

"Before I get into what Finley told me," he said lightly, "I'd really like to hear your take on everything." His black head canted, dusky jade eyes resting heavily on the Beta's pewter features.

He stiffened slightly as Peregrine closed the gap between them, though he gave the Alpha male a quizzical look when he was delivered a gentle nudge. The silence that stretched between them seemed everlasting as Peregrine sat down; during that time, Elwood readied himself for a scolding.

But instead, Peregrine informed him that he had just come from speaking with Finley. "Nobody wants you to leave, El," he said, and the words rang loudly in Elwood's mind. He felt somewhat reassured, but even if he wasn't being exiled, that probably didn't change the fact that Finley wanted nothing to do with him. Just because she didn't have the power to kick him out didn't mean that she could refuse to see or speak to him.

Taking a slow, steadying breath, Elwood rocked back onto his haunches. Peregrine wanted to hear his side of the story, and he would oblige. "I...it's a mess. I guess she saw me being intimate with Grimm," he said, wincing as the words passed his lips. He still didn't know if that was how Finley had found out -- they had both been too heated to talk details -- but it made the most sense. "It didn't mean anything, really -- it was totally stupid and I realize it was a mistake. Grimm and I don't have feelings for each other," he explained, briefly feeling sorry for Grimm for having gotten mixed up in this in the first place. Then, with a bit more force, he added, "But Finley and I aren't together. We're not an item; we never were." He wanted Peregrine to know that he hadn't cheated; "Finwood" only existed in the minds of the matchmaking Alphas. This was where both he and Finley had failed in the communication department, since each of them had neglected to inform the other of their feelings.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered what he should make of his pack members boning each other. As long as they don't make babies... he thought, then shoved the thought aside. He could address that kind of thing some other time. Right now, he needed to focus on cleaning up the mess his Betas (well, more one than the other) had made.

"Then you did nothing wrong," Peregrine affirmed his own opinion on that matter. "Even Fin realizes this," he said, hinting at the tone of their discussion. "Hopefully she'll apologize to you herself; she owes that to you. But for what it's worth, I already know she's sorry, for all of it," the Alpha male said.

Before Elwood could form a reply proper to this, Peregrine asked, "Do you know what else I know, El?"

Elwood wasn't sure what sort of reaction he expected from Peregrine, especially knowing that he had already talked with Finley. The Alpha was an expert at keeping his countenance level and almost unreadable; he was pleasant, but it could have been masking whatever horrible things Finley had whispered in his ear. So he was surprised when Peregrine flat out agreed with him, stating that he hadn't done anything wrong. Furthermore, he reported that even Finley recognized this now and was sorry.

He very nearly reeled back as he received the news. How could she already be apologizing, when she had been spitting mad only twenty-four hours before? She had all but written him out of her life -- scratch that, she had written him out of her life. And now she was sorry? Elwood was usually a forgiving wolf -- probably to a fault -- but he found this information hard to swallow. He still needed time to process the argument itself, not to mention the apparent apology.

But Peregrine didn't give him an opportunity to reply, instead posing a question that caused one ear to perk with curiosity. "Do you know what else I know, El?" He regarded Perry warily for a long moment, then carefully took the bait. "No...what?"

Elwood gave him a wary look and Peregrine almost smiled. He maintained his stoic expression, however, and replied, "Before I tell you what I know, I want you to know I don't usually meddle in others' affairs of the heart. This is the first and last time I'm going to do this and then you two are on your own."

A long pause followed this statement as he let the Beta absorb that message. Peregrine then laid it right out on the table: "Finley is in love with you. She's obviously scared of relationships and commitment, hence why she's being a dumb asshole about things. I don't know how you feel about her—and there's certainly no obligation one way or the other—but I thought you should know and I'm not sure Fin's capable of saying the words herself.

Anyway, that's why she reacted the way she did to seeing you with Grimm: it hurt her. She had no right to treat you like she did, of course, and that's why she still owes you that apology. But maybe that sheds some light on things," the Alpha male finished, blinking and then falling silent, eyes fastened on Elwood's face as he gauged his reaction to this information.

The Alpha issued something of a warning before getting to the point, which only served to increase Elwood's anxiety. But when Peregrine spoke again after a drawn-out pause, his words could not have been more shocking.

Finley was in love with him? On some level, he had to have known this, but to hear it said so plainly just didn't seem to make sense. Not after what she had said to him the other day; she had acted with a level of anger that Elwood had never seen before. But as Peregrine elaborated, the pieces slowly slid into place. She had been upset -- extremely so -- after seeing him with Grimm. That didn't validate her actions, but Elwood could understand the reason behind her fury.

A series of emotions slid across Elwood's face -- relief, frustration, confusion. Things were so much clearer, and yet inexplicably murkier at the same time. This was something that he would have been elated to hear days ago -- but now...now, he took it with a grain of salt. He loved her too -- a weight lifted as he finally admitted to himself -- but how would they overcome the obstacles that they had both stubbornly placed on this shared road? It would take time and patience and conviction for them to mend their friendship -- and that had to be done first before they considered any kind of relationship beyond that.

He sighed, realizing that he had left Peregrine waiting for a response for much too long. Looking his friend in the face, he flashed him a sad smile. "I love her, too," he said softly, for the first time uttering the words out loud. "What do you think I should do? Should I find her and talk to her, or let her come to me? Does she need more time...?" He didn't want to rush anything, even the apologies that needed to be said by both sides; the thought of seeing her so soon made him feel uneasy.

Elwood chewed on that for quite a while, though Peregrine hardly blamed him. He made himself comfortable and began chewing on something himself (a slight hangnail, in his case) while he gave the Beta ample time to process everything. As soon as Elwood spoke, though, he quickly dropped his paw and gave him his full attention.

"I know," Peregrine said simply. "I don't know why everybody else but the two of you could see that you love each other," he added in a lightly teasing voice. He then lapsed into silence, considering Elwood's questions a moment before saying, "I feel like Fin should come to you, since she's the one that owes an apology. But if you want to let her know right up front that she's forgiven... El, she thinks you'll never forgive her right now. Why wait? Why not clear the air?

But I will say that she seems sort of, uh, emotionally volatile now. I don't mean she's angry or anything, I mean she's really down in the dumps and hard on herself. She really feels bad about what she said to you," Peregrine elaborated. "I honestly don't know what would be best: go immediately and save her the misery or... let her have her necessary down time while she sorts through her own feelings? Sorry, this goes beyond my level of expertise," the Alpha said.

"But I told her this and I'll tell you too: if you two decide to give a relationship a whirl, know that communication is key. You can't hide your feelings from yourselves or each other if you want it to work. And it takes that too: work. But it's totally worth it. Despite what Finley thinks right now, she's worth it. She's a little touched in the head and she's emotionally retarded but... still definitely worthy of love."

Peregrine's first comment caused the corners of Elwood's mouth to twitch into a more genuine smile. Maybe Fox's insistence that he and Finley "hook up" had been based on more than just teasing -- the Alpha female and her mate had obviously seen something that Elwood and Finley had been either too blind or too stubborn to acknowledge.

He valued his leader's opinion, and although Peregrine admitted that he wasn't quite sure what Elwood's course of action should be, it was refreshing to hear an outsider's perspective. Elwood was a wolf that could easily become caught up in his own thoughts and feelings, and neglect to see the big picture. In the end, Peregrine summarized that, no matter what his Betas decided to do, they needed to communicate. Elwood gave a firm nod; he agreed fully with this sentiment, and was a strong believer that none of this would have transpired had either one of them been upfront about their emotions. That didn't make it any easier to do, but he would keep this situation close to his heart from there on out; his knowledge would hopefully keep history from repeating itself.

"Thanks, Peregrine," he said; he still felt troubled, but the problem didn't seem quite so monumental after talking it out. "I really appreciate everything you said -- I know you didn't have to do it, but it means a lot. I think...I think I'll take a little more time to myself, and then I'll try and find Finley," he continued thoughtfully. He didn't want to leave her hanging if she was as emotionally vulnerable as Peregrine said, but he needed to continue to bandage his own figurative wounds first.

Peregrine was about to start shaking his head and tell Elwood it was no problem, he was happy to help... but he paused for a split second and said, "Ya, ya, that'll be $100." He gave the pewter male a shrewd, serious look, though he couldn't hold back the grin that cracked through his façade. "Nah, man, you're welcome. I really hope the two of you are able to work things out."

And with that, the Alpha male felt his job here was done. "Think I'm gonna go lick my wife's nipples now," he said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Good luck with everything, El. See you," Peregrine gave Elwood a bump to the shoulder, then turn and began the slightly arduous climb up to the Alpha pair's den. Fox would want to hear all about this.

"Put it on my tab," Elwood quipped in return, though his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. He appreciated Peregrine's humor, but wasn't ready to fully enjoy it just yet. He, too, hoped that things would work out; already, his life had taken two very drastic turns in just a few days. It seemed that he was on the right track now, but only time would tell.

He offered nothing more than a bemused blink as Peregrine announced that he was going to go tend to Fox's nipples, then watched as the swarthy male made his exit. Elwood remained rooted to the spot for some time, turning over everything in his mind and deliberating on his next move.

A few hours slipped by before he finally got to his feet and turned southward once more. He didn't feel the need to avoid the rest of the pack anymore, but still wanted to be alone with his thoughts. So he retreated to a corner of the territory that he thought was usually unpopulated...