Redhawk Caldera bleh bleh bleh

Carefully away from the Alpha's den (or rather, the thing in which multiple squeaks were coming from), Ashmedai was digging out his own. It was nothing complicated - a hole in the ground somewhere against a tree, a place where he could sleep while he took the time to scout out an actual sleeping place. He was just in the process of patting down loose soil before it crumbled, and his work fell to pieces.

Feeling morbidly amused, Ashmedai let out a short, dark laugh.

And then, he started again, half waiting for someone to find him so he could actually do something and half just wanting to finish the job.

Finley had been keeping to herself for the past week or so. Her decision to make a second batch of Blackthorns had put her at ease for a few days, but it was not long before the anxiety had returned. It was one thing to freak out about if she wanted them. It was a whole other thing to freak out about actually having them.

Though round one had ended very well - Eljay was certainly coming into his own more and more with the help of the new Firebirds - round two had the same potential to be just as disastrous as the first had started out. She and Elwood were far more prepared than they were last time. Her heat didn't stand a chance of sneaking up on her considering how hyper aware of herself she now was, so once it hit and she did get pregnant, they would definitely be aware of it and could take the necessary precautions to make sure this litter was kept safe even before its birth. Which meant no attacking bitches that tried to kill her nephews, not that that was likely. Still, it was good to remind herself of the rules.

Where was I? Fin paused on the landscape and blinked at her surroundings, uncertain of what she'd just been doing. Hunting? Going to visit the babies? Looking for Eljay? Looking for Peregrine and Fox? Hrm. That latter part actually seemed like a pretty good idea. Both alphas had seemed to give Elwood at least the unofficial nod to go ahead and knock up him woman, but they hadn't actually approached it officially. Maybe they should do that. Fox had seemed pretty pissed about it last time.

Or maybe she had been hunting...

Laughter caused her attention to switch yet again, and curiosity claimed her shortly. It was with furrowed brows that she located the source of the sound - a strange wolf patterned remarkably like the now departed Nightjar but far more twiggy. This must be one of the newbies she'd heard about, and deciding to change her latest pattern and be social, she approached him with a soft bark to announce her presence.

"So, found yourself a tree, eh?" Fin asked as she came up a few yards short of where the wolf was digging out what she presumed was going to be his densite. Or maybe a cache. Or maybe he just liked holes. Heh.... he likes holes.... I'm hilarious.

A quiet noise alerted Ashmedai to another's presence, and he turned his head, neck snapping towards the thing as fast as possible - probably an instinct he'd built up over the years. Relaxing slightly when he saw that it was just another wolf (taller than him again), Ashmedai's "default setting" smile came back, undecipherable and unfortunately, slightly creepy. Probably not a good thing but that was just the way things were. "Aye," he nodded, in simple agreement. "These old bones just don't want to rest, you know? So many trees, just waiting to have holes dug near them."

Ashmedai stopped his work and turned to properly face the female, looking up at her and stepping back so his neck didn't immediately want to die. He took note of the odd look she was giving him, like she was seeing someone she'd seen before, someone who looked like him, and the man made sure to remember to ask who it was that people kept thinking of the next time. Peregrine had done so. Elwood had done so, and now this wolf.

"Trees," Ashmedai said rather sagely, as if the particular tree was a special plant deserving of the tone he held. He took up a paw and rested it on the old bark, patting it lightly and hopefully scaring a few squirrels away. "Are wondrous things."

He paused, and his smile only widened. "Ashmedai Noctis at your service, ma'am. And you must be...?"

"speaking"

Fin seemed to startle the stranger, but she didn't particularly care. He seemed to recover quickly enough and fit her with a smile that was... weirdly unsettling. She peered curiously at him for a second before offering a smile of her own. She was somewhat reminded of Ashton, but it didn't quite fit. There was something different about the oddness in this one. It was more subtle where Ashton's was like being slapped in the face repeatedly by a stick.

"Finley Blackthorn," she answered when prompted. She didn't bother with the titles or anything - he wouldn't need them. They were wolves, not coworkers, and such titles were established simply by interaction, not pronouncement. Or so she believed, anyway. Truth be told, she rarely behaved much like a wolf in a leadership position, so it probably would've been better to say what she left unsaid.

"You gonna live in that hole or do you have treasure to bury?" she asked conversationally.

If only he knew what Finley had been thinking - or probably not, because Ashmedai might have possibly taken offence. Luckily for him, he was totally oblivious to Finley's train of thought, and he took the facts with a head nod. Blackthorn. Such an interesting name, but the same could be said for Noctis and so he did not speak out against it. "I was," Ashmedai agreed - sort of, sparing a cursory glance at the pitiful hole. Now, he was realising how despicable living in a hole would be.

"Not so sure about it anymore. Could serve as something else, though. the male shrugged and looked at Finley, tilting his head to see what she'd think. Now that it had collapsed, he wasn't so certain he'd want to waste all that manpower he could dedicate to filling up pack caches just to build a den. Ashmedai could find one in a rock, somewhere. "If you're up for treasure burying, that is. I've been meaning to hunt for a while now. Save the trees, you know?

Maybe he was more like Ashton than she thought. She found herself confused by his comment about saving the trees, though the meaning was far less confusing than her teensy brain could manage. She decided to skip on past it, though - instead glomming into the idea of a treasure hunt with a mischievous grin.

"I'm down," she announced happily, "What kind of hunting you thinking? Rabbits? Gophers? Deer? Elk? Caribou? Wolverines? Mountain lions?" Fin was feeling surprisingly fiesty, and soon enough was beginning to consider how one of their species might hunt down eagles... Could they climb high trees or mountains and fling themselves at the birds while they were in flight? Oh, the possibilities.

The female was game enough to take on Ashmedai's proposal, and a tiny, determined smile sneaked its way onto his black lips. Eyes narrowing just the slightest, body already turning to ignore his collapsed-in hole, he motioned for her to come with. Oh, it wasn't that he was commanding her - but he was feeling like a few squirrels or partridges.

Perhaps squirrels? Ash then offered, tail beginning to wag at the thought of a nice, juicy carcass, the blood running down his chin... And he was getting carried away.

Fin was a little disappointed that of all the prey options she'd mentioned, he'd chosen squirrels. It was way more lame than even rabbits, though perhaps a step up from gophers. These at least could climb trees, which did provide some element of a challenge. She gave a shrug of agreement with his proposal, hoping that perhaps they'd run into some squirrel/demon hybrids or something that would make the hunt more interesting.

"I'm game," she said with a wag of her tail, looking off towards the thicket of trees beyond his densite. With little announcement, Fin lead the way into the copse with twitching nostrils and swivelling ears.