Heron Lake Plateau i know less now than i did before i asked.

takes place just after this thread @Tegan <3

Poe ran. She didn't know what exactly her plan was after escaping the borders of the Plateau, but she knew she had to go. Staying here in the pack was too dangerous. There were too many men, and with Towhee in heat as well as her, it was just too... It was just too freaking much. She wasn't sure if she was leaving for a few days or the rest of her life, but she knew she was leaving. She'd figure out the rest once her vagina was safely away from them dicks.

At least, that was the plan. Once she dropped down the path that took her down the Plateau's ledge, she slowed to a stop and looked back over her shoulder. Her heart ached as realization hit her. What if she was leaving for good? Without saying good bye to anyone? She had promised to tell them when it was time for her to go. What if she decided to come back? They'd never let her return if she abandoned them now without a word.

Poe breathed through the tight pain in her chest. It was as though there was a knot there that kept her tied to the ground beneath her paws. She couldn't go without unraveling it, but she couldn't stay either. She could do nothing. What was she going to do? What a mess...

tegan was back in the redhawks. the exact opposite of what he wanted to do, but... whatever. he was such a fucking pussy he probably wouldn't have lasted  too far away from his mommy anyway -- at least, that's how he was settling this in his head. he did miss finley. he meant to go visit but... he didn't. and he'd avoided bat best he could, though not very well. he was mostly just back at square one, but now just feeling even more miserable than before. 

he'd actually missed towhee's scent by a mile (thank god, i didn't wanna deal with that thread), but there was a scent that was god damn too sweet to ignore. he was already along the borders, so when he caught wind he just started beelining it towards the culprit. though, to be completely honest, tegan had no idea what he was smelling... just that it was... good. and he needed to go check it out. when it belonged to poe, who was crouched at the borders looking all sorts of flustered, tegan was rather surprised. sure, she was hot, but had she been this hot last time he'd seen her? he blinked a few times. 

"yo," he called out cooly as he approached, feeling an itch that was too inappropriate to scratch right now, "what's up, you good?"

In the midst of her inner turmoil, there appeared a Tegan.

Poe heard his voice first. She was usually good at keeping her senses tuned into the world around her, but apparently being in heat made her stupid. Or being emotionally stricken did. Whatever the case, she jumped a bit at the sound of his voice before turning to look at him with large, round, anxious eyes.

Her mind did a few things then. Most of those things involved panic, but they did have different themes. The first was over the fact that Tegan was one of those males who would probably impregnate her if given the chance, which made him one of those she needed to run the crap away from until this had all blown over. The second was over the fact that this was Tegan. The hero. The one who had pulled her from the snow when she'd so stupidly gotten herself buried in it. She was safe with him. Wasn't she?

No. But. Hormones.

"I'm..." Poe started, then faltered. How the hell did she answer that? "I'm.. I don't know. I think... I think I need to go." Except she wasn't going. Was she? God damnit, why hadn't she found Raven.

"go?" pressed tegan, now a little worried. i mean, before, his questions were mostly casual. because she had something he wanted -- and, actually -- he didn't know what she had but it was absolutely something and he absolutely wanted it. instinct told him to. but now, something was actually maybe wrong? as if her body language before didn't express something was wrong prior.

moron. 

he shook his head. "i'm confused -- are... you okay? like, do you need help?" he could at least try. tegan wasn't sure what compelled him to be so helpful but damn it might've have something to do with the way she looked. tentatively, he took a step closer.

Poe knew why he was concerned for her. She knew that on any other day, Tegan would've probably responded the way she expected Quixote to respond to the announcement that it was time for her to move on. He was only giving her that caring, curious look because of what her scent was doing to him. Problem was, her scent was doing things to her too. And it suddenly felt very much like she was head over heels in love with the handsome Blackthorn.

Fortunately, she knew better. Unfortunately, it didn't entirely help.

"I'm just... it's... my time..." Poe explained coyly, watching his face for recognition. Surely his mother had explained this to him before? (She hasn't met Fin) "And I'm just worried about... men," she didn't move as he stepped closer, just swallowed anxiously and added, "...being near me."

if she thought that, then yeah, clearly she hadn't met fin. speaking of, why hadn't tegan -- of all wolves -- been given the talk? if anyone in the world were to have ever received that, it should've been him... what, the way he walked around and talked all that talk? even if it was all bullshit, someone should've wondered if it had maybe a shred of truth to it, and probably should've made sure he knew the consequences for his actions. but nope. no one did. 

"your time to... go?" asked tegan as his nose twitched a few times. to her second comment, tegan half-retracted his step, but not all the way, cause he didn't really want to get any further from her... he wanted to be closer. he asked, a little naively, "did someone hurt you?" he'd beat em up.

...

no he wouldn't, but he'd say he would.

Okay, so apparently not. That or he just wasn't very quick on the uptake. In any event, his lack of recognition drove her instantly mad and she blurted out her clarification rather abruptly (Abruptly for Poe anyway. I mean, she did still politely wait until he was finished speaking).

"I'm in heat, Tegan!" she cried, then immediately felt awkward and attempted to speak like a normal wolf again, "My body is telling me it's time to get pregnant and it's telling the same thing to every man within five miles of me and I don't want to get pregnant and I don't know what to do. I need to get out of here so I don't drive you all crazy, but if I go, I don't know if I can protect myself and I just don't know what I'm going to do--"

She broke off, presumably because Tegan stopped her. Or because she just ran out of brain power. Or because she was busy scootching nearer to him again. For his protection, of course. Not because. Yeah.

oh. well actually tegan knew what that was. he'd just never... experienced it... before... yeah. ahem. nice. sweet, bro. high five. he wished he had a guy friend to high five. damn it. would bat high five him? wait -- was he still mad at her? definitely. fuck. have this inner argument later, fucker.

he cleared his throat a little at her original exclamation, and as she kept talking and scooting closer to him tegan was becoming more and more aware of why she looked so damn good. cause hormones, duh, lol. he shoulda figured. she was hot to begin with but totally not this hot -- or... was she? he couldn't even remember. damn she was really close. she musta realized it, too, cause she shut up pretty abruptly and stared at him with those doe eyes (from his POV, anyway) and he kinda realized she might've been... referencing him. or? something? fuck, what was even happening right now. 

"i can keep you safe, poe, you're not... driving me crazy," he offered, but it was a total lie. she was fuckin driving him up the wall. he cleared his throat again, taking another step towards her, managing to close that distance entirely, and then reached forward carefully to give her shoulder (??? seems safe) a gentle nudge. "are you... sure ... that you'd get pregnant?" he asked her, a little boldly, but as casually as he could manage.. "i mean, like, is it totally a for sure thing or just a possibility?"

Pretty much everything was confusing. Like, literally everything. Poe's biggest fear driving her at that moment was that she'd wind up mating with someone and end up pregnant with their babies. And yet, when Tegan informed her he would protect her, she swooned right off of this planet. But then he informed her that she wasn't driving him crazy, she was utterly devastated.

She did manage to hold it together okay, though. She just stared at him, her eyes somehow growing even larger and more doe-y (lol) than had ever been physically possible previous to this moment. She struggled to retain the logical part of her mind that was screaming at her to run for it, but he touched her, and like. He had a point.

"I don't know.." she admitted for some stupid reason, "I mean, I've never been through this before. Heat, I mean. I've had... But yeah, from what I've been told, this is pretty much.. the opportune time. For that, I mean." Poe blinked stupidly as she leaned towards him, sniffing gingerly at the side of his neck. Just for scientific reasons. Or something.

"I mean... maybe it's not totally for sure," she whispered beneath the shrieking in her brain that was informing her quite succinctly that she was being a moron and her mother was going to be very disappointed in her.

never mind whatever else poe was talking about, the only thing that tegan heard, was that someone had crushed that puh before. he almost fuckin choked up his stomach. or spleen. or something. maybe either way, only thing tegan knew was that this chick had been around the block before and he hadn't even left the front porch. fuuuuuck. 

she sniffed gingerly at his neck, sending some weird ass tingles all over him. ew, all she did was sniff him, what the fuck was that. must've been the heat, thing. making him hot for her. or something. shit. "i mean if it's like, not for sure... and you like.. want it..." okay, okay, hook... line.. "i could take you somewhere... safe..." and SINKER, bitch, as tegan leaned in to run his nose from the base of her ear down to her throat, which seemed super vulnerable and totally hot. and right, in this moment. maybe. or maybe he was about to get his dick bit. TBD.

The druid pack that had raised Poe had very loose restrictions when it came to things like love and sex. They encouraged freedom and exploration, considering love to be one of the greatest gifts one could experience and thus was without fault. Poe's mother had been far more free-spirited than her daughter when it came to those things, though she at least had restricted herself to being with only one man in her lifetime - the one who had gifted her with their family and his companionship for the rest of their days. Harlyn had turned to women in the meantime to satisfy her needs, while Poe had only ever turned to one other, a single time, many months ago.

And it had been great. And that was pretty much the driving reason she didn't move as Tegan touched her again, whispered suggestively to her, and completely convinced her to cross her fingers and give this a shot. 

"Okay."

oh my god wait. 

did she say ... okay. 

like. 

with a period and not a question mark. 

holy fuck. 

i hope everyone is documenting this monumental moment for my son. 

"okay," said tegan, who was practically swallowing his own tongue in pure fuckin adrenaline. actually! he'd bang her out right here if it wasn't totally fuckin crude. but he promised safety and out in the open wasn't really... safe. shiiiiiit okay he could stand to wait a minute or two. but, barely that long if we're being honest. "c'mere," he muttered, and then nudged gently at her to usher her along with him, practically gluing himself to her side. "there's some old abandoned fox den or somethin' on this side of the border, no one else'll find you there," he explained, and then, corrected with a quick, playful nip to her shoulder, "no one will find us there." hehe, sneaky!

She planned on hitting the road soon, so Bat wanted to see as much of Tegan as possible before she left again. His scent led her toward the pack's borders. Assuming he was out for a patrol, Bat leisurely strode along the plateau's base. She was debating the merits of tracking him down or simply sitting and waiting for him as she walked.

A strange smell hit her nose even as Bat spotted Tegan. He wasn't patrolling, nor was he alone. Bat slowed and peered at Poe as it slowly dawned on her that the odd (but not unpleasant!) smell was coming from her direction.

"Hey," Bat greeted, unaware that she was interrupting anything and forgetting that the last time she'd seen Poe, she'd been a mute.

Did she really just? Oh crap, she did.

Poe nodded like a zombie as he spoke and ushered her along. She trusted him completely, even though she knew she shouldn't trust this at all. But it was Tegan. He had saved her from the snow, and he wanted to protect her now. She needed to be protected. And I mean, if his dick was in her, then no other dicks could be. So... that was protection, right? In a way? Eh? Ehhh?

She was so screwed.

HA!

"Okay," she murmured as she began to move along in the direction he was herding her. Her stomach was a bundle of nerves, but it loosened a bit when he attempted to lighten the mood a little. Poe blinked at him and took a deep breath. This was okay. She was safe with him. Maybe this was okay. She smiled, then faltered, "But you won't get me pregnant? Promise?" Because all it took to not get pregnant was just verbal reassurance from the walking sperm-gun. Good god, kids.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much time for him to answer that question, because suddenly there was a Bat. Poe froze in place and smashed herself against Tegan's side, though it was utterly pointless to do so because obviously Bat wasn't going to try to get her pregnant. She felt also an instant flare of incredulous anger that another female would show up at that very moment and try to steal the Blackthorn's attention from her. But that was also utterly ridiculous. So, Poe stood frozen, mute, and completely dumbfounded. Though not dumb enough to not look at Tegan for further reassurance and instruction. Which, to be fair, was a whole other level of dumb on her part.

"promise," muttered tegan, sneaking another gentle nudge to the bulb of his ear. it totally wasn't a probable thing. duh. but then, god fuckin damn it. 

his green gaze flashed down upon bat, who stared at him with a silver gaze so ignorant and naive it honestly was like looking in a mirror. poe pressed closer to him, making tegan feel all knotted in the nethers, and then he cleared his throat. "hey, i'll catch up with you later, 'kay, pup?" he said, giving her his best shot at a smile that he could manage, though he was mildly furious she was showing up here. what, was she still so in love with him that she sought out poe to make sure they couldn't fuck? cock block. god damn. after all she'd done to him, this was the icing on the cake.

She hadn't caught Poe's remark, though it was hard to miss the way she pressed up against Tegan. Bat blinked, then blinked again as Tegan brushed her (Bat) off in apparent favor of his current company. He wasn't particularly rude about it, though she was a little taken aback. Didn't he realize their time together was limited?

Bat wasn't even a year yet, though she wasn't entirely ignorant. Abruptly, the combination of the two's proximity, coupled with Tegan's dismissal, clicked in her head. Her face went curiously blank as she realized they were possibly together? Boy, she'd really missed a lot during her hiatus. She felt a prickle of jealousy, even a little hurt, and both of those things took her by surprise. She was over him, wasn't she?

"Uhhh, sorry," she said and swiftly fled the scene, giving them their privacy even as she sought her own to assess these unexpected emotions (and try her best not to picture what those two would be doing...).

If Poe hadn't been entirely convinced before that she was in this, she absolutely was when she saw the way Bat looked at Tegan when he dismissed her. It wasn't like her at all to be so territorial, but something about the way the other female seemed to covet the man Poe was about to be with gave her a fierce sense of pride and accomplishment. It was utterly bizarre, and intoxicating. And the moment Bat left them, she looked at Tegan with a new fire in her eyes.

"I MUST HAVE YOU" jk she didn't, but she was thinking it.

"Where's this den?" she asked, all worries about getting knocked up gone.

whoops tegan could totally hear her heart break out loud. well! that's what she fuckin gets for making him travel all the way to the hollow with her just to fuckin send him home alone. yeah, great fuckin friend you are, bat. have a taste of your own medicine, walk home alone. 

she took her leave, and poe demanded his attention again, which he swiftly gave to her in turn. "just a lil' bit further," he promised, nudging her forwards again, this time dropping back to nip at the arch between her stomach and backlegs. felt right! i dunno. 

sure enough, not too far away was ... well i'm not sure i'd bother calling it a den, tegan. :/ it was more like a giant ass crack in the side of the plateau (they were at the bottom, right?). but it was at least not out in the open, a little more secluded. and roomy. "safe enough?" tegan asked, though the way she'd been eyeballing him he was pretty sure she wouldn't protest. and he woulda fucked her in front of towhee if she'd asked so it didn't matter to him. not like towhee would protest.

You needed more cockblocks, right? Idk if this makes sense in my timeline BUT WHATEVER.

Phox had been taking a break from #DadLife by taking a stroll around the plateau. Between Towhee and Camilla, he was sure the two of them could watch after the kids while he stretched his legs. He was doing just that when he came upon a rather alluring scent belonging to none other than Poe. Huh. Weird. He didn't know her very well, so why was he... gravitating toward that smell.

It wasn't until he saw Tegan slipping into a crevice that he really got interested and... protective? No, that wasn't the right word. Interested was a better word for it. He was pretty sure he'd seen Poe slip in after him. Phox, ignoring any fatherly responsibilities he might have, wandered in as well. Tegan? he asked. And Remedy tried to remember if they'd ever actually met in a thread.

Yeah, Towhee would've been way too happy about that, though Poe did owe her one, BUT ANYWAY.

Poe stepped into the space and gave a slow look around. It was as though she was assessing the location, but really, she was just giving her brain one last chance to convince her of her own stupidity. It didn't take long for her brain to fail, and she turned quite suddenly to look at Tegan, then stepped forward to press herself into his chest.

Only. Seriously what the shit.

Poe blinked over at Phox as he arrived, her mind going blank with... Okay, I can't even explain this emotion. She didn't exactly have any romantic feelings for him - I mean, she'd just talked his mate through birthing his friggin' kids. But he was strong, and dominant, and handsome. But strong. And dominant. And fertile. And oh crap, she knew there was no way he was going to promise not to get her pregnant like Tegan had. Which MATTERS damnit.

She slid nervously behind Tegan, trying to put him between her and Phox. She stopped with her head pressed against his hip, her eyes peeking just over his back at the other male nervously.

Because obviously dick to mouth proximity was going to be helpful for Tegan here.

oh my god, towhee MIGHT AS WELL HAVE just showed up. her literal shadow and the other half of her brain did, so what the fuck. invite X, too, the damn bird could throw petals, or something. at least make this shit show romantic. 

a moment ago was a little more secure and much more intimate, what with the whole pressing into his chest. he felt super strong and like he totally was protecting her -- even though he was mostly just tryna get it in... now, though, yeah, good comment about the proximity, cause it was totally not helping. tegan could've maybe -- i won't go into detail. 

"hey, pHOx," said tegan with a really obnoxious voice crack that made him die a little inside, "what's up? you need something? i think towhee was lookin for you on the uh --" shit what end of the territory were they at? "-- western, border." shit what if this was west. tegan couldn't remember.

He knew that look. The one that Poe was giving him. It was the same look Camilla had given him. The same look she'd given him while Towhee watched. Phox licked his lips. Honestly, he barely noticed Tegan, even though the dude's name had just rolled out of his mouth. He was now hyper-focused on Poe. Her smell. It was... so... enticing. Inviting. Welcoming. He took another step closer, and his ears slicked back when Tegan spoke.

Tegan wasn't that much younger, and sure he was (had been?) the beta, but Phox didn't care. Instead, he found himself lifting his lip at the Blackthorn. He wanted Tegan gone, and he couldn't even explain why. Poe could (should!) stay, though. Phox would like that. Yes. He didn't even hear what Tegan had to say.

Poe's heart began to hammer as Tegan casually attempted to send Phox away - something the latter clearly did not appreciate. She sucked in a slow breath as Phox's eyes narrowed and he stepped closer, aggression growing apparent on his frame.

This. Was. Exactly what she had been afraid of. While another might've felt at least slightly vindicated by these events, Poe just felt terrible and nervous and frustrated. She didn't want Tegan to get hurt, but she also didn't want him to just move away and let Phox step in. Her whole reason for running from the pack had been to avoid this exact situation, but here she was. And while her instincts were telling her to step back and let the strongest male assert his place and take her, she didn't want to see this happen. Not unless the strongest proved to be Tegan.

Not that she did anything to prevent it.

wait.

whoawhoawhoawhoawhoawhoawhoa... hold the fuck up. 

was that... was that a god damn TOOTH? multiple TEETH?! was phox out here, for reals, tryna get some casual fuck in when he got plenty of that back home with his fuckin mate?? was he seriously about to fight tegan (of all fucking wolves??) ???? god damn. he just could not win. life was actually dick punching tegan every day of his life and it was getting pretty damn exhausting! sheesh. 

"whoa, whoa, dude, back off," tegan said, attempting reason first because he was not a fighter (please take that seriously) and could not possibly beat phox in any kind of fight. if i wrote in any previous posts that tegan would kick ass for this opportunity, it was a lie. a bluff. and that bluff was getting called really fuckin hard right now. shit. 

but, we'll continue to bluff because it's what tegan did best. bluff bluff bluff. his own lip curled back, and he moved defensively around poe. "towhee told me not to let any dudes near her," he tried, a low growl rumbling in his throat. did that mean anything to phox?? probably not. whatever.

It was as if Phox had noise-cancelling headphones on. Have y'all ever tried those? They are intense. In any case, he didn't hear a goddamn thing Tegan said. He only saw that Tegan was in his way. Aside from Camilla, Phox had never been around a lady who was so biologically receptive, so his inclination was to get to her and get Tegan out of the goddamn way. I apologize if this is not the way I normally write. I'm a little buzzed. BACK TO THE PROGRAM.

Phox stepped closer, the growl growing in his chest as he did so. He barely knew Tegan, he barely knew Poe, but he knew what he wanted. And that was whatever Poe was offering up. She was offering something up, right? With Camilla, Phox had shown restraint because he knew how delicate she was. Poe? Not so much. If he had to fight for it, he would. And judging by his fucked up face from good ol' Stormy Boy, he had lived through at least one fight for a girl. Why not a second?