Redhawk Caldera out of feathers out of bones.

Finley was quietly wracking her brain to come up with more that she needed to tell her mate. She wanted him to know everything. She had kept so many secrets before for fear of what he would think of her, but faces now with her own mortality, she felt as though her entire lifetime would not have been enough for her to share all that she wanted with him.

In spite of those thoughts and feelings so raw and desperate in her mind, the moment Elwood asked that one innocent question, she felt her open honesty slam shut against him. Finley stilled in his arms as she considered what she could possibly do or say to get out of this, for of course she couldn't tell him, not now. What would he think of her? To learn what had happened, what she really was, during their last days together? It would be cruel of her to share this and burden him with it simply so that she could unburden herself, wouldn't it?

It was a knee jerk reaction, that line of thinking that pervaded her better sense. Fin had promised never to keep secrets from him again. And while she'd never lied to him about this, to omit it now would be as good as doing so.

"He was my best friend," Fin said softly, "When we were kids anyway. But we had a fight... Something happened. And we never got past it." It had never occurred to her until she'd had Eljay that she regretted that they'd never made amends, but Fin doubted she would ever see Colt again. Especially now that it felt like her days were numbered.