Redhawk Caldera and a happy new year [birth]

Elwood nodded, still feeling a bit numb as Raven gathered her thoughts and laid them out neatly. Despite the tremor in her voice and the tears brimming in her eyes, she had a plan. First and foremost, they needed to care for the puppies. Luckily, her false pregnancy apparently meant that she could feed them. Elwood felt a rush of relief that was coupled with Eljay's quiet arrival and Finley's sudden protest at Raven's suggestion that they name the babies.

He turned his head quickly to look at his mate, surprised to see that her grief, while still palpable, had been replaced by an expression of determination. There was something commanding about her as she reentered the den, head and tail lifted. It was a side of Finley that Elwood hadn't seen in a long time, and his heart swelled as she decided, then and there, that they would raise their dearest friends' children.

"The naming can wait," he agreed as Finley settled herself down near Raven and pulled one of the pups towards her, dutifully and tenderly beginning to clean it. "We'll all raise them," he added quietly, though it didn't really need to be said. His gaze strayed past the two living females to Fox's prone form and he bit his lower lip. Raven was right; she needed to be buried, and while he couldn't physically help to nurse the puppies, he could certainly dig a grave for the former Alpha female...even if the thought made his stomach turn unhappily. "I'll start digging," he said, turning and giving Eljay a meaningful look. It wouldn't be fun work, but he hoped his son would help. They needed to get the dead body out of the den as soon as possible, so that Finley and Raven could take advantage of the space as they cared for the babies.