Redhawk Caldera and a happy new year [birth]

Fox's time was close, and like the good friend she was, Finley was aggitated and anxious as hell for the arrival of the newest batch of Firebirds. With Peregrine gone, she knew that it would be up to her and Elwood to care for Fox as he would have. Not in the icky dirty ways, but in keeping her fed and protected and her pups looked after when she needed to be away from them. Finley was ready. The altercation with Kaizer had been awful for the pack, but it had somehow invigorated the Blackthorn. Her mate was capable as hell of taking care of them all in Peregrine's absence, and so too would she be. They were gonna own this shit for Fox, as Fox had always owned shit for them.

And so it was that Finley's path brought her towards the alpha female's den so soon after the delta and beta found her. In typical Finley fashion, she strode forward without a clue that anything was amiss. Raven was there, as was Elwood. They were talking. They were talking about how she was dead. She was dead when Raven had gotten there. Raven should have stopped by earlier.

She was dead.

She.

What?

Finley felt a shock of cold flood her veins as though a glacier had just swallowed her whole. She moved forward, ignoring decorum as she shoved her way into the den to stare with wide eyes down at Fox's lifeless body. The puppies squirming between her and Raven wriggled with life, making it all the more horribly apparent to Finley that her friend.. her best friend. She was dead.

They were all dead.

This time, grief did not wait to strike. Her face twisted in anguish as she reeled under it. She shook terribly as she stood, eyes glued upon Fox's lifeless frame. "You... You stupid bitch... What the fuck..." she said, her voice catching with emotion after nearly every word. Finley backed away, shaking her head as tears slid down her cheeks. Her paws told her to flee, but she crumpled just outside instead, sliding into the snow as she sobbed against the shattering of her heart.