Finch

Ravens circling Finch, alerting the Lebo Peak sisters of a wounded wolf.

## About Finch

### Biography

**Finch** was born to Adder and **Pyrrhic** of the Daylit Meadow Pack inside the traditional Skyview den. It went seven generations back, first used by Night Sky. Aside from that, Finch had three brothers - **Lupin**, **Eden**, and **Creek** - and three sisters - **Seashell**, **Mist**, and **Kimora**. The first day the litter was allowed outside the den, Seashell fell ill of unknown causes. Nobody really minded, as it meant they got to walk to another den, but they didn't understand how exhausting it would be. The slow herd of wolf pups steadily trotted to the clearing directly below Tundracliff before sleepily passing out, unable to walk more than a small distance. Finch was the only one who didn't instantly drop into the tall grass like a fly, but when he opened his mouth to brag, his father instantly shushed him. Gotcha. They ended up resting down there for several days instead, and during that time, Seashell got better. Her condition got really bad, but it seemed to have gone away on its own. It was strange to Finch how she felt horrible for one minute and then felt fine for the other. So, he decided to test something - what was necessary to ensure a sick packmate would be alright? When Adder and Pyrrhic left the field of tall grass they were sheltering in at the time, so did Finch, making sure to spend as much time in the cold weather as possible. He made sure to get sick, even if it was just an average cold. Eyes watering and nose sniffling, he returned to his littermates when he sensed their parents returning from who-knows-where. Pretending to be asleep, they didn't notice anything was off and continued their usual routine with the pups. The next morning, when they set out again, Finch wandered over to a patch of strong-smelling flowers he recognized as lavender. He remembered his father had mentioned lavender's scent soothed him and made his nose stop running, so Finch god a little... experimental. He chewed the flower thoroughly before consuming a fair amount and returned to the temporary shelter when he felt he had enough. Surprisingly, his remedy worked, and the symptoms of his sickness left much quicker than usual. Nobody even knew he was ill, which was an accomplishment in and of itself. The fact that a pup so young and small was so innovative was extraordinary, yet he knew if he told anyone he'd get in trouble.

The group moved on to the McBride Cliffside densite, where they only stayed for a few days. Then they went to the Grassy Bank, not too far from the previous den. After spending some more time growing and prancing through the grasses, they moved on to the fourth and final densite - Antler Valley. Food was scarce for some time and Finch's packmates were just barely getting by, but in the summer, food was plentiful and Finch developed a craving for pronghorn. The first rendezvous site was back near the first den, Skyview - it was the traditional Wilted Petals of Violet site that most Meadow Pack members remember growing up in, including Adder. The pups continued to grow quickly, and surprisingly to Finch, he was chosen as the heir when it was time to disperse. He felt pride, but also slight worry - *he knew he was scrappy and independent enough to get by, but was this the life meant for him*?

Finch arrived at Second Meadow and planned to make it his home turf. Almost as soon as he arrived, he heard some strange sounds in the wind. Curiously, he followed the source of the noise - it sounded like elk, but something was off. There was another type of sound mixed in, perhaps a wolf? Slowly, he stalked and carefully walked towards the scene. It was a dispersal female, and she appeared to have been injured by a spike elk during a failed hunt. The elk was still kicking her as she lay on the ground, helplessly calling out for her packmate. Finch saw this as an opportunity and began trying to take the elk for himself, swiftly chasing it away from the injured wolf. He wasn't trying to be nice, but she was immensely grateful for what she viewed as his bravery and strength. He continued pursuing the elk for multiple hours, trying his hardest to catch it off guard. Yes, he could have backed down, but he was getting very, very hungry, and the moment he selected his target, he was practically locked on - which is quite rare for him, as he's normally rather distractable. Slowly but surely, he weakened the spike to exhaustion, but he was already spent as well. In a final ditch effort, he threw himself on it and clamped his jaws around its neck. He succeeded, but barely. Finch, tired and on the verge of death, collapsed right onto the carcass of the elk he just hunted down. It went dark, yet in the darkness, he heard a voice. A melodic, gentle voice. It dragged him back to reality, and when he awoke, he saw a golden wolf concernedly looking at him. Apparently, the ravens led her to him. She, despite not knowing who Finch was, seemed genuinely happy to see him alive. Her sister was there too, and they made sure he was alright, but something was different about the one that awoke him. When they began talking some more, a ravenous grizzly interrupted their meeting and wounded the golden wolf when she ran in and tried to protect Finch. She was chased off, and Finch was left with just her silver-coated sister. They scattered in the opposite direction. *But who was the golden dame*? ...

Some minutes passed until Finch was completely awake and his head felt better, and only then did he realize this was the wolf he had accidentally saved some hours ago. The golden wolf was probably the one she was calling out for in desperation, and she must have told her that he saved her. He asked if this was true, and she confirmed it, adding that her name was Argentum and her sister was Aurum. Another part of the story that she added on was how it was actually the ravens that helped Aurum find him - she had always been close to nature. *Her coat wasn't the only golden thing about her.* Shaking his head to clear his mind, he asked where she could have gone, but Argentum only shrugged. With a sigh, he asked if she was willing to search for her together. Unsurprisingly, she agreed, and they went on their way. Hours passed. Then days. Where could she have gone? Disappointed and disheartened, the two made their way back to the spike elk kill site, only to find Aurum, also waiting for them. Despite not knowing much about her, Finch ran to her as fast as his injured leg could carry him. He startled her, but they ended up talking some more. Eventually, Argentum sensed that something was going on between them, and went her separate way. She was right, and Finch and Aurum became mates, soon settling into the traditional Meadow Pack territory. They claimed The Grassy Plateau and everything east of it because the south belonged to Rowan. Before the pups were born, Aurum admitted to Finch she had another mate before him. In fact, they had two pups together. Of course, she loved them dearly. More than herself. But one day tragedy struck, and she came back home after a long hunt to see litres of blood spilled and splashed all over the trees of the forest surrounding the den. The pups were both dead, and her mate was barely conscious. There had been a cougar ambush, and he tried his hardest to fight it, but he simply wasn't strong enough. ... He died later that day, and Aurum has hated grassy, wooded areas ever since, refusing to den in them no matter what. Other than making Finch sad, this disheartened him - he had always wished of denning at Aspen Heights, but he accepted her wish and selected the Ancestral Shelterstone as the final den. (story pending)

### Strength

As one could very easily tell just by hearing his name, Finch isn't the strongest wolf in the world. Yes, he's rather healthy, so it isn't that big of a deal, but a lack of bite force is still a hindrance to him. He has lots of stamina, and also a fair amount of speed. One second you see him, the other second you don't.

## Personality

Finch is a naturally independent - yet still playful - little trooper. When he got deathly sick as his parents were far away settling territory disputes, he didn't tell anyone. He just wasn't bothered enough to tell the others - he felt they wouldn't help out much anyway. Even without receiving any form of attention, his parents came home to find out he survived the otherwise horrid illness with 40% of his health. Despite him hiding his weaknesses, he's very social and enjoys the company of others. He's surprisingly very hyper and has lots of energy to spend playing. He easily gets distracted from what he’s doing, and his thoughts can be all over the place. His signature move is annoying someone until he gets their attention, and then dashing away.

## Appearance

Finch is a mostly black wolf, but he also has some lighter, almost white hues. Most of his body - his head, ears, scruff, back, legs, and tail - are dark gray or even matte black with no orange, red or brown tints. Part of his torso - mostly the sides - is a slightly lighter gray shade. His coat is pure, glossy, and shiny, like that of an actual finch. However, his chin, the insides of his ears, his chest, and also a little bit of his neck are white, which contrasts the rest of his fur perfectly. He doesn't have a terribly large build, and he also has a slight back curve. He doesn't have any scars whatsoever, which is rare for a Meadow Pack wolf. A radio collar is tightened around his neck, thanks to him being overly curious about research airplanes and getting caught by the researchers. His eyes are a nice, warm, reddish brown shade.

## Litters

### First Litter - Aurum - Age 3

Finch had his first litter with Aurum at the Ancient Shelterstone densite that overviews the entirety of First Meadow. Although Finch typically prefers smaller spaces, they had to choose an open den due to Aurum's past with grassy, wooded dens. There were four pups - two male, and two female.

Songbird is the largest of the litter, and aside from being somewhat bulky, he has a very neat, dark brownish-gray coat which he often compares to Corvid's. Songbird is, on the surface, a very well-mannered and respectful wolf, seemingly always wanting to do what's right, and helping others in need. When he's with his siblings though, his personality completely turns around. He becomes very mocking of the others, constantly jeering at them and pulling them by the tails. He's always seen with Maple, no matter what situation he's in. He's almost nauseatingly energetic and adores running around with the others, but lacks his usual rationality when he dives too deep into a game of chase. Out of everyone, Songbird was the last to fall ill - which is somewhat surprising, as he's actually rather careful with dangerous things. It's most likely that he got it from drinking dirty rainwater, which he would never admit to for the sake of his dignity.

Maple is a large light brown she-wolf with a darker brown stripe that connects from the tip of her nose to the end of her tail. Out of all the pups of the litter, Maple simply cares the least. She just prefers to be left alone, and if you tell her to do or not to do something, she'll just ignore you and continue doing her own thing. She's usually seen with Songbird, which is surprising as he's probably the most rational wolf in the whole litter - a stark contrast from her rashness. She's incredibly unbothered, and just does whatever she wants, whenever she wants, such as running away from the den full-speed and jeering ''You can't catch me!'' instead of listening to her mother's pleas to get back. Absolutely nothing is taken seriously when Maple's around, and she isn't optimistic or pessimistic - she's a realist and almost always tells the truth. An exception was when she got sick - she insisted that she got it from Corvid, even though he had been healthy for days at that point, and that it *totally* wasn't because of the stinkbug Songbird dared her to eat. She almost died because she didn't want to admit what made her sick, and whenever someone brought it up again after she got better, she simply ignored it per Maple fashion.

Rhyme is a small runt female, with a thin coat of black fur that doesn't help hide her slim build at all. Due to being physically weaker than her littermates, Rhyme tends to be very timid and secluded, and also slightly cowardly. When she was still a very young pup, she was chased by an angry cow moose that invaded the Ancestral Shelterstone's small clearing as a way of being protective of her soon-to-be calf. She bolted across the clearing and behind a rock, immediately laying low and hiding herself, believing that staying still and submitting was the solution. Only when the moose focused on Corvid and his very, very daring self, she dashed for the den's cover. She was more of a rabbit than a wolf, really, and her cautious behaviors didn't dissipate as she grew. She was now scared of literally anything moose-related, even refusing to eat moose morsels. Don't think she wasn't playful, though - even if she did it by herself, she loved playing with the sticks Corvid brought back. She was the third pup to get sick, and nobody knew why she got sick as she was too paranoid to do something like eat a stinkbug (ahem, *Maple*)...

Corvid is a large, dark, brownish-gray brute, and he's the youngest of the entire litter. Ever since he was small, Corvid has been very daring and determined, constantly pushing on without much regard for his actual safety. He tends to be hard-headed, shamelessly doing what he believes is right... which usually includes pouncing on his littermates and giving them a scare, and then growling and snarling at them when they object in any way. He's very quick to defend himself, even if he bases his statements on total bluffs. He also tends to gather and hoard things like sticks or old antlers, for no real reason other than having something to play with whenever he gets bored. A playful side of his personality shows itself if one spends enough time with him, and he resembles his father Finch a lot. Another way he resembles Finch is how he survived his illness effortlessly at 42% of his health - he was practically immune, and it didn't take long at all for him to get back up on his legs again. When the cow moose invaded the densite, he was more intrigued than anything, and after getting bored of the moose, he took the chance and slipped away to explore while the others were still focused on the threat. Aside from the aloofness, Corvid enjoys spending time with his father, mostly by following him around while talking. Beware, though - he's only high-spirited if he's close to you.

## Gallery

Ravens circling Finch, alerting Aurum and Argentum.Finch and Aurum, together at last. <3Finch having a drink of water after a border dispute.Finch at the Ancestral Shelterstone, nipping on a snowshoe hare.Finch passing through Tundra's Stream.
## Trivia

* At first, Finch wasn't even close to being an heir contestant - it was all about his brother, Eden, and the thing that converted me to team Finch was him recovering from his sickness with ease without Adder having spent any time on him.
* **LIFETIME CHALLENGE**: AFFECTIONATE - After having pups, always keep pack affinity above 65%. // Succeeded.
* **SIDE CHALLENGE**: Find Aurum (Lebo Peak 81F) once more. // Succeeded.