Redhawk Caldera no rest for the wicked

RED ALRET. RED ALERT. @Elwood @Finley Kat did that thing that she does, lulz.

The events that had transpired in the last twenty-four hours made Fox's head spin. Being pregnant wasn't helping. As soon as she set foot in her territory, Fox called out for the two betas that were her closest friends (outside of Peregrine, of course). She did not include her mate in her rally (could he even hear her anymore?), and she hoped that he would respect that. If not, she would chase him off. Things were hard enough without having her broken mate staring at her.

Plots to murder her mate had not subsided from the forefront of her mind since he had told her the bad news. There were other thoughts, too. Ones of chasing him away, or some other younger, stronger male doing so. With Peregrine being as weak as he was, it would be so easy for a more fitting male to overthrow him. And what position would Fox be in, then? Her mate would be dead, the new alpha male would likely toss her out... at the very least, he would slaughter her children. The thought sent a shiver up her spine as she attempted to mute those darker thoughts.

It didn't really surprise him when he heard Fox call for the Beta pair, though Peregrine felt a sinking sensation in his stomach. His lips pursed and he paused in his work for a moment, wondering what the three of them would talk about. It was difficult not to feel left out, though he had stepped down voluntarily and it was entirely their prerogative to get together to discuss leadership matters. Of course, he had no idea just how much of an endangered species he was at the moment. He knew that things would change, not that his wife was plotting his demise.

He sighed, then resumed what he was doing. True, he couldn't hunt and had no business being a leader with one and a half of his senses missing. However, he wasn't about to become some freeloader. He would make himself useful to the pack, even if it meant getting creative. And that's exactly what he was doing right now. He had spent a sleepless night gathering various things to put in the whelping den, including a large, tattered deerskin, a handful of old bones and a few other odds and ends.

If he couldn't be an Alpha or a hunter, he still intended to be a doting mate and father in his own way. He could not imagine Fox would begrudge him that. It would be difficult to adjust to his new roles, the things he could and couldn't do, but he imagined she would appreciate the helping hand, especially if they had another large litter. Perhaps all of this had happened to him because he was paying his dues for his previous failures as a father and here was his chance to really and truly redeem himself.

/creep post cameo

Of course she did -_- lol

Finley hadn't been too far when the call came.  She'd been debated sneaking out and doing some hunting, knowing that there would be soon be some additional firebirds in their midst and also knowing that she really liked to make things dead.  It didn't occur to worry her at the tone and of what impending doom her alpha might be bringing them news of.  She was mostly just wondering where her mate was and how quickly he'd get there.  That thought quickly turned it into a race that Elwood would have no idea he was part of, unless he too overlooked the potential reason for their spontaneous meeting and realized his mate would probably make it into a competition exactly as she had.  In either scenario, Finley had no intention of losing, and so she dashed towards Fox's call as quickly as she could.

She crested a hillock eventually and spotted the bright red blob standing out against the wintery white backdrop.  Knowing Elwood could be anywhere, Fin darted down the slope and sprinted right at the alpha without a moment of hesitation.  She slid to a stop as she neared, barking triumphantly and laughing as she spun around, searching the landscape for her mate.  "HA!  I win!" she crooned victoriously, "Take that you piece of crap!"  She puffed out her chest and wagged her tail as she looked around for him, completely forgetting Fox was even there and that Elwood's timely arrival was not in any way guaranteed.

While Finley was not particularly perceptive when it came to the worrisome tone of Fox's call, Elwood -- being the over-analyzer that he was -- frowned when his presence was requested by the Alpha female. Something didn't sound quite right, and it was with a furrowed brow that he hastened to find Fox, moving deftly across the terrain that had now been his home for over a year.

Though he moved at a brisk trot, Finley's gallop brought her to the destination much faster. He spotted the blur of her grey fur racing across the snow, and even as he approached he heard her triumphant shouts. He rolled his eyes but couldn't help but smile; it was good to see her acting more like her old self, however obnoxious that was.

"You win, fair and square," he said as he came to a halt next to her, jostling her with his shoulder before turning his attention to Fox. His expression sobered as he took in the petite Redhawk's drawn features, and he lowered himself to his haunches slowly. "What's up?" he asked, simultaneously glancing around for Peregrine. He hadn't been included in the message; what was going on?

"Peregrine can't smell," she replied when Elwood asked, more or less ignoring her best friend's usual chipper demeanor. Fox was perfectly fine with silliness in most situations, but her childrens' lives were at stake. "He wants to step down." Technically, he already had... but Fox was unwilling to entertain his irrational self. Surely he hadn't meant it. "I don't know what I'll do if he does." And that was the truth of it. Fox felt a mix of all kinds of emotions, and none of them were pleasant.

"I don't know if he'll be able to provide for the kids." They were on their way, and they weren't going to go into suspended animation just because their parents were fighting... if it could even be called that. "I just... I wanted you both to know." These were her two closest friends. They were a big part of the reason Redhawk Caldera was what it was.

Fin's excitement stilled as she frowned at the landscape, her eyes unable to immediately land upon her mate as he hadn't quite arrived yet.  She nearly spotted the look on Fox's face when she happened to spy Elwood sauntering over.  Her face split into a grin and she nipped at him as he bumped against her.  She prepared to make a quip back at him, but she managed to catch the tension in his voice as he quickly directed his attention to Fox, drawing Fin's attention finally to her as well.

In true Fox fashion, she dropped the bomb without hesitation or preamble.  Finley blinked at her, barely able to make sense of one comment before she was sharing another.  By the time the alpha was done sharing her news, Fin wasn't entirely sure what to think.  Sadly, that never stopped her from speaking anyway.

"You have a whole pack to provide for the kids," Finley stated blandly.  She hadn't quite managed to puzzle out what Peregrine stepping down and Peregrine not being able to smell had to do with each other.  Obviously something since she said them in nearly the same breath.  She peeked over at Elwood,hoping he would take over the responding thing for her so that she could take a minute to process everything she'd just learned.

The Alpha female wasted no time in getting straight to the point. She shared a piece of information that Elwood was already aware of, but he did not betray his knowledge with his expression or an immediate reply. Peregrine had asked that he not mention his broken nose to Fox, and he didn't want to rock the already unsteady boat by sharing that he was in the know.

He frowned, though, as Fox continued. Not only did Peregrine want to step down from leadership, but she feared that he would not be able to care for their future children. Fox wasn't easily unsettled, but it was clear to see that her feathers were ruffled by this turn of events.

Finley offered a bit of encouragement, and Elwood nodded his head in agreement. "Whatever we need to do, we're happy to help," he said. They couldn't fix Peregrine's ailment, but they could take on more responsibility if he chose to give up his title, and they could offer their assistance with the impending firebirds.

What Finley said was true, but it didn't make Peregrine any more able to provide for his family. It did mean, of courses, that the children would be alright. Fox had known that in some sense all along. Hearing it aloud definitely helped solidify the thought. For some reason, she had expected this conversation to run longer than this, but she felt she had said all she needed to say now. Warily, she glance between the both of them. "Thank you," she said, touching her nose to theirs, one by one.

Fox let out a sigh. "I need time to think." Having never been terribly keen on long goodbyes, Fox quickly parted ways with the beta pair, leaving them to their own devices.

Bomb dropped.  Wreckage abandoned.  Fin wondered if her alpha had put together a checklist in her mind when approaching this conversation.  Had there been more on it besides those two steps that she'd decided against pursuing?  Or was that it?  Two steps.  Achievement unlocked. Onto the next.

Fin shook her head as Fox walked away, leaving those thoughts behind to look at her mate.  "I think pregnancy makes her even worse at social interactions," Fin commented casually.  Her brain was still trying to formulate an adequate response to the issues her friend had brought up to them.  Where to even start?  She bit her lip.  "Perry stepping down?" she said softly, prompting the discussion there since it was probably the most pressing issue.

Figured I'd conclude this and send it off to the archives. :)

Just as abruptly as she had shared the news, Fox excused herself. She left a rather confused Beta pair in her wake, and Elwood exchanged a glance with Finley. He nodded his head in agreement with his mate's comment on Fox's social skills, then his expression sobered.

"I didn't think this was that serious. Peregrine told me that something was wrong with his nose, but I didn't realize that he would even consider stepping down," he said, shaking his head gently with a frown. Obviously, a lack of a sense of smell was a serious issue for a wolf, especially an Alpha -- but somehow, he had imagined that it was a temporary impairment. To hear now that Peregrine was still suffering was concerning; but Elwood was even more worried now about the repercussions for the pack.

He pursed his lips. "I don't know what will happen if he steps down," he said. Would Fox remain the only Alpha? Would she give up leadership alongside her mate? And if that transpired, then what would it mean for Elwood and Finley? The puzzled Beta pair wandered back towards the rendezvous site, their heads close as they whispered of the possibilities.