Redhawk Caldera ain't nobody love like you do.

hope u don't mind the power play boo <3

It hadn't gone unnoticed by Finley that her son was completely enamored with the new puppies. She felt as though he was a whole different person. He was happy, and he was excited to leave his parents' side each day to go off alone. Of course, Fin knew exactly where he went. The alphas' den was usually covered in his scent, as was the perimeter around it that he guarded loyally. She was thrilled to see him finally blossoming into a young man, and it made her feel more certain about her next step.

It also helped that the new firebirds were just stupid adorable too. 

Finley came upon her mate snoozing in the Spring sun. @Elwood looked so peaceful as he slept, and though a part of her saw this as the perfect opportunity to launch a sneak attack, she was feeling something other than mischief right then.

The beta slipped down onto her belly and crept towards her mate. Instead of tackling him once she came close enough though, she simply kept on creeping until she was snuggled up against his side. She stretched her muzzle out across the ground, laying it right alongside Elwood's. She wriggled and sighed happily as though she were trying to make herself more comfortable. In truth, she was plenty cozy cuddled snugly beside him - her movement was more an attempt to gently rouse him. She did need his attention after all, and she couldn't get it if he kept on sleeping.

<3

Elwood wasn't usually one for an afternoon nap, but after spending the morning with Eljay and the firebirds, he was worn out. He had forgotten just how exhausting children could be -- especially when they belonged to Fox and Peregrine. His own parenting experience had been much different, with just one tiny son to tend to. But the yet-unnamed boys were an active bunch and had kept the two Blackthorns busy.

He had only been sleeping for about half an hour, just long enough to slip into a deeper slumber. His paws, ears, and muzzle twitched intermittently as he dreamed; he licked his lips as he imagined the enormous elk he had managed to bring down on all his own. There was a sudden pressure against the length of his body, and in his mind that translated to being trapped beneath the weight of the massive carcass -- so he woke with a start.

Luckily, he gathered his bearings quickly and realized that Finley was lying down next to him, peering into his face with bright, happy eyes. He gave a barking laugh. "You scared me," he said, reaching out to punch her gently in the shoulder with his paw.

Though she hadn't intended to surprise her mate, it seemed she was destined to do so. Even though she'd technically failed at giving him a gentle wake-up, she still snickered mischievously as though it had been her intent all along to startle him. Fin rolled slightly at the paw to her shoulder, but glommed right back onto him as soon as he'd removed it, wriggling again as though there was actually a tiny millimeter of space left between them that she needed to close.

"I didn't mean to, for the record," she chided him with a smirk, "I can't help that you're getting so jumpy in your old age."  Her tail wagged as she spoke, inadvertently smacking Elwood's bum due to their proximity.  Wriggling yet again, she placed a few kisses on his chin with a happy growl.  Though the news she intended to share was rather good for once and would only make this moment an even happier one, she decided to prolong the time before she made her declaration, rather enjoying her giddy silliness and closeness to her mate.

"I'm pretty sure you're older than me," Elwood retorted playfully even as Finley snuggled into him. The affection was not unlike her, but she seemed to be happier than usual. It had been a long time since he had seen her quite this lovey-dovey, and he raised his brows inquisitively -- though he did not protest, especially when she started kissing the underside of his jaw.

He inclined his head slightly, a pleased growl rumbling in his chest as he enjoyed her ministrations. But eventually, his curiosity got the best of him and he pressed for more information. "You're in a good mood today," he prompted.

"I wanna have your babies," Fin blurted out suddenly, her previous desire to stall the announcement completely forgotten in the blink of an eye.

His comment about her mood had triggered it. She was in a good mood. Her son was happy, Spring was making her all giddy, her mate was super handsome, and there were super cute little babies running around being all cute. Fin could have explained that those were the reasons she was in a good mood, and that for those reasons also she had come to her decision on having a set of Finwoods to match the quartet of new Firebirds. But, Finley was often one to cut to the chase. Not because she didn't have patience for dancing around subjects, but because she often just was too excited to wait.

Finley grinned impishly at him after she said it, watching to see how he would react.

Her reply came quickly, stunning Elwood into brief silence. It wasn't what he had expected at that very moment, but he was overjoyed to hear it. He hadn't brought the topic up to her since they had broached the Nightjar issue, and life had kind of settled back into its natural rhythm. His talks with Eljay had kept his hope afloat, and now he was finally being rewarded with the answer he so desired.

"You do?" he asked, rolling away from Finley slightly so that he could get a better look at her. She was glowing, inside and out, and nothing but happiness radiated from her. It erased any doubts that he could have had -- that she was just acquiescing because he wanted more children and Eljay wanted siblings -- and his tail thumped the ground heartily.

Finley could almost see the joy sweeping over him. It was as though a sunbeam had dropped out of the sky and lit him up as though he were a newborn lion cub being shown off by a monkey. Fin felt the glow of her happiness. It was so gratifying knowing she had made him so happy. After all of the crap she'd put him through, it was wonderful to make him shine like this again.

"No, not really, I think it's a terrible idea," Fin replied, her visage shifting completely to match the serious tone she'd just taken. Fortunately, she remembered herself pretty quickly and so realized that that was way too horribly cruel of a joke to play when the subject matter was so dear to her mate. "Kidding! Kidding!" she reassured him after a few seconds, melting into happy Fin as she leaned towards him to kiss his cheek, "I do, I'm sure."

For a split second, the smile dropped from Elwood's face. Finley practically made joking her profession, so she was quite good at it. She fooled him, if only momentarily, when she appeared to have changed her mind. But relief flooded him when she smirked and assured him that she was kidding, snuggling close to him once more.

"Okay, good," he replied, reaching out to wrap his foreleg around her shoulders and pull her to him. He had waited to hear those words for so long, and now it was real. Eljay would be just as excited as his father, if not more. And while he wanted to break the news to his son as soon as possible, he also wanted to enjoy this time with Finley.

He buried his snout in her scruff, breathing deeply, then began to nibble at the dark guard hairs there, the black stripe that was now a familial name. In a low voice, he murmured, "When do you want to start?" He was teasing, mostly -- there were other aspects to be discussed and permission to be granted by Fox and Peregrine, but even the logical Elwood could get swept up in his emotions from time to time.

Luckily, Elwood didn't seem irritated by her ill-advised teasing. He pulled her into a wolffish embrace and she found herself wriggling once again to fill the new gap that had opened between them with this shifting of position. Her muzzle found its way to his throat where she pressed it with a happy chuckle. His glee was infectious enough without her already being saturated with her own.


She perked her ears at his question, noting the hint of suggestion in his voice. Finley grinned into his fur, twisting her neck to nip at his. "Well I don't think it's quite my time yet, but we can always practice..." she purred with a flick of her tail.

It had been a while (I'm assuming!) since their last good kerflomple, and Elwood felt a familiar fire sparking to life within him as Finley nipped at his ear. "Practice makes perfect," he agreed in sultry tones, simultaneously gathering his legs beneath him. He shifted so that he was standing over Finley, his forepaws positioned near her shoulders as he looked down at her.

With a playful grin, he began to nibble her cheeks, just enjoying the physical affection for the moment. His mind went delightfully blank -- for once, he wasn't worried about timing or coordination or details. She wasn't in heat presently, so he could allow himself to be taken over by instinct; and when that time did come, he knew that both of them would be much more cautious. He would recognize the signs this time -- the "spring fever" that would make Finley crazier than usual.

It had been a while for the pair (I assumed the same!) since their last entanglement. The canyon Finley had opened between them had seemed for some time to be one no bridge could stretch across, and she had spent far too much time worried that her mate didn't want to be around her anymore to try and connect with him in this way. But those days seemed like a long past nightmare in that moment. It was with eager excitement that she shifted her body beneath his as he moved, though there was a touch of paranoid anxiety with it as well that disappeared the instant their bodies connected.

Fin didn't pay attention to how much time went by as they kerflompled, but when they finally separated and she slid down onto her belly, it felt as though she'd run a 5k. She sighed heavily and rolled onto her side, twisting her head to gaze at him. "I like you," she said after a moment, her words slightly slurred as though she were intoxicated with alcohol, not sexing.

It felt natural as Elwood and Finley coupled for the first time in a while, as though no time had passed at all. In those moments, Elwood felt his heart swell as his love for her grew exponentially, along with his excitement for the future. He couldn't imagine anything more perfect than adding to their family.

Panting, he lowered himself onto his belly when they were finished, forelegs stretched out in front of him. Beside him, Finley flopped onto her hip, sprawling out across the grass. He laughed at her announcement, reaching out to poke at her belly with his nose. "What a coincidence, because I like you too," he replied.

Wanna wrap up and has new?? :D

Fin swatted playfully at Elwood's nose when he poked at her and emitted a tiny growl. The thought that maybe one day soon there'd be a few more baby Blackthorns in there was exciting, in that moment at least. In a couple of hours, the excitement would be replaced by a new wave of anxiety that she'd have to deal with. But for now, she was just happy to have made her mate so happy for the first time in what seemed like forever.

"Oh good, 'cause that would've been awkward," Fin quipped with a smirk as she rolled up from her side onto her stomach. She paused for a moment, simply gazing at him with a silly smile upon her face. Soon enough though she was leaping at him, pouncing quickly and briefly upon his back before hopping back up and darting off a few feet. She hesitated once to throw a mischievous glance back at him before running again, her tail waving in an invitation to play.

Yep! I'll archive and start a new one for us tomorrow. :)

As they slipped into the playful banter that was so familiar, it was like their history had been wiped clean. Elwood laughed and was transported even further back in time when Finley tackled him, intending to wrestle him into submission with tickles and kisses. Somehow, despite all the shit they had been through, they had come full circle -- and it gave Elwood hope for the future.

He leapt to his feat, openly accepting Finley's wordless invitation, and then took off after her when she raced away on fleet paws.