Redhawk Caldera unrequited sass

Melancholy and motherhood did not mix well.

Thrice now, Finley had been named godmother to Firebirds, and not once had she ever planned for a day when she would actually be called upon to fulfill the duties that came with the title. Sure she had joked about offing Peregrine and Fox so that she could get her hands on their adorable little puppies, but she had never considered what it would be like to actually step in and mother their children. It was never supposed to happen, just as Peregrine and Fox were never supposed to have to step in for her or Elwood to take care of their kids. They were just titles given to each other to symbolize their friendship and trust. It wasn't supposed to be a safety net. It wasn't supposed to ever happen.

But it did. And now the pack felt broken, and Finley and Elwood were left to pick up the pieces. Meanwhile, she herself felt broken with pieces of herself scattered around. There were so few of them now that two of their strongest were dead. She felt certain that they would soon be losing Whip. Maybe he was gone already. Finley couldn't blame him, though it saddened her to know she didn't have the relationship with him that might have prevented it. She'd nearly lost it with her own twins while hunting down Lucy, not realizing she'd already lost that one the day her daughter had been taken and Fin hadn't been there to stop it.

The Blackthorn shook her head and lifted a leg to mark a lone rock near the edge of their territory. It was not her typical job, but since Raven was currently caring for the pups and they had pretty much no one else to do it, she and @Elwood had decided to divide and conquer. Her thoughts were far from the task at hand though. So much in fact that she nearly failed to notice the sihlouettes in the distance that signified that the Caldera had visitors.

It didn't take long for her to come close enough to realize who it was exactly on their doorstep. It seemed such a strange coincidence that for a moment, Finley wondered if this had been some sort of plot. She knew about what had happened the last time Magpie came around, and she knew that it was likely Fox's sister was not there for a friendly visit. Were it not for the fact that Wildfire was with her, she would have named her murdering bitch and attacked the Corvidae on the spot. But Wildfire tempered her. Wildfire, who she had not seen in months and months.

Finley felt sick as she approached. She stopped a few yards from them and gazed at them both. She needed to tell them both about Fox and Peregrine. It was odd, how telling two wolves the same news were truly such very different conversations. They weren't ones she wanted to have simultaneously, but fate didn't seem to give any fucks about that. It didn't seem to give any about anything.

"Magpie," Fin said quietly, her tone far less welcoming than when her gaze shifted to Wildfire and she could not keep the emotion from her voice, "Wiffle."