Redhawk Caldera whether or not the weather is on my side.

All welcome! Tagging @Fox tho cause DO IT

Finley wasn't sure how much more she could take of this Fox-being-in-heat thing. One, it was wreaking havoc on her own hormones, which were already in turmoil from the whole shooting-Finn-down fiasco. Two, she just really frickin' needed her best friend to talk through the whole shooting-Finn-down fiasco thing with. Her only other options were Elwood and Somnia. Somnia she very much liked, but didn't think was ready for a full-on Fin rant-about-love. Elwood.. No. Absolutely not. They would not discuss feelings. That would take their relationship to another level where they might even have to start calling it a relationship. Not happening.

So, Finley hovered anxiously nearby the alphas' den, pacing like a nervous nervous-thing and biting her tongue to keep herself from whining pathetically in order to call her friend's attention to her. After a little while, she plopped down onto her buttocks in a huff and decided to just wait it out. Her ears flattened upon her lowered head as she waited like a defeated defeated-thing.

After (yet another) intense session of hot and heavy lovemaking, Fox and Peregrine had collapsed into a heap in the den to sleep away the exhaustion and get ready for another round. Some might call it excessive, but it was goddamn nature running its course. Well, that and they were a seriously horny couple to begin with. Fox being in heat only made it that much more intense. Groggily, she wriggled out of the fur-lined den, only to find Finley hanging out casually at the mouth of their home. If she hadn't been so completely drained, she might have snapped at another female (even her best of friends) who dared to linger so close to her mate.

“Finley?” she croaked, surprised by how hoarse her voice sounded. “What’s going on?” Her question was a little bit clearer, though she cleared her throat again in anticipation of needing to speak again. Wearily, she plopped her own bum-bum on the ground and waited for her second-in-command to cough up whatever it was that was stuck in her throat. Or head. Or whatever.

Fin didn't have to wait too embarrassingly long outside of the alpha's love nest for her friend to appear. Her tail began to wag furiously at the sight of the fire-pelted female, a whine finally erupting, unable to be held back after her glee had set it free. She remained seated where she was, leaning forward as Fox approached to sniffle happily at a cinnamon cheek.

"Oh my gosh Fox, are you guys done yet?" Fin burst out with before her common sense could hold it back (not that it actually would have had she had the ability to employ it), "I can't take it anymore, I need girl talk. Penis is great but come on" She was fully aware that her whining likely fell on deaf ears. Having experienced the penis herself, she knew very well that it was definitely worth a week a solitude to revel in the joys it could bring. But Fin was selfish and having no personal penis-provider of her own, she was ready for Fox to be done with hers.

Fox blinked, then she grinned. Knowing that her friend was jealous was oddly satisfying, even if she was pretty sure that Finley could wrap her finger around any of the boys who lived here (sans Peregrine, of course... he was strictly off-limits). “I think another day or two,” she replied, her voice a little bit more clear than it had been a moment ago. Truth be told, she had missed the company of others, but she and Peregrine had a duty to attend to, and they simply couldn't ignore these precious few days when Fox would be receptive to him.

“What kind of girl talk are you looking for?” she asked, glancing back at the den and wondering when Peregrine would lumber toward her and drag her off to who-knows-where for more glorious fucking. “Better make it quick, though. Perry’s likely to come barreling out of there any minute.” He would notice her absence, no doubt, and it wasn't like Fox would be able to resist any of his demands.

Fox responded to her request for girl-talk, but her words left Fin unsatisfied. She sighed heavily at the thought of Peregrine storming out and reclaiming his mate for more bone-time. She knew that it was simply nature at its finest, and yet she couldn't help the part of her that was thoroughly jealous over how little attention she'd received from her best friend as of late. Especially when Peregrine was involved--Peregrine whom she considered a brother of sorts and as such came with a bout of sibling rivalry that poor Fox was right in the middle of.

Finley bit her tongue when it came to complaining about Peregrine and his sexual demands, knowing better than to push the fiery woman's temper. Best friends they may have been, but they were also alpha and beta, and Finley knew her place as such.

"Well, I've had a bit of emotional trauma," she replied slowly, uncertain how far she wanted to delve into it all with Peregrine's needy presence looming over them, "It involves a boy. And.. You know, it's not really a quick thing. So.. maybe I just.. nevermind. It's no big deal, it can wait." Her intent faded quickly and sullenly as she fully began to realize that she was not and could not be the alpha's main focus at that moment. She turned her gaze away, debating whether or not to just leave right then and there and let them get on with their gettin' on.

When Finley began to reveal what she had come here to talk about, Fox's expression turned to a concerned one. Had Elwood done something to hurt her? The mere thought of such a thing made a bolt of fiery anger flash through the girl's blood, and she wanted to track the other Beta down and rip his throat out. Well, that was a bit dramatic, but she was in a very delicate state of mind. “I’ll rip his fucking face off,” Fox replied. “Tell me who it is. Peregrine can wait one goddamn minute. You're my friend.” There was a very good chance that Fox had managed to get pregnant by now, and if somebody was out there hurting her precious friend, that took priority.

This was a much different Fox than the one who had ruled at Swiftcurrent Creek. That one might have told Finley to go deal with her own problems and leave her alone. But this Fox had become fiercely attached to her packmates. They were her family, and those who hurt her family would be forced to pay. As she awaited Finley to tell her who was responsible for the emotional turmoil, her fur bristled in anticipation of the reveal.

Fox's reaction surprised the humility right out of her. She gave the alpha a startled expression and took a step back. She knew she was in no danger from her friend, but still the fiery woman's sudden violence made her hesitate. Finley knew an angry predator when she saw one.

"Okay, okay," Fin said slowly, "Settle down, buddy. No need for face ripping." The beta's mind worked quickly to determine that Fox's reaction was likely an outburst of her pent up hormones. They'd had nothing to do recently except cater to satisfying her sexual desires. They were probably dying for the chance to explore some of her other emotions.

"I'll tell you who it is once I have your word that everyone keeps their faces," she said after a moment, quirking a brow at the enraged woman while trying to stifle the pleased little smile that threatened to show itself at being one worthy of such vicious protecting in the alpha's mind.

This thread is fun. :B

Fox put on her mean face, ready for Finley to open her mouth and utter a name, but not even a hint was given. Well, that was just no fun! “He can keep his face,” Fox replied, “but you just give the fucking word, Finley. I’ll rip that shit right off. Maybe it would be better to castrate him. Peregrine won’t even let me bite his balls. Can you believe that?” Oops, she was making this about her. “Sorry. Go ahead.” Fox half-expected the heartbreaker to come waltzing around the corner, and Fox would be able to rip his face off right then and there in front of Finley. Or his balls. Whatever was an easier target.

“It’s not Elwood, is it?” Fox asked, not even giving Finley a chance to name the emotional turmoilist. That's definitely not a real word. “I can’t believe I ever trusted him!” she exclaimed dramatically, “I should have known he was just going to mess with you and make you sad.” Fox huffed, realizing that she would have to chase off their newly-crowned Beta male. They couldn't have some heartbreaker as their second-in-command, after all.

Agreed! :D

In spite of Fin's lighter attitude, Fox was not taking the bait. She continued to rage as though she were possessed by some demon that was all about female power and hoes before bros or something. The beta could do nothing but try to keep up with her rantings, which meant shifting her facial expressions to fit the appropriate response to whatever was said. Which included an expression that doesn't even have a name when Fox admitted to not being allowed to bite her mate's testicles. "Wha--noooo...!" she replied in false surprise. Did Fox let Peregrine gnaw on her ladybits like they were chew toys? ....Ew ew ew ew ew she probably would like that ew ew ew.

Fin was startled out of her thoughts by Fox's accusation against Elwood. She parted her lips to deny it feverishly--probably too feverishly actually--but her friend was already off on a new tangent. Fin gave a sigh and merely settled down onto her haunches to wait it out.

It wasn't long before Fox ran out of breath and before she could take in her second wing, Fin pushed forth with her interruption. "It's not Elwood! I swear, nothing is going on there at all," she reassured the woman, "It's Finn. He came to the Caldera and we talked and I broke his heart and now I feel like complete shit." There. She said it. Now to await the aftermath, which likely would involve Fin diving at Fox's legs and tripping her before she could storm off to the Plateau and set it on fire.

Finn. It took a moment for Fox to remember who belonged to that name. She furrowed her brow, trying to put a name to a face before her own face was awash with realization. “If he ever fucking dares to come near Redhawk Caldera,” Fox replied, her tone abso-fucking-lutely serious, “I’ll rip his fucking throat out.” Yes, I did just use the word "fucking" three times in one sentence, thank you. It probably wasn't the answer that Finley had been hoping for... but really, what had she expected? For Fox to console her and tell her everything would be alright? Finley was really better off seeking out somebody like Somnia for comforting words, unfortunately. Fox was better as an ass-kicker.

“Besides, why should you feel like shit? Wasn’t he the one who was all mopey when you left the plateau?” she asked, “He could have just as easily come with us, and you guys probably would have boinked by now if that’d been the case.” Okay, so maybe Fox did have a one-track mind this week, but she couldn't help herself. Finn could have come along, and Fox had actually been fond of him. Hell, they'd met even before she'd moved away from the creek, and he'd hit on her during their first encounter. Silently, she wondered if Finley knew what a huge flirt he was. “He’s a total player, anyway. Did you know he was trying to chase my tail back when I was with Swiftcurrent Creek? Then he turned his nose up at me when he realized I was with Peregrine. Like suddenly I had no value because I was taken. What a fuckin' tool.”

Actually, Fox's response was abso-fucking-lutely what she had wanted to hear. Having Finn in her life had proved to be too difficult for the Blackthorn to handle, and perhaps it was for Finn too. She didn't know how to handle that feelings and relationship crap, and clearly having him in her life stirred up such emotions in her. Them being apart meant not having to deal with the way they felt when they were around each other, and there was no one better than Fox to make sure such an encounter never happened again.

Fin allowed herself to smile as Fox continued on her rampage. She liked hearing someone else put the responsibility for their failed relationship on him. It made her feel less awful for doing so herself. She gave a shrug when Fox mentioned that they likely would have hooked up had he come to the Caldera. In truth, she wasn't sure if she'd ever even have realized she had any feelings for him if he hadn't forced her to do so by staying behind. Then again... "I do enjoy a good boinking..." she admitted after a second. So yeah, Fox was probably right that something would have happened by then.

Her friend's next words hit her like a baseball bat to the stomach. Finley turned to Fox in surprise. "I never realized you knew each other back then," she said, her mind racing at the thought of the two of them together. Jealousy twisted in her intestines--jealousy and bitter disappointment. Had he really treated her like that? Was he really just another douchebag, just out to hit it and quit it? Had she really been stupid enough to fall for someone just like... him? (Not the Finn him, the super secret him that we don't talk about :X)

Instantly, Fin's jaded heart lunged headfirst into believing the worst, and suddenly her image of her doppleganger darkened. She shook her head in disbelief and uttered a low growl. "What a piece of shit," she said as her temper snapped, "What a fucking piece of shit!" Suddenly, Fin was up on all fours and pacing. Her anger was building with each passing second as she remembered all the things he'd said, all the moments they'd shared, her defensive mind setting them all on fire as an irrational anger took over her.

"I can't BELIEVE HIM!" she barked, hackles flaring across her spine, "All this time, he was just screwing with me wasn't he? He just wanted a quick little trip to the magic lady kingdom! He fucking told me he LOVED me, and it was all a fucking lie?!" She wanted to rage across the Wilds, straight over to the Plateau and FINLEY SMASH it to the ground. She barely noticed how Fox was reacting to her sudden outburst, her eyes turned to the Northeast as though she could snap him in half with her thoughts even at such a distance.

IC gossip is the best gossip. PPing Perry in the background since Kat did SO MUCH of it while I was away. & Last post for me!

Siding with Finley was the only thing Fox could have done. The girl was her best friend, and something like this couldn't possibly be sweet Finley-fin's fault. “He doesn’t deserve you,” Fox affirmed. “And I can’t believe he’d say that… Just goes to show what a guy will do for a fuck. I didn't even say those words to Peregrine until long after we were together. Sounds like Finn was just trying to pull at your heart strings.” Fox bristled as well, fueled by Finley's own outward anger. This, however, was rather short-lived.

Peregrine, awoken by the sounds, was soon scooting Fox off for more baby-makin', and Fox wanted so badly to tell him to go away, but... but nature. “Finley! We can talk more later, I promise! Fuck that guy!” she called over her shoulder, but Peregrine was bumping and pushing her forward, ever-eager to start doing the deed. Hopefully, Finley didn't take her sentiment literally. The last thing she needed to do was fuck Finn.

tru dat! <3

Like the devoted friend she was, Fox immediately and without question took her side. Loyally, she continued to talk trash about Finn while simultaneously raising Finley up. Her words swept through the Blackthorn's mind like poison, fueling her anger. In truth, she felt hurt and betrayed, but since Fin didn't really know how to feel those things, she just got more pissed off.

Had she been less full of rage, she might have been more aware of the fact that Fox basically just lit the dynamite's fuse, watched it explode, then trotted happily off while the wreckage smouldered behind her (though even if she had, she probably wouldn't have minded still). She rolled her eyes and huffed as Peregrine ushered her friend away, shooting daggers at the back of his head for interrupting their girl time, but otherwise just gave Fox a nod and returned to staring off in the distance while angry thoughts ran rampant in her overactive imagination.