Moonspear the chariot

Hydra still was not yet permitted to go too far from the rendezvous, but often she would test the limits to see what she could get away with. Still, today, she squinted at the horizon, vast and endless, and contemplated. At present her sisters, each of them, napped... though this could change any moment. She wondered at what she would do next; perhaps she would round up her troops, Alya and Lyra, and convince them to attempt to cross the threshold they were not meant to. This was the extent of her disobedience toward her parents, but it could be chalked up to her curiosity more than her lack of discipline as otherwise Hydra was (basically) well-behaved. That in itself could also be because she was used to getting her way, and there was never a need for her to throw a fit and scream her head off. This was the only thing in which Hydra was not permitted to do without being rounded up and brought back, and Hydra wanted to know why. It did not click what 'danger' was, as she had yet to experience the legitimate sort. In her mind, she and her family—each of them, even Korei—could take on anything.

Though Hydra's absence on its own was not enough to rouse little Alya, the scent of mischief certainly was. Put the two together and you got one very-awake little girl. Bright blue eyes popped open and little black ears perked. Slowly, carefully, she picked herself out of the puppy-pile and paded toward her mirror-twin. The Crown Princess was awake and surveying their land - and Alya knew at once what was on the other girl's mind.

"Wanna go?" she whispered, little paws tapping out an excited dance in the dirt. She knew just the direction, too! There was a strange scent downhill a ways that she could never get to for long enough to investigate. The girl had never smelled so strange a scent, and she wondered what her most beloved sister would make of it.

It was after another one of the trio left the den that Lyra decided to finally get up to see what roused the first two. While lacking the more boisterous nature of her identical sisters, she was no less mischievous and curious about their world. As soon as she popped her head out of the den and spotted Hydra staring out beyond the threshold of their confines, she knew what was on her sister's mind. Alya had only just come up beside her with an excited whisper as the third dark girl quietly slunk towards them — as stealthily as an awkward cub could, at least.

"Gotta be shh," she cautioned with a grin, keeping her voice as low as Alya's. She had made it a short distance away before, while Aesop had watched over, but he didn't allow her too far from the den. However, there were no adults around right now.

One ear flipped backward as she heard the sound of Alya approach.

Unlike her father, Hydra knew her sisters apart from one another. It was easy for her to tell, from the way they moved down to the way they breathed. It was likely no different for them—the triplets would know one from the other as no other wolf likely ever would.

Hydra had already decided that she would be going, and so she nodded and said, Was gonna, and her head turned as she heard Lyra approach. The three of them were one cohesive little unit, and Hydra felt that now she truly could go.

A mischevious little grin appeared on her features then, and Hydra regarded Lyra's advice with a glance toward Alya. Their sister was right, it wouldn't be smart to be noisy about it, they'd surely get caught that way. C'mon, Hydra whispered, bounding forward and moving to cross the invisible threshold they were not meant to cross. It was a thrilling feeling, but it didn't feel so wrong with her two counterparts beside her.

Hydra seemed to know exactly the scent Alya thought of, because that, coincidentally, was the direction in which she headed. Whatever that scent was had captured her attention, too.

At Lyra's suggestion, Alya felt her ears go back in embarassment. She knew that she was often singled-out for being the 'loud one', thus breaking the concrete cover that being part of the Cerberus provided. It didn't just ruin her plans when she was loud - it gave their ruse away completely. Slowly, Alya had been learning to control her need to make noise, but it was a long and tiring journey. Sometimes, she feared the other heads would grow weary of her. She wondered if they only kept her because Korei was not an acceptable substitute.

"Quiet," she mumbled softly with a firm nod of her head. She could do this!

Business taken care of, she followed after the Crown Princess of Moon Pear, determined to have an amazing and quiet adventure with her sisters. And, as luck would have it, they were heading right for the strange scent she always wanted to investigate! Her love for Hydra swelled in her chest, and for this reason, she refrained from passing her Most Beloved as they drew nearer to the source of all her curiosity. Hydra could reach it first, and there would still be plenty of time for Alya to get there.

Hopefully.

They were all in agreement, and Lyra's features lit up in a pleased smile. So long as they kept Alya quiet, they would have no trouble sneaking off. She almost wanted to go back to let Korei know about their plan, to tell her to keep their parents busy — maybe even invite her along — before she thought better of it. No, this was something better to just do and hope no-one caught them. How often were they allowed to go so far from the den, anyway?

The three began to move, with Lyra and Alya trailing slightly behind the head of the cerberus. She could also smell the scent that the other two picked up on and wondered at what it was, and why they were so enamoured with it. She personally wanted to go deep into the undergrowth and go exploring in the twisted branches and bushes. She dutifully followed her twin sisters, however, her urge to be with them overpowering her own whims.

Hydra moved to nose Alya, noting her discomfort as she would note a squirrel crossing her path. It was obvious and evident, and Hydra would not have it! Not if she wasn't the direct cause of it, anyways. Good, she encouraged at Alya's comprehending, and she looked to Lyra next.

They began on their way, and though the travel time would take the trio far longer than it would take an adult, the scent seemed to grow stronger... Hydra wondered what it was, and, after glancing behind her with glimmering eyes of excitement that insisted they needed to move faster, she picked up the pace some. Only verbal noises had given her consequence thus far in life, but she did not think of the loudness of their steps as they bounded messily toward their destination. Perhaps @Charon or @Amekaze would, by now, know of their collective absence--no doubt the rendezvous point was quiet without them there--but in the meantime, Hydra brought her sisters ever closer to that smelly smell.

@Alya not sure what u had in mind for what the source of the smelly smell is, but if u want them to see it, u can totes have them identify it!

Whoops! I didn't realize it was my turn. The smell is just a smell, really. Maybe a weird plant or deer poo or something. Or... a gopher hole!

The three set a rapid pace and eventually reached the site of the Strange Smell. Before them was a tiny hole in the ground, scarely big enough for Alya to fit her paw into. For a moment, the girl wasn't sure why she should be interested in such a thing, but childish wonder soon shut down that part of her mind. There was a live-scent down in that hole, and who knew what manner of creature could be hiding inside? Though Alya had no knowledge of gophers - or pretty much any creature that wasn't a wolf or a bird or something else she saw every day - she began to imagine something like a furry octopus that lived underground, and it's arms were mouths and they came out of the ground and gobbled up little puppies that came looking for them!

"Let's dig it," she declared, remembering to keep her voice down and feeling a little proud of herself for not shouting it. They would find the terrible beast and take it home for The Great White to see. Then he'd know that they were cool and awesome like him, and that was all that really mattered in Alya's life.

Aside from exploring, of course.

While slightly more aware of how loud their advance towards the smell was and how it could bring them unwanted attention, Lyra didn't really make any efforts to conceal their escapade. She didn't want to be found out (at least not until they had uncovered the source of the smell!) and she also didn't want her sisters to think she was being too nervous or bossy by asking them to slow down. She was finding it easier to just let her two louder siblings lead the way despite the consequences.

When they finally came across the point where the scent was the strongest, Lyra rounded beside Alya with a twitching nose, eyes curious as she stared at the tiny hole in the ground. Her imagination didn't stretch as far as her sisters', and the girl only worried for what danger was hiding underground. At her order, though, she nodded and began to softly paw at the earth, taking a slow approach to uncovering the mystery.