Redhawk Caldera In screaming color

OOC: @Finley if you want, but also all welcome!

IC: Though he hadn't intended to begin working on his warden trade just yet, Fox's warning to the pack had spurred Elwood into action. The Alpha female was concerned about wolves lingering and hunting too close to their borders, a worry that the Delta found that he, too, shared. It had only been three weeks that he had called Redhawk Caldera home, but already he felt a fierce loyalty to his pack and his leaders. He wanted to ensure that his packmates were safe this winter.

It was late morning as he zig-zagged his way down the slope, making his way to the outskirts of the territory. In the back of his mind, he considered that wolves may not be the only danger they could face in the cold season -- though there had been no trace of the cougar since its initial attack on Fox, there was still the slim possibility that the big cat (or one of its relatives) could return. As his paws hit flat ground, he began to move around the perimeter of the caldera, keeping its peak to his right shoulder as he swept around the borders.

pft like i wouldn't want <3

Fin was severely fed up with the whole useless invalid thing. The news of Fox's recent run-ins with trespassers only served to fuel her need to get out before she completely forfeited her sanity. Her wounds had sewn themselves together well enough that she felt confident that she could begin to venture away from home for longer periods of time. As long as she didn't over-exert herself, she knew she'd be perfectly fine.

And what better way to not exert one's self than by a leisurely jaunt around the pack boundaries? It wasn't as though she were actually looking for trespassers to tangle with... She just wanted to mark the boundaries and keep an eye on things. No ulterior motives whatsoever.

As it so happened, it looked as though she was meant to run into a dangerous predator. At least, someone who liked to pretend to be one. "'Sup, Twig," Fin called out as she sidled up alongside of Elwood, her tail wagging amiably. In the next second as she remembered Fox's determination at setting the two of them up together and suddenly began to regret saying hello at all. But, it was far too late for that.. Besides, just because Fox had thoughts about the two of them didn't mean she had to.

The first hour of Elwood's patrol was, frankly, quite boring. Except for the occasional squirrel skittering drunkenly across his path, he found himself completely alone. This was, of course, a good thing -- he didn't exactly want to run into a rogue wolf or a cougar. So he changed his mindset and decided that he was doing such a good job of scent-marking and glaring into the distance that any creatures who had even thought of trespassing had turned tail and run for their lives.

He paused at the base of a tall tree, lifting his leg to claim it for the caldera. Once it was rightfully theirs, he scratched the ground with his claws, then meandered on his way. Only when he heard a familiar voice call out did he pause, his ears swiveling as he turned his head to look back up the slope.

His new friend Finley was making her way towards him, and he greeted her with a smile and a wave of his tail as she approached. She positioned herself directly next to him, and he bumped her shoulder amiably and gently with his. He chuckled as she greeted him with his new nickname, and he returned the favor. "Hey, Bear. Just thought I would do a quick patrol, since Fox said she's had some trouble with outsiders lately," he said, resuming his slow, swinging stride.

She fell into conversation easily with him, as was expected. He was an easy fellow to get on with--friendly, smart and funny. Charming too, in his own goofy sort of way. Fin wagged her tail at the sound of him calling her "Bear", fondly remembering their little ursine showdown, or "Bear-Off" as I've just now decided to call it.

"Good thinking, but you've made one foolish mistake already," Fin quipped, "You're taking on a patrol without a cripple! What are you going to do if you get attacked and you don't have a gimp to throw at them while you run for it?" Fin shook her head, tutting at him. How dumb could you get?

Elwood cast a sidelong glance at Finley as she fell into step with him, first praising him for patrolling, then chastising him for forgetting something. He raised his head sharply, wondering what mistake he had made, but as she continued he quickly realized that she was teasing him. With a laugh, he shrugged and bumped into her again, a little more forcefully this time but not hard enough to unsteady her.

"Well, I don't know what I was thinking, but I'm glad you showed up!" he said playfully. There was more truth to his words than he implied -- he did enjoy her company, and he wouldn't mind getting more acquainted with her while taking a spin around the outskirts of the territory. "I feel much better now that I'm properly equipped," he continued, drawing himself up and puffing his chest out.

Elwood went right along with the game, so Finley followed suit with a disappointed frown. "Honestly, I don't know how you drones managed to survive without me while I was away," she quipped, turning her gaze ahead with a haughty sneer that just felt weird upon her face. She was used to feeling superior to others (mainly other women... but come on, she was pretty awesome), but not outwardly shoving it in other peoples' faces. That was just mean.

Her gaze flickered back to him as he too began to walk with an air of superiority that quickly deflated hers with its puncture of hilarity. Fin laughed at the sight of him, marvelling briefly over how closely he managed to resemble a turkey before deciding he needed deflating of his own. "You look like you're going to break your neck," she said with a laugh. A playful giddiness suddenly overtook her and before she could think better of it, she bounced upwards to nip at his ear in an attempt at breaking his stride.

OOC: I'm trying to get to 100 posts by Saturday! That'll be a month since I joined. :D Almost there...!

IC: Had Elwood been able to hear Finley's inward monologue, he would have agreed that she was awesome. He had already formulated this opinion on his own, however, and each comment she made or action she took only continued to strengthen this idea. She teased that she had no idea how the pack had managed to survive during her brief absence, and the Epsilon shrugged his shoulders (while still maintaining his ridiculous posture). "Truthfully, the place was in ruins without you," he admitted, as though the caldera had been reduced to a smoldering pile of debris without Finley around.

When she pointed out that he looked as though his neck was going to snap, he only thrust his chin up higher into the air. He looked down at her through half-lidded eyes and drew his paws up to his chest as he marched, only adding to the absurdity of his pose. It didn't last for long, however, as Finley suddenly leaped up toward him. There was a soft click and he felt her teeth close gently around his ear.

She certainly succeeded in breaking his stride, as he paused and gave her a playful glare. "Hey," he said indignantly, "that hurt." He reached out to deliver a well-aimed cuff to her head with his paw. It seemed like the only troublemaker he would intercept on the borders today was the Beta.

Allow me to assist! *shoves work out the window*

Fin released her hold upon his ear once she'd given it a tug sufficient enough to pull his head back down to where it ought to have been, knocking against his shoulder in the process but still catching her balance as she landed. She hopped backwards in an attempt to miss his retaliation, but failed ultimately as she felt his paw bop her head harmlessly. She shook her head and gave him a menacing smirk, bowing slightly as far as her aching shoulder would allow while her tail wagged frantically above her haunches.

"You should definitely cry about it," she quipped with a playful growl, "I do so love to point and laugh at people."

OOC: Who needs to do work, anyway?!

IC: "Well, that's not very nice!" Elwood exclaimed, glad to know that Finley was joking. He wouldn't have liked her nearly as much if she was truly a mean-spirited wolf, but all of their interactions so far had been in jest. In fact, even as she spoke and Elwood replied, the bear-hunter had lowered her forehand to the ground, assuming the ultimate play position.

He copied her, bowing and giving his tail a threatening swish. Even in this stance, his head and shoulders were higher than hers, a testament to his height. Other than the size difference, however, and a few subtle variations in their coloring, they were very nearly mirror images of each other.

"Bring it on, Bear," he challenged, golden eyes locking on hers of copper.

Certainly not this girl who was out sick for the last 3 days and had 200+ e-mails to sort through this morning!

Fin rolled her eyes mockingly as Elwood spouted his accusation at her. How dare he say she wasn't nice? She was a freaking peach! She just had an excellent sense of humor, even when it was at the expense of others. Of course, her defenses to his statement were all spoken inwardly for she was distracted too quickly by his shift of posturing and the imminent rough-housing it suggested.

The beta didn't shift her gaze when Elwood locked eyes with her. She responded only with a narrow of her own and a playful little snarl and snap of her teeth. "I'ma snap you like the twig you are," Fin snorted boldly. She was well aware that she was tiny as far as wolves went. She was most definitely outweighed here, but such hadn't stopped from her taking on full grown bull moose and bears alike; this puny wolf was nothing to the puny wolf.

Then again, she did still have some sizeable scabs on her back.

Fin's mind spun quickly upon realization of her weakness. She shot forward only a few inches to snap her teeth and reach out with an alabaster paw to bat at his muzzle, shifting swiftly after her attack to try and escape whatever retaliation would be forthcoming from him. She attempted to aim for some way to escape her impending defeat on her own terms and (more importantly) without doing something heinously stupid that would result in her hurting herself. Since she couldn't full on tackle the boy, she maybe could at least land a few punches before she fully turned tail and ran for it.

OOC: OMG, I want to join the other thread you posted tonight because my fiance's name is Blake. :P

IC: The thought of Finley snapping Elwood "like a twig" was hilarious, but he was quickly learning not to underestimate her. For a small wolf, she certainly was a firecracker -- and he couldn't forget that she was the one that had brazenly challenged a bear only a few weeks ago. She may not have won the fight with the ursine, but she had escaped with her life, which was an accomplishment in itself.

So he prepared himself for whatever her attack would be; though he had a size advantage, her petite frame could prove to be beneficial. She was likely light and quick on her feet, and she could definitely run circles around him if she tried. However, she was still recovering from her injuries -- a point for Elwood, had this been a real fight.

Suddenly, she lunged, striking out with a forepaw. Her teeth simultaneously snapped just inches from his nose and he recoiled, though he wasn't able to dodge the punch that she delivered to his snout. He yelped, then began to formulate his retaliation. Finley was in more of a standing position now, so he aimed to headbutt her (gently!) in the chest, choosing to use his noggin rather than his teeth and claws.

Lol I love that name! And I completely would not be upset if you joined.

Fin attempted to dodge his attack by anticipating it, but apparently she needed her powers of foresight checked as Elwood quickly took advantage of her exposed chest (*girly giggles*). She fell backwards as his cranium collided with her breast (*girly giggles*), immediately attempting to counter by bouncing backwards and latching her jaws onto his shoulder while her arms wrapped around his neck. Maybe he was willing to be the gentleman and not get too rough, but that didn't mean she needed to play the part of the weak little damsel... Even if she totally was one.

OOC: *hoards Stevie threads* Also, I guess I powerplayed a little so let me know if you want me to change it!

IC: Elwood had expected Finley to topple backwards with the impact of his maneuver, but on second thought, he realized that he should have anticipated the exact opposite. She was not a predictable wolf, and she obviously wasn't one to go down without a fight; so what had he been thinking? Of course she would wrap her arms around his neck, simultaneously sinking her teeth into the thick charcoal fur on his shoulder. She didn't bite him hard enough to break the skin, but he felt the pressure of her jaws and instinctively moved away from it. (Actually, Kim learned in crisis prevention training that you're supposed to "feed the bite" and move towards it; Elwood must not have paid attention in class.)

He only succeeded in dragging Finley back with him, for she was a stubborn and determined little bugger. "Um," he said, craning his neck to look down at her, "I think I need to see Ashton. I appear to have developed a growth."

Fin's attack landed, much to her pleasure. She sank her teeth into Elwood's shoulder, but not nearly enough to cause him any pain, even as he dragged her a little in his brief attempt of escape. She felt her back legs stretch out as her front half moved forward a few inches, but the beta stubbornly held tight to her victim with both her arms and her jaws. The display likely would be very comical to an outside observer, particularly when Fin peeked up to meet Elwood's gaze as he spoke and her lips turned up in an amused smile, her tail beginning to wag happily.

"Do you giff uff?" Fin asked through his fur, making a delightful slurping sound at the end as she sucked the drool that was trying to escape her mouth back in before it got all over her friend.

"Augh," Elwood grunted with a grimace; he could feel his fur dampening by the second where Finley's mouth was. He felt mildly like a chew toy, although he wasn't going to complain. Again, Finley's actions had outweighed his expectations. Instead of letting him go, she held on tight, tapping him in a slobbery prison of sorts.

"How do I taste?" he asked, before giving his shoulder a shake and relenting. "Okay, okay, you win." He was starting to notice a pattern in his play fights: the girls always won.

Fin heard his moan of disgust at the slobbery mess she was making of his fur and reacted with a happy little giggle, no remorse or evil, just innocent elation as though someone had just randomly given her a cupcake. And still she held tight even as he attempted weakly to shake her off. Even when he admitted defeat, she rewarded him only with a devious narrow of her eyes and a brief moment of added pressure.

"Tell me I'm a p'intheth," Fin said with a playful growl, assuming he knew that p'intheth = princess in mouth-full-of-Elwood language, "An' that you worshiff me and think I'm the prettieth p'intheth of all."

OOC: Want to finish this up soon, since I selfishly nabbed that other thread with you? :)

IC: Elwood's ears twitched as Finley spoke around a mouthful of his fur; it took him just a second to interpret what she had said. "Tell me I'm a princess. And that you worship me and think I'm the prettiest princess of all," she demanded in true Finley fashion, and the grey male grinned.

"You're the prettiest princess in all the land," he proclaimed with a swish of his tail. "Prettier than anyone I've ever seen," he added without really thinking about it, but as soon as the words were out of his mouth, he paused. She was cute, despite the bear-inflicted wounds, and her personality was endlessly appealing to him. This was the first time such thoughts had crossed his mind, and he gave his head a little shake as he tried to process them. What in the world? "Now get off, Princess Bear Butt," he laughed in the next second, thrusting his shoulder toward her in an attempt to remove the parasitic princess.

Sure thing! Wanna fade this for us?

Fin gave him a grin through her mouthful of his fur as he gave into his demands. She gave him a little growl at his last comment, but a deal was a deal. She opened her jaws and let him free, licking her lips and making sure to free her teeth of any lingering Elwood fur in the process. She danced backwards away from him and gave him a playful grimace.

"Dude, chill out, we like.. just met," Fin quipped, mischief glimmering in her warm eyes, "Isn't it a little soon for worship, Twiggy...? I mean, it's a little creepy, don't you think?" Her eyes flashed deviously. Before he could point out the obvious flaws in her judgement of him, she gave him a grin, whirled around, and darted off through the snow.

OOC: <333

IC: Finally, she let him go, leaving his shoulder wet and slobbery in the process. The patch of damp fur was cold in the frigid air, but before he could scold her, she was teasing him again, this time calling him creepy. He rolled his eyes; there was no pleasing her, was there?

"Whatever you say, princess," he drawled, but as soon as the words were out of his mouth, she had taken off running. Surprisingly, she moved a lot faster than he would have expected, what with those bear injuries on her back. But he wasted no time in chasing her, and the two grey wolves soon disappeared up the snowy mountainside.