Redhawk Caldera love never wanted me.

Backdating this to a few days ago :D I'd prefer someone who knows her.. @Peregrine @Fox @Elwood winkies winkies

Well, that had gone marvelously.

Fin trudged slowly back towards the Caldera, dreading every step. In truth, she had no desire to be around anyone at that moment as they surely would ask her what was wrong and then she'd tell them and they'd let her know just how much of a fucking douchebag she was to have done to Finn what she had. Finley already knew; she didn't need anyone reiterating it for her. And she felt plenty terrible for it.

The silver mockingbird paused just a few yards within the invisible boundaries that closed off the Caldera from outsiders and stared out into the snow-covered landscape, suddenly so terrified of moving forward that she could scarcely breathe. It had been over a month since her foray with the bear and her wound had healed up nicely. It barely ached anymore except for when she pushed herself too far, and even then it was a twinge here and there, nothing too hindering... Her mind reeled, but only for a moment before her it was made up. She tossed her back head and called out to the pack, letting them know of her intentions to track game beyond the borders for a few days. Then, without awaiting a response, Finley turned and ran for it.

Time seemed to stand still as the beta ran, although once she finally stopped and fell weakly upon the ground with trembling limbs and heaving chest, she found herself far, far away from where she'd started. It was there that she dozed, only to wake up in the morning and sprint off again in some unplotted destination. She found release in running, as though the wind that whipped past her stripped away the guilt and grief that plagued her. It caught up to her again whenever she stopped, and thus she rested only briefly and slept fitfully.

The days passed in a blur. On the second day, Finley scared off a couple of young coyotes from the carcass of a roe deer, half eaten and thawing in the afternoon sun. On the third, she'd awoken to find herself surrounded by vultures, one of which had just begun to peck at the scar upon her back. She proved to the feathered bastard quickly that she wasn't dead yet by showing him what dead really was. Fin hadn't had any need for its meat at the time, and thus she'd stashed it away in a quickly dug cache for the journey home.

It was on the fourth day of her journey that the Blackthorn began to feel better. The ache at what she'd done was still present in her mind and in her heart, but she didn't necessarily feel as though she needed to run from it any longer. She could go home now, face her packmates and explain what had happened without falling apart and breaking under their criticism.

So, Fin turned and headed back. She didn't even bother attempting to sleep as she ran and ran and ran until a couple of days later, she was shooting past her own borders and through the uneven slopes until she was home again and throwing herself into her den to hide in the far, far back corner. Even though her remaining time away had been spent healing further, being back at the Caldera gave her a sudden case of stage fright, and she decided that maybe just a couple more days in seclusion would be alright... It's not like Peregrine and Fox had hired her because they actually needed a beta... right?

Fin turned and stared out at the tiny shards of light that peeked in at her through the mouth of her den, her mind wandering again to the same dark places it always went when she stopped running.

Oh, hello there! :)

Elwood's life had settled into a nice little routine in the caldera. He woke up, he scouted the borders, he tracked prey, he checked on the caches, he went to sleep. There was some variation to the schedule -- for instance, depending on the weather, he might feel like hunting first thing in the morning, as opposed to patrolling. However the day played out, it was usually predictable; just the way he liked it. Redhawk Caldera was beginning to feel more and more like home, and he liked having a purpose and serving his pack.

The days tended to blur together, due to his repetitive schedule, so it was easy to lose track of time if he did not stop and think about it. On the day that Finley had sent up her howl, alerting the pack that she would be gone for a few days, Elwood had paused in his step and frowned. It wasn't odd, necessarily, that the Beta would be away from the territory for some time -- after all, she was an outrider, and had an adventurous personality to boot -- but he still felt a twinge of worry. He didn't act on it, however; Finley was an adult, and she was capable of caring for herself (even if she had a habit of getting herself into trouble).

Though he didn't go searching for her, he did make an addition to his daily routine -- stopping by Finley's den to see if she had returned. On his way to the borders, he would simply meander past, looking for any sign of his friend. Each time, he was met with the same scene: everything was just as she had left it, and there was no disturbance to suggest that she had come back.

Presently, the Gamma was making his fourth visit to her burrow in as many days, and wasn't expecting to see or smell anything different. But even as he approached, he could tell that Finley was there; the snow was churned up, as though a set of paws had rushed through, and her scent was fresh. Elwood smiled, unaware of the girl's fragile emotional state, and trotted right up to the mouth of her den. He wanted to welcome her back, and see how her hunting had gone. "Finley! You in there?" he called, stooping down to try and peer inside.

Finley had managed to doze for a little while before Elwood's voice roused her. It had been a fitful and restless nap, so when she awoke, she felt even more exhausted than before. It took her a moment to partner the voice and scent with her friend, but when she did, she felt equal parts happy and reluctant to be in his company. Under any other circumstances, she would've been thrilled. But presently with her recent train wreck with romance, she wasn't so sure the handsome and mateless gamma was really the safest wolf to be around.

But, it wasn't as though she could pretend she wasn't home. His pretty face did not come with an empty brain, unfortunately. He would know she was there and she had no doorman to tell him to come back another time. So, she responded in a way that worked as an odd compromise between her conflicting feelings.

"Maybe..." she called back, immediately rolling her eyes at herself. Sure, that would fool him. "It depends on what you want from her," She added, attempting a playful tone that just came off as tired.

Elwood's timing couldn't have been worse, though he didn't realize it just yet. Had he known a bit more about Finley, he might have decided to give her some alone time. However, though Elwood was many things, he often was not perceptive, especially when it came to emotions. He noticed the hesitation before Finley responded, and he certainly could hear the weariness in her voice, but he just attributed it to her lengthy hunting expedition.

Lowering himself onto his belly, he crept forward until his head had crossed the threshold into Finley's den. If his presence wasn't welcome, she would have to be a little more straightforward than her initial response indicated. Even from his current position, he still couldn't quite see her, for she was tucked into the dark recesses of her den.

"Just wanted to come say hello," he said genuinely; he couldn't admit it, but he had missed her while she was gone. He then reverted to the playful tone that they so often used with each other. "I mean, it's been, what, a week since I saw you last? I was about to go to Ashton and ask for some medicine for withdrawal symptoms," he quipped, unable to keep the smile from his voice.

Fin felt her resolve to usher him away melt away when his head suddenly appeared, thrust through her doorway. The look upon his sweet face and the words he spoke were far too endearing for her to send him off. She pulled in a long breath, then released it slowly, unable to help the smile that polluted her otherwise somber frame of mind. It was with a little more willingness that she untucked her muzzle from the tangle of her limbs and tail and looked up at her friend, her gaze softening even as she did so.

"Good thing we avoided that," Fin quipped back with a small smile, "I don't know that even Ashton has a cure for that type of addiction." If he did, she'd be sending him off to the Plateau straightaway to cure poor Finn. The thought sent another stab of guilt through her chest and she shifted uncomfortably under the weight of the knife. Shaking it off, she glanced back at Elwood and gave him a little growl, "Back that ass up, Twig, so I can come out." As she spoke, she shifted her paws underneath her and began to crawl, intent on fully exiting once she had the space.

When Finley replied with just a hint of her usual playfulness, Elwood released a low chuckle. If Ashton actually did have love potions and the like, he would be the most popular wolf in all of Teekon Wilds. There would be no more heartbreak, no more longing; everyone would be happy and at peace.

That wasn't the case, however, and little did Elwood realize that Finley was suffering from a form of one of the previously mentioned afflictions. She instructed him to move and he did, scooting backwards until his head was clear of the roof of her den and he could straighten his forelegs. He sat up, now positioned a few feet from the mouth of Finley's burrow, watching with bright eyes as she exited.

She looked as she always did -- grey fur a bit tousled, especially along her spine where her scars were -- but there was something different that he couldn't quite put his finger on. A sadness in her eyes, though she seemed to be trying to hide it. He knew from his prior experience with her that if he asked outright what was wrong, she would likely change the subject or give him a joking response. So he avoided that route, instead attempting a more roundabout path to coax Finley out of her shell. "How was your hunt? Run into any bears?" he asked teasingly. "You've gotta stop leaving, this pack is going to fall apart without you," he added, referencing a conversation they once had about her being the true backbone of Redhawk Caldera.

For a moment, Fin was confused by his question. Hunt? What hunt? She was about to rat herself out before she remembered that that was the lie she'd given for why she was leaving. "No, no bears. The herd ended up moving into a neighboring pack's territory," Fin lied, not wanting to admit she'd been dishonest, "I did kill a vulture that tried to eat me, though." And she'd forgotten to grab it on the way back too. Dang.

Since she was up, Fin motioned with her muzzle for Elwood to follow along as she wandered a little ways down the slope to the nearby stream where they'd first met. Her throat felt dry and aching for some refreshment. As she walked, she shook her head lightly in response to his comment on the Caldera falling apart without her. Where she usually would have agreed whole-heartedly, Finley wasn't feeling nearly as narcissistic as she usually did. "Nah, you can take my place," she said, "Other than your eyes, no one would ever even be able to tell that I'm gone."

Sad Fin makes me sad! :(

There was a brief moment where Finley almost looked confused by Elwood's question, but the expression was fleeting and was gone before he could truly recognize it. He believed her when she said that she hadn't had a run-in with any bears, but that the herd she had been tracking had gotten away from her. Elwood wasn't particularly gullible, but there was no reason for him to think that she would be lying. "Well, I'm glad the vulture didn't get you," he said, obediently getting to his feet as Finley gestured for him to walk with her.

He righted himself and fell into step alongside her, letting her lead the way. She seemed to be heading towards the stream that was located not far from her den. The Beta certainly seemed to be more subdued than normal, but Elwood didn't really feel concerned until she proclaimed that no one would miss her if she was gone. "What? Wait, what's that all about?" he asked, halting in his path. Normally, he wouldn't have anything of such a statement from Finley, but there was no mirth in her voice.

Elwood narrowed his eyes, frowning at her. "Are you okay?" he asked; something wasn't right.

Me too! Its so weird to play her like this with feels and crap lol




Fin leaned her head down towards the stream just as Elwood began his confused exclamation. She took in a couple of gulps before she looked back at him, equally confused but more so due to lack of sleep and the insufficient brainpower that came from it. "What? We're the same color. I mean, we could just gouge your eyes out--" she managed to say before trailing off when he demanded to know if she was okay.

That was one hell of a loaded question. Though she'd been expecting someone to ask, she somehow hadn't figured out his she'd respond. "what? Nothing, I'm..." she started, stumbling before she gave a resigned sigh, "I... ran into an old friend and... things were said and it sucked and now it's done." She shook her head and turned back to getting her drink, now hoping the water would wash away the lump that had formed in her throat so that her voice wouldn't crack and break upon it the next time she spoke.

As soon as the question left his mouth, Elwood started to reconsider. He didn't want Finley to shut him out, but he had done the one thing that could very well guarantee that reaction: ask her flat out if she was alright. He remained rooted to the spot, a few feet from the stream, and watched as she stumbled over her words to provide him with a response. It was more than he had expected from her, and even though her explanation was short and she spoke with finality, his expression softened.

"Oh, Fin..." he murmured, his brow creasing as he watched her hurriedly lean down and lap at the water. Was she really that thirsty, or was she using it as a distraction? It seemed that there was a lot more to the story than what she was willing to divulge, but Elwood wasn't sure if he wanted to push her any further.

Chewing on his lower lip, he hesitated for a few seconds before closing the gap between them with a few long strides. Once he reached her side, he refrained from touching her; he wanted to reach out and embrace her, but it didn't seem right. He didn't want to overstep his bounds, to make her feel uncomfortable when she was already obviously vulnerable. This was not something that Elwood had experience with. He lowered himself to his haunches next to her, tilting his chin down and giving her a sidelong glance. "I'm sorry," he finally uttered, his voice low and barely audible.

Elwood responded as expected, with sympathy that Fin hardly felt she deserved. She kept her gaze averted away from him, but felt it as he came and planted himself near to her side. Part of her wanted to lean in and fall apart against her friend's embrace, but Fin was not accustom to such vulnerability. She was far better at diversion and denial. But even that she couldn't exactly muster in her current state. She was just too tired and miserable.

"It's fine," she said, sitting down beside him close enough that she could feel his warmth against her, although her gaze remained trained upon the icy water that flowed slowly by, "I'm the one who said the shitty things, so it's no more than I deserve."

Though Elwood had left a breath of space between himself and Finley, she allowed her fur to brush against his as she sat. He hesitated for only a moment before relaxing his spine and just barely leaning into her, a tentative hug of sorts. There wasn't much else he could offer; even if she had been seeking advice, he wasn't sure that he would be able to say what she needed to hear. He knew next to nothing about the situation that she referenced, though if he knew that the "friend" was more of a romantic interest, he might have felt the bitter sting of jealousy.

A long moment of silence lapsed between the two wolves. It was comfortable, despite Finley's sadness, and Elwood hoped that his presence was at least reassuring to her. Quietly, he watched as the water raced downstream, bubbling and gurgling. It reminded him of Finley; it moved rapidly and with abandon, refusing to stay still long enough to freeze. He found himself wondering if she would ever truly let her guard down and trust him. Could he convince her to stand still with him?

Finally, he glanced down at her. His gaze landed on the top of her head, and he studied the soft fur between her ears for a moment before speaking. A slow smile curved his lips. "Knock, knock," he said, hopeful that she would take his bait.

There was nothing Elwood could've said to make her feel better, that much Fin was completely certain of. She felt too low, too awful, and it truly was no less than she deserved. She had led him on, had used him as a character in her careless fantasies. And then when it had become too real, she had bolted. Left him with barely an explanation besides "I'd rather commit to being nearly murdered by bears than to you". It made her sick with guilt, but it was the unfortunate truth. Whether due to an honest distaste for commitment or a deep, paralyzing fear of falling in love, it was the truth she knew in her heart. And she didn't want Finn to dangle painfully on her strings while she tried to figure it out.

Fin felt herself falling into a dark pit, but suddenly a voice was pulling her back out in a rather unexpected way. The beta felt her brows furrow as she lifted her head and looked at Elwood, mildly bewildered. A knock knock joke? What about her current disposition said "I need a lame ass knock, knock joke". She wanted to cuff him on the head and demand that he go fetch her some food. But she was rather intrigued... Who could be at the door?

"Who's there...?" Fin asked slowly, eyeing the greyscale gamma suspiciously.

This is totally Elwood right now, lol. Also, I kind of powerplayed her saying the next step of the joke -- just to move it along a little! Let me know if that's not okay. :)

He couldn't stop his grin from growing larger as Finley prompted him to continue with his joke. She seemed a little skeptical, and he could tell that she wasn't really in the mood for something so silly, but he hoped to at least bring a smile to her face for just a few seconds. Wanting to build up the suspense, he paused for a loooong moment, looking at her as though he had a big, juicy secret to hide.

Finally, he barked, "A herd!" His tail thumped the ground preemptively, stirring up a flurry of snow, and he watched Finley's expression as she slowly asked, "A herd...who?"

Elwood opened his mouth, taking on possibly the most comical face he had ever displayed. By now, his tail was creating a miniature snowstorm behind them, and the flakes drifted down to land on their haunches. "A herd you were home, so I came over!" he concluded overzealously. "Get it? A herd? I heard?" He honestly didn't think his joke was that funny, but he hoped his cheesiness -- and, hell, his straight up stupidity -- would warrant a smile and maybe even a giggle from the bear fighter. If not...well, he wouldn't be quitting his day job anytime soon.

Fin stared blankly at her friend as he went through the joke with her, his excitement growing each step of the way while her emotions remained flatlined. Even at its climax, Fin just stared, the punchline elliciting for a moment little more than a very slight narrowing of her eyes. It wasn't that she didn't get it--who on earth wouldn't catch on, even without his explanation?--she just still wasn't completely sure what to think about him telling her a joke when she was on the verge of tears.

"You... are completely ridiculous," Fin said finally. And then, before she even realized it, a smile was breaking across her face. Laughter tumbled out of her mouth, slipping almost effortlessly over the lump that was quickly receding from her throat. She shook her head at him before turning to press her cranium against his shoulder. For a few seconds, she just held it there. Then, she was climbing to all fours and pushing against him, acting on a sudden whim the need to tackle the crap out of him.

It was only a few seconds that Elwood was waiting for Finley's reaction to his (horribly cheesy) joke, but it seemed like much longer. He watched her face intently, trying to read her expression as she stared back at him. She didn't seem impressed at first, and even appeared to be a bit annoyed, and slowly...slowly his tail ceased its wagging. He was preparing to take his leave, to apologize for his behavior and slink back into the forest, when suddenly the unexpected happened.

She started to giggle. Elwood's ears stood at attention and his tail wiggled just a little bit; he was afraid to get too excited just yet. Maybe she was just giving him a pity laugh. But her chuckles grew louder, until she couldn't control herself and her whole body shook with the effort. Relief flooded through the Gamma, and he released a breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding.

Before he could give any sort of verbal reply, Finley had leaned into him, pressing her head against his shoulder. She then stood and pushed him harder, effectively tackling and knocking him over. He, too, dissolved into laughter as he rolled onto his back, allowing her to take control of the situation; he was at her mercy.

my dog is trying so hard to eat my ear right now x___x

Elwood fell a lot easier than Fin expected, but if she'd actually stopped to wonder about this, she'd have realized that he likely had allowed himself to succumb on purpose. As it was, she didn't give it any though, and instead just moved to take advantage of her position. As they fell, Fin wrapped her arms around Elwood's neck in order to effectively "capture" him. Even as he was rolling onto his back, she was attempting to bite his nose, moving with him and nipping at his muzzle while playful little growls issued from her throat.

She had no idea what it was she was doing. If she hadn't shut off her brain, she might have realized what a dangerous territory she was traversing in. But Fin didn't want to think anymore. Though it was carelessness that had brought on her current woes, it was with reckless abandon that she acted now. She didn't want to think about consequences any more. She just wanted to be happy, and at that moment, so innocently intertwined with Elwood, she felt happy.

My dog...is following Blake around the house because he has candy, lol. Fading here!

Elwood squirmed beneath Finley, half-heartedly attempting to evade her nips and bites. Really, though, he didn't put up much of a fight, save for a few gentle bats toward her nose with his paw. He, too, did not think of the implications or repercussions of their actions; he was just happy to see his friend in a better mood.

Had he stopped to consider it, he might've realized that he felt a bit differently about Finley than he did about, say, Somnia. The latter was one of his closest friends here at the caldera, but his relationship with her was strictly platonic. Truthfully, he naively thought the same of Finley, but only because didn't yet notice the twisting of his stomach that tended to happen when they were in close contact.

But it was still much too early in the story of their friendship to speculate about what could come -- for now, he was content just to act like an idiot in order to bring a smile to her face. The pair of grey wolves wrestled for a bit longer, then spent the rest of the afternoon entwined innocently, enjoying the comfortable silence and playful banter that came so naturally to them.