Redhawk Caldera maybe we can live with our sins.

Finley awoke with the sun in her eyes and an unseasonably warm breeze threading along her spine. She rolled onto her stomach and stretched her arms out before her, groaning as her muscles whimpered in pain. She hadn't broken any bones in her manic attempt at escape, but she had definitely bruised her sides, not to mention cut her shoulder, cheek and paws pretty good. It was nothing serious, fortunately. A few days rest and she was up and at it again, slightly limpy, a little hurty, but otherwise just happy as fuck to be free from that god awful cave.

The alpha pulled herself onto all fours with only the slightest bit of struggle and began to move towards a stream she knew of nearby. After slaking her thirst, her eyes moved Westward along the water's snaking path. On a whim, she began to follow it, her mind wandering back to a few old memories she had of this particular stream. There was a nice, flat rock a little ways ahead that was a favorite of hers, and she had it in her head to do some more laying around in the sun that afternoon.

They had just gone out with Raven hours before and already Towhee was excited for a second foray into the wilds beyond the cave. When Finley stirred and exited the den, the Sigma bounded after her, quiet as a ninja. Unaware that she might not be welcome to accompany the Alpha female, she trailed after Finley as the woman led her to a stream. Towhee watched in fascination as her godmother bent her head down and lapped at the water. She sprang forward to do the same, only Finley had turned and begun winding along the bank and Towhee had to scramble to keep up with her.

The pup's stealth was entirely incidental, her silence the peculiar byproduct of a noiseless existence. But when Towhee spotted a Canadian goose upstream, her blue eyes widened and she gave a sudden and sharp bark. In nearly the same instant, she sprang into the water with a noisy splash. It wasn't very deep, fortunately, but the puppy choked and spluttered in surprise as the cold fluid sloshed around her.

It was a testament to how taken Finley was by her thoughts that she didn't realize she had a shadow. She glanced up along the slopes ahead, spying the den she once lived in when first she and the others had moved to the Caldera. She had a notion to visit it, and was about to change her trajectory when she finally became aware of the fact that Towhee was following her.

Fin spun at the sound of a bark, followed promptly by splashing. Her eyes fell on the little black and red pup floundering in the stream. She sprang forward to fetch the child, even though she knew there was no immediate danger. "Teehee! " she called out, even though she knew the words fell on deaf ears (literally), "What're you doing, you little sneak?" Fin trotted into the water to stand above the pup, nudging her with her muzzle in an effort to let the girl know she was there as well as to help her get back onto all fours.

After another moment or two, Towhee managed to right herself and stand on all fours, little toes digging into the slippery slime of the creek bottom as water poured off her small body. Goose entirely forgotten, she looked down at herself, curious about the state of her waterlogged pelt, then looked up when she felt the water begin rippling around her legs. Her godmother had come to stand over her, a concerned but reassuring expression on her face.

Towhee tried to wag her tail, which felt heavier than usual and whipped little arcs of water back and forth. Hi! she mouthed up at Finley, looking into the Alpha female's eyes for a moment before glancing downward. She splashed one of her forepaws in the water, then looked right back up at her godmother again as if to ask, What's this? She had drunk water before, even splashed in puddles, but somehow water seemed like an entirely new and different entity now that she was (covered) in it.

Towhee didn't seem bothered by the water - at least not after she'd managed to right herself. Fin quirked a brow as the girl became acquainted with the wetness, even smirked at the look she was given. She seemed uncertain, but not afraid. She was curious more than anything, or so Finley surmised. "This is water," Fin explained, bemused, "You've met it before. You drink it and then you pee it. The clouds can pee it down on us too, only it's somehow more acceptable when they do it than when we pee on each other."

Fin stepped around her goddaughter to stand facing her in the water. She crouched and reached out a paw to slap lightly at the at the water's surface, making a splash. She watched Towhee's face for a reaction, wondering to herself how in the world she was supposed to make the world make sense to this puppy without being able to say things aloud. On a whim, Finley stuck her muzzle down beneath the surface of the stream and blew hard out of her nose, causing bubbles to erupt on the surface of the stream. Maybe she couldn't teach, but with any luck, she could at least entertain.

Towhee stared at Finley's face as she spoke. She could pick out a word here or there, though most of it went right over her head. She was still young, so this didn't bother her much beyond a mildly confused and frustrated furrow of her brow. Her godmother effectively distracted her by lowering herself and splashing at the water. It transfixed the pup for a moment, the way the water shifted and undulated, then resettled into a smoothness so perfect that Towhee could see her own paws through the glassy surface.

Before it occurred to her to try splashing herself, Finley thrust her snout underwater and blew bubbles. Towhee's eyes flew wide and her mouth fell ajar. She immediately made to sniff and lick the froth, though the little suds immediately popped. Soon they were gone altogether. She turned her wide, glimmering eyes on Finley. Though she didn't mouth any words or make any signs, everything about her body language screamed for, "More!"

Her antics seemed to please the little girl. A broad smile slid across Fin's muzzle at the expression on her goddaughter's face as the air bubbled up onto the surface of the water. Towhee hopped forward eagerly to attack the bubbles (or so Finley assumed), illiciting a chuckle from the bubble-maker as she lifted her snout back out of the water. She shook her head, sending droplets of water flying overhead.

She lifted a paw to rub at her nose, but a glance was all it took for Fin to determine that she was not allowed to be done with this game just yet. "It's pretty silly, isn't it?" Fin commented with a laugh. She took a deep breath this time before leaning down to produce more bubbles on the water's edge for Towhee to attack.

Towhee grew so excited for more bubbles that she began hopping from foot to foot—or, well, trying. The fact that she was standing in water hampered the movement a bit, resulting in sloshing and waves. The pup stilled, watching the way the fluid sluiced around her legs. Gradually, it stopped churning and grew more placid again. It was entirely fascinating.

The water wasn't calm for long. Finley repeated her earlier antics, blowing an even larger wreath of bubbles. Towhee squealed, simultaneously snapping and batting at the cluster of see-through orbs. They disappeared rapidly and soon they were all gone again. Towhee let out a loud huff, glancing up at her godmother questioningly now. Why wouldn't the bubbles stay so she could play with them more?

Finley did her best, bowing and blowing bubbles until her breath ran out and then gasping for more air before starting over again. Eventually, her gasping for air stretched to a few minutes rather than a few seconds. After the latest round, the alpha sat back and panted quickly as her heart raced. She looked down at Towhee to smile at the girl's enjoyment, but was met instead with a look of what she could only describe as frustration. And... was that indignance?

She cocked her head lightly and gave her goddaughter a slight smirk. "Come on now, godmama needs a break," she said, taking a deep, steadying breath, "Why don't you try it for yourself?" Finley paused, trying to think of how to communicate this new development to the little deaf puppy. After a few seconds, she leaned down and blew more bubbles in the water. This time, she blew them for only a few seconds before she lifted her muzzle and reached over to bop Towhee in the nose. She gestured then towards the water, and then fixed her niece with a significant look.

Wanna nudge this toward the finish line? :)

Every time her godmother blew the bubbles, Towhee knew utmost delight and joy... for all of four seconds. They always immediately disappeared. When Finley eventually grew weary and breathless, the pup blinked up at her, still confused about this inexplicable cycle of events. She glanced blankly down at the water, then up again, then down again, then up one last time, only for her aunt to boop her snoot.

She was too little to connect the dots and merely squinted between the Alpha female's face and the water a few more times before heaving an extremely exaggerated sigh and clambering toward the shore. The renewed sloshing momentarily delayed her (so fascinating!) but she wound up on the bank, giving her little body an instinctive shake before peering at her godmother as if to query, What now?

Sure thing!

Apparently she had more work to do on her non-verbal communication. Towhee stared at her like she was an idiot before giving an exasperated huff and trudging back to shore. She should have been perturbed, but instead Finley smirked appreciatively at the pup's retreating form. It was refreshing to see a little attitude in a kid she was raising. Little did she realize her own daughter was brewing some spunk of her own and she would come to regret the hell out of it. For now, it was a nice change of pace.

"Let's get you dried off," Finley said to her as she stepped up onto the shore beside the pup, "What do you think of using papa Elwood as a towel, hm?" She lifted her brows with a playful smile before setting off at a trot to return to the rendezvous site.

If she could have heard and understood her godmother's words, Towhee likely would have leaped at the opportunity to rub her wet fur all over her beloved uncle. Instead, she merely squinted at Finley's mouth, very carefully concentrating on the exact movements. Before anything could process, the Alpha female turned and began to lead back the way they had come.

With a squawk, Towhee sprang after her aunt's retreating form, shivering slightly. It was warmer today but there was still a bit of a bite to the February air, which felt much colder on her damp pelt. Fortunately, it didn't take them long to return to the cave, where Finley nudged Towhee toward Elwood. Unbeknownst to her, the child enacted upon her godmother's earlier decree by rubbing all over him like a kitten before collapsing contently against his chest.