Heron Lake Plateau Like a bad penny

Colt was back.

And he was highly conflicted on the subject.  He'd gotten accustomed to the idea of moving on; but Clover's reaction, the rest of the kids, and Quixote's impending possible pups had been enough.  Colt might not be particularly responsible, but he was loyal as hell to his friends, and he had a hard time imagining ditching Qui when so much had changed so quickly.

He thought about calling to @Finley, but decided against it, or even seeking her out.  He wasn't sure how she'd take him coming back after their conversation before, and he needed a bit to get used to being in the thick of it again.  Same went for @Towhee.... he could clear the air now, but maybe it was better to stir that pot a little later.

So instead he ranged along the edge of the territory, watchful for any sign of prey or intrusion.  Hmmm.... y'know, he could always do a little wandering anyway.  Wasn't like he was trapped here, and it might be good to see what the turf around them was like.  He'd seen only a portion of it while gone.

optional tags!! Also aw <3

Literally writing this on my phone whilst sitting on the toilet in the grocery store bathroom. XD

If there’d been any doubt about her being pregnant before, it had been quickly dispelled in the last few days as she awoke in the throes of nausea early each morning. She knew of a wide assortment of plants she could eat that would calm her stomach, but as it was still early in the season, much of the plant growth still had yet to mature. So for now she endured it, slinking off into privacy to empty her stomach — what a lovely way to start each day.

Would have been nice to have Finley’s support during this time. She was a midwife so it wasn’t like she was ignorant to the meandering courses pregnancy often took, but the thought of bonding with her aunt over their shared experiences had always been something she looked forward to. Bitterness filled her as she thought of how Aunt Flea had scorned her. No sense mooning after things that would never be.

She wandered now near the fringes of her territory, senses alert for disturbances as she crouched occasionally to refresh a faded marking. Bizarre as her sudden ascension to alphaship had been, she found it less and less fearsome as the days went by. After a while, soft footfalls caught her attention and she only had to wonder who it was for a moment before the breeze gave his scent away. ”Colt,” she said, gladness in her quiet tone as a smile lit her face at the sight of her old packmate. ”I didn’t think we’d be seeing you again.”

Colt tensed when he heard company approach; he wasn't sure if they would be one of those happy with his return or not.  It was an odd line he walked right now, not that he wasn't used to odd lines.  

He was somewhat gratified to see that Raven looked genuinely happy to have come upon him.  Being Towhee's sister, he didn't know what she woulda heard; she had to be pretty chill if Qui had gone for her, but he had never really directly interacted.  Colt was too offhand to do much initiating with the shy types.

"Hey, Raven," he responded easily, also smiling.  "I hear congrats might be in order.  If not just for getting Quixote all stoked; I'm glad."  He was, really, happy for his friend and for her.  He didn't know how serious they were, but Quixote didn't seem like him, more into one night stands and flings.  He hoped so at least; don't screw with packmates like that, just random strangers.

"Qui came and dragged me back, so no such luck."  He joked, not minding that it was at his own expense.  It would likely match the sentiments of some, but he could live with that.

She didn't know all the specific details of what had gone down between Towhee and Colt, but she'd known that he hadn't respected Towhee as alpha and that those sentiments had caused his expulsion from the pack. Where that was concerned, Raven's feelings were neutral. She loved her sister and had supported her as alpha, but she could understand why others had their doubts and questioned her fitness to lead. The moment she had taken the alpha title herself, however, Raven had resolved to leave Towhee's quarrels with various packmates squarely between them. She would judge them all with clean slates, so to speak, and each would have a fair chance to earn their place in the pack.

"Thank you," she said with a grin and a dip of her head as he offered his congrats to her. She wasn't sure how much he knew, but given his friendship with Quixote, she guessed that he knew enough. "Dragging you back was one of the first things Qui wanted to do as alpha," she continued after a moment, grinning at her co-alpha's prompt enactment of that goal. "I'm glad he succeeded. It's good to have you back." Whatever his shortcomings might be as a follower, he remembered how he had stood alongside them when push came to shove with Screech and his would-be pack. She remembered how he had jumped to back her up when she had placed herself between the Blackthorn girls and Screech. She had not forgotten his help and protection during their trip across the wilds from the caldera.

It was honestly good to hear that he'd been missed in some capacity; he'd wondered at the time of kicking out if maybe everything he'd been trying to do so far had flown completely under the radar.  Granted, he'd gone about it the wrong way, but getting shut down so quickly by Elwood had irritated him some.  He liked to think he'd been a pretty damn useful packmate in his time.

"Good to hear.  For what it's with, I told Qui if it causes any issues, I won't take it personally if you change your mind."  He shifted some, shrugging.  "Been a wanderer before and I didn't hate it."  He wasn't going to get too attached to the idea of remaining, not yet; no matter what Quixote said, he couldn't shake the idea that his place here was tenuous.

He almost made a comment on her rise, but didn't.  He didn't know her thoughts or what she knew about his conversation with Towhee, and if he was going to have a confrontation, he'd save it for the second herself.  "Did I miss much? Aside from the shakeup that is."

To his comment about her changing her mind, Raven only gave him a knowing glance and shook her head. She had no problems with the Blackthorn at all. If anything, she appreciated his candor and his tendency to not sugar-coat things. Frankness and honesty were qualities that she liked in a person — even if they were telling her something she didn’t want to hear — and these were traits she knew Colt possessed in abundance. The only potential issues she could foresee lay in his ability to get along with Towhee, but she knew Quixote had already mentioned that to him before now so she didn’t feel the need to bring it up again.

His question, however...now that she could answer. She sat down and blew out a sigh, uncertain of exactly how much he knew. ”Well, you’ve missed a lot. I’m sure Qui filled you in on the basics. I’m pregnant with his pups, for one.” She felt a giddy thrill go through her at the sound of those words. She’d waited a long time to say them. ”It’s weird being alpha now. I never aspired to lead, you know. Maybe we can slow down some of the drama and stress around here though. I’ll spike everyone’s food with poppyseeds so they’ll all be happy.” She giggled softly, a wry grin playing on her lips. She wouldn’t actually do that, of course, but the thought was amusing. ”How was your vacation from this shit-show?”

She reacted about like Quixote had at the offer, but hey, least he'd made it! Now nothing that occurred would be his fault, so long as he did his best to keep things smooth.

"He did," Colt answered with a congratulatory smile, then gave a quick laugh.  "Better you two than me, honestly.  Just glad your willing."  Colt woulda flat out refused the title - not that it would have ever been offered.  There were those meant for it and those not, and he lay firmly in the latter.  He appreciated her comment, and that was part of the laugh too.... that might be the only way to keep everyone around here happy.

"Me? Found a nice little lake a ways north of here, hung about a while.  Met a couple wolves but didn't get into anything too interesting.  Nothin like here."  He shook his head.  "Sorry about my sister."  Quixote had filled him in on her stepping down, and he imagined her lack of support woulda been unideal.

Raven would have refused the title as well. In fact, she had -- multiple times -- but Towhee wasn't exactly known for her listening skills (hurrhurr, see what I did thar). She'd allowed herself to be bullied into accepting it, but upon later reflection, she'd decided it was best that she did it because there legitimately weren't any better-qualified folks in the pack who were cut out for the job. At the time they broke the news to the then-betas, Raven had had every intention of asking her aunt and uncle to take back the helm until Finley had flipped metaphorical double birds at her and stormed off.

Speaking of Finley, Colt apologized for her and Raven just shrugged. "Not your fault," she said after a brief bit of thought. Her eyes wandered a bit as a somewhat sour expression darkened her face. "I don't know what I did to deserve her anger, but there doesn't seem to be much I can do about it. She clearly wasn't interested in anything I had to say at the time." She knew she'd goofed up bigtime by coupling with Quixote before obtaining their blessing, but in the grand scheme of things, was her one litter really a big deal compared to their...how many litters now? Forty? Aware that she was grumbling to Colt about his sister, she shook her head as if to rid herself of her negativity and grinned apologetically at him. Her feelings were still hurt, for sure, but she didn't want to be the one to sully the otherwise happy occasion of his homecoming.

Colt shook his head.  "Probably nothing, but if Fin gets it in her head to be angry, she'll be angry.  For a while.  And then she'll get over it." He smiled.  "You should hear some of the shit I did to her back in the day.  But she let that go.  I'm bettin she's mad at Towhee and you got caught in the crossfire."  Which was dumb too, but hey.  Sometimes his sister was dumb.

It didn't occur to him that she would feel bad complaining about Fin to him... it was like every time he spoke about the pair to Towhee.  Because of the way he worked, it never crossed his mind to be offended on the behalf of the other party.... unless it was a straight up insult from a stranger, he understood the need to vent.  Let packmates bottle things up and then it could really get outta hand.

She nodded in detached agreement with his comment. It sort of made sense, actually, that Finley's anger might be mostly directed at Towhee and Raven just happened to be caught in the middle of it. But that still didn't take the sting out of it for her. That her aunt could so callously blow her off like she had was just as insulting as if it had all been directly squarely at her. Maybe Fin would get over it, or maybe she wouldn't. Raven didn't care. (Actually she did -- a lot -- and that was why she was so angry...but right now, she wasn't willing to admit it.)

Quirking her lips in a half-smile, she commented, "Hey, while we're apologizing for sisters acting like dicks, I'm sorry about mine." Now that he was back and Towhee was no longer alpha around here, Raven wondered if the two would be able to work out their differences and make peace. Little did she know at that moment that his efforts would fail terribly in the days to come, but at least for now, she was hopeful.

He didn't press it, but he did hope Raven didn't take his sister's shitheadedness to heart.  He couldn't imagine why Finley would prefer Towhee to this woman as lead, but he also didn't realize how differently they saw the position.  Priorities.

"No worries.  I'm sure it will work out."  He said it offhand, though truly, he wondered at it.  He wanted them to, he really did, but so far events had proven otherwise.  If he did run into her, how would it go?  Only time would tell.  "But thanks."  He appreciated the comment all the same.  It meant that despite her status as sister, Raven wasn't one hundred percent blind to Colt's side in the matter. 

"So.. kids huh?  Your first?" he asked, by means of changing the subject.  He was excited at the prospect... he loved his sister, and her kids, but any kid of Qui's and Raven's was bound to be pretty rad too.

Colt changed the subject, and Raven gladly let it go. It was a complicated and really rather unpleasant topic, and she preferred to spend time talking about more enjoyable things -- like puppies! "Yeah...sort of," she responded to his question. "I've never had pups of my own before, but I've raised a litter from birth. My mom died having my youngest brothers and sisters -- Towhee's litter, in fact -- and Finley and I raised them together." Those had been some crazy days and while she had enjoyed them a great deal, she remembered how glad she'd been when the youngsters had finally gotten old enough to be less dependent on her. And here she was about to do it all over again!

"What about you?" she asked, glancing at Colt's face. He was rather roguishly handsome and she was surprised he didn't have a mate. She could see subtle hints of resemblance to Finley in the cut of his face and the lay of his markings. "Do you have any sons or daughters?"

"Ah, so you've had some practice at least."  He supposed she knew what she was getting into, then, which was more than most first time parents!  He'd be scared shitless in her and Qui's place, but it made sense she'd be nothing but excited if she'd done the dance before.  And if she'd practically raised Towhee, and Screech, her relationship with them made a lot more sense.... and her patience.

Her return question was the natural follow, and he probably should have been expecting it.  But still it took him by surprise.  "Not that I know of," he said, though he said this sheepishly enough.  His younger days he hadn't exactly been.. careful.  "Never much wanted them until, well..."  he paused.  "A while ago.  But it didn't work out."  He looked off, then regained his former grin.  "Figure it's alright, though, with Finley doin the work for the both of us in the family department."  His parents wouldn't have to worry about the family line dying now.

Racing my laptop battery, lol. 6%!!

She nodded at his comment that she'd had some practice. Thanks to a false pregnancy her body had decided to spring on her at the time (still one of the weirdest things she'd ever experienced in her life), she'd even been able to nurse them herself. She wasn't at all worried about what lay ahead of her. The only part she hadn't played in the whole circus of child-rearing was the birth part, but as a skilled midwife, she more or less knew the ropes there, too.

Though she was curious, she didn't ask after his comment on his failed chance at parenthood. Nobody liked reliving bad memories. To his comment about Finley being the kid factory of the family, though, she chuckled. He was right. "No kidding," she replied with an amused grin. "I'm starting to think I should consider changing the name of the pack from 'Redhawks' to 'Blackthorns', hah!" The former beta pair had had so many kids at this point that Raven lost count of them all. She loved it, though. Elwood and Finley, along with their various litters over the years, had brought a great deal of joy to the pack and several of their youngsters were now shaping up to be very promising young adults. If she were very lucky, she'd be half the amazing mom to her own kids as Finley was to hers.

He chuckled at the jest, nodding in agreement.  There were a hell of a lot of them after all.  He appreciated too that she didn't ask... he didn't mind talking about the past, but the memories were recent, and no sense bein a downer.  Raven kinda reminded him of her, honestly... the thought had crossed his mind in a vague way, but despite what some might think of him, he wasn't the sort to even consider a (good) friend's prospect.  He had some class, and she was definitely Quixote's.

"Guess it's on you to even the board then.  I'll let Qui know the challenge is on."  He winked, sure his pal would just loooove that prospect.

Want to wrap this one up? :)

She waved her tail and chuckled at his comment, appreciating his dry sense of humor. "I'm sure he won't mind," she replied, a wry grin on her face. If there was anything Quixote had seemed to particularly enjoy, it was...well. >_> Ahem. Now that her parents were gone, the yearly inflow of new Redhawks had definitely slowed down, and Raven was excited to continue the bloodline and the name.

They continued to walk for a while, enjoying the idle chit-chat and easy banter, and when Raven later departed to go find Quixote, she left feeling like she'd forged a new friendship of sorts with the crass Blackthorn. How different he was from Finley! And yet there were undeniably a lot of common threads between them as well. She was glad that Quixote had talked him into rejoining their pack.

They passed a while enjoying the company, and when they parted, he had a similarly high opinion of her.  Unlike her sister, she seemed understanding, and he appreciated that she seemed to genuinely like him.  Quixote had a good one here, and it suddenly made sense why he'd been so quick to shack up.  

Newly optimistic, Colt parted ways, excited to see how the pack grew and changed under the new leadership.