Redhawk Caldera Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine

Life was just plain mean.  Only hours before Sebastian had returned with her sister's body, they had been talking with excitement about how Fin was going to be a mom, how Tiger was going to be an aunt.  It was too much for the gods or whatever stupid fuck controlled the universe to handle.  Finley was breaking the rules with her joy, apparently, so the world had to step in and knock her back down.


They'd taken Tiger away.  Her sister.  Fin had never thought she'd ever see a member of her family again, and then suddenly there she'd been just stumbling upon their doorstep.  They were going to grow old together... two little old foul-mouthed ass-kickers, wreaking havoc until they both dropped dead.  But no more...

Finley shut her eyes as the tears swelled in them again.  She didn't want to be sad.  She wanted to be angry.  She'd had enough of sorrow and heartache and crying to last her a lifetime.  She'd never been any good at it, but apparently that meant she needed more practice.  Eager to distract herself from the mounting misery, Fin dragged her tired, aching self up to wander the Caldera in search of anything that could take her mind off of things.

Her wandering eventually lead her to the rendezvous site, though Fin didn't even notice as she stepped through the grass.  The thought occurred to her to visit the little firebirds.  Perhaps their childish antics would bring a smile to her face and relight the excitement she should have been feeling as the days ticked closer to the birth of her own litter.