Bramblepoint I'll man the flashlight.

Towhee didn't mean to be disobedient but there came a time when she could no longer deny her impulses. She did make a point to drag @Phox along again when she sneaked to the borders, though she left him there when he expressed hesitation about going too far beyond them. Compelled by her memory of the encounter with @Hydra and the coyote, the young mercenary apprentice trotted back toward the nearby woods. She wouldn't allow herself to hope to find Hydra—that went against her code of despising outsiders—but her orange eyes continuously tracked through the trees as she arrived, searching for any sign of a moving shadow.

Hydra traveled with @Alya, and together they spoke on the new, young additions within the pack. Decidedly, they did not like the children. Hydra spoke for a time, and as Alya exasperatedly said, "...they're just," Hydra finished her sentence aloud, as they often did, bad. And they were indeed bad. Though Hydra still had yet to put a finger on the exact reason why, their collective irritation had them dart out of the territory to hunt something. Hydra knew Lyra was busy today learning from either Pyx or Olive and they would find her later. She and Alya lurked within the Bramblewood together and worked together to take down a rabbit when a strange scent caught her attention. She and Alya followed it for a time when it split... and Hydra squinted. Alya knew without words what Hydra wanted, and went in one of the directions, while Hydra continued in this one.

Without working ears to give her auditory cues, Towhee's other senses—vision included—had become extra sharp to make up for it. She didn't miss a movement as her orange eyes scanned from side to side, pausing for a second every time she noticed a tree limb shudder or a leaf shiver as an unheard wind soughed through the forest. The instant a black figure appeared in the distance, headed roughly in her direction, her eyes fixed on it. Her tail began to wave before she caught herself and stilled it.

She knew a little about controlling volume now (even if she really couldn't tell the difference) and made a point to clear her throat and raise her voice as she called, "Hydra!"

Whatever the scent was, it abruptly ended. Hydra stared at the earth and noted a small hole, and rose to turn to find Alya to see her own findings. All this was cut short when her name was called, and her eyes turned to find the familiar figure of Towhee. This particular cub she did not mind as, well, she wasn't on Moonspear. Any young child that was not Ostrega or Moonspear born upon Moonspear would always be regarded with suspicion. Hydra shook out her furs before trotting toward Towhee, her attention redirected. Towhee, she greeted with a fond flick of her plume—they had, in their own way, bonded over the massacre of a coyote, and as Towhee hadn't gotten in the way of her end-game Hydra enjoyed her and her boldness. Where's Raven? She asked, peering over her shoulder. The wind told no tales of Raven's presence, but perhaps she was meant to meet Towhee here.

She noticed the amicable flick of Hydra's tail and felt a secret delight at it, though she kept her face carefully neutral as she regarded the older youth. "She's not with me today. My brother, Phox, is back there," Towhee replied, making her sibling's name sign automatically as she spoke. She shrugged as if to say none of it mattered.

Her burnished eyes took on a shrewd, speculative light as she asked in her slow, difficult-to-understand speech, "Would you practice fighting with me?" For some reason Towhee could not exactly explain, she figured Hydra to be the perfect opponent. And if she happened to hurt her (however unlikely), at least she was an outsider.

Hydra nodded toward the girl. It was neither here nor there to Hydra whether or not Towhee was allowed out or not, the fact was she was here and her guardian was not howling frantically for her... and so Hydra could only assume it was fine. Even if it was not fine, Hydra was not the boss of the girl and had little desire to be. It was none of her business, as far as she was concerned. 

It took Hydra a minute to translate just what Towhee was asking of her, but when she did Hydra slid into a playbow to enable the other to know her maneuvers would not be to hurt the other. Hydra would spar with her. Without wasting another moment, Hydra sprang toward Towhee with no intent to land any blows but to (attempt to) nip at a rear leg of the Redhawk youth to instigate movement.

Rather than make a verbal reply, Hydra simply bowed forward. Towhee was so caught up in staring at her face, waiting for her mouth to move, that the sudden movement took her by surprise. By the time she cottoned onto what was happening, Hydra had already lunged forward and begun nipping at her heels. The Xi felt the fleeting smear of a cold, damp nose and then the sharper heat of teeth on the tight tendons there.

With a gruff bark, Towhee pivoted to keep her opponent in front of her, then scrambled to remember some of the things Elwood and the other adults had taught her so far. Her muzzle angling lower to cover her throat was nearly automatic by now. Her useless ears flattened and her lips wrinkled back to bare her teeth, still glistering white due to her age. Her tail lashed as she eyed Hydra, measuring her up and anticipating another attack.

Becoming a warrior was about offensive fighting, she knew. But for the moment, she did not launch her own assault, instead still gathering her bearings for the scrap as she waited to see what Hydra might do next.

Her own defenses were set, muzzle draped over her throat and her body-weight relatively squared. Her ears rest against her head, the tear upon it a reminder of Alya's own error in remembering to set her defenses. The hive would not make sure a mistake again, and Hydra was taking care to teach her sisters how to handle themselves as well. Hydra circled Towhee like the shark that she was to keep her moving, before she feinted for the others foreleg but again drove for the others hind to cause her to misstep. Her teeth did not seek to gain any purchase as she swung her body away; her true aim here was to goad Towhee into moving toward a tree, to see if she could control the youths movements as her mother had instructed her to do for her own benefit. Without that guidance Hydra would have never thought of it.

Hydra began to circle and Towhee tracked her, eyes boring into her opponent's face as the anticipation built. This time, she was slightly more prepared when the dark she-wolf sprang at her, though she was easily tricked by the feint. She snapped her teeth at empty air near her foreleg as Hydra maneuvered instead to bite at her heels again. There was the barest brush of hot breath over the already damp skin before Hydra retreated.

Although unaware of the older girl's plan, Towhee unwittingly thwarted it (somewhat) by finally making an offensive move of her own. As Hydra swung away, the Xi dropped into a crouch and then pushed forward, aiming in the vicinity of Hydra's neck and chest. She shut her mouth, not wanting to score her opponent with her teeth but rather tag her bluntly with her snout. Even though Hydra was an outsider, Towhee wanted to employ the same mindfulness she did when sparring with Elwood or another member of her inner circle, as she did not endeavor to do actual damage.

Towhee was quick as Hydra moved, but not quick enough to land the blow at the precise area in which she desired to strike—Hydra surged forward swiftly, leaving Towhee's muzzle to brush against the round curve of her hindquarter. Hydra's own retaliation was swift as she now remembered Coq's words to her—to not be afraid to strike. Hydra sought to utilize the same attack as Towhee, though did not crouch as she simply surged forward. She employed the same toothless method as her opponent. Hydra wanted to herd Towhee toward the tree, to see if she could move Towhee in the direction she desired to go. Her mother was more versed in this art than she, but Hydra knew the only way to become better was to practice it. Hydra would not strictly go for the others feet in order to do so.

Her hit didn't land anywhere near where intended and Towhee felt a fleeting flare of frustration lick through her like a flame. In the next instant, Hydra's snout connected with her shoulder blade, effectively pushing her sideways and backward. Unaware that she was being shepherded, Towhee didn't even try to plant her feet. Instead, she hopped backward—unwittingly indulging Hydra's plan—to put about two feet of space between them. She then gnashed her teeth in mock aggression just before crouching and striking again, still aiming for Hydra's neck and shoulders.

It had worked! Hydra was thrilled with her success, but it did not show upon her ever stoic countenance. Her eyes and her mind were upon the battle, and when she noted Towhee's next movement—the very same attack as the first—Hydra surged forward her with open jowls, protecting the area with her open mouth and attempting to incite a brief jaw spar whilst she continuously moved forward, hoping to push Towhee ever nearer to the tree. Using the environment to her advantage was something she herself had thought of, but moving the other seemed a good distraction too...

Rather than the tough meat of a shoulder blade, Towhee was met with a mess of sharp teeth instead. Her own mouth rapidly opened in retaliation and her fangs clicked against Hydra's as they momentarily clashed. She felt a painful scrape against her gums which hurt enough to prompt Towhee to retreat, tongue slithering forward to swipe across the inside of her mouth even as she backpedaled, her rump bumping into the rough bark of a tree. She tasted blood, which made her ears fold uncertainly. At least she couldn't see it.

Although she wasn't exactly cornered—there was wide open space on either side of her—Towhee nonetheless felt a little boxed in by their current positions. Although her blows hadn't landed the first two times, she nevertheless made a third attempt to lunge for Hydra's shoulder. There was a bit of desperation in her movements this time as she surged forward, flagging a little due to both the exertion and the frustration of a lackluster performance.

Hydra anticipated her next move, if only because it seemed to be Towhee's only move. Due to this Hydra, as Towhee began her movement, swung her hips wide and sprang to push Towhee forward with her own momentum, her own fangs seeking to grab hold of Towhee's scruff only to shove her downward with her forward movement, attempting to get her to the ground and to pin her in one go. Her fangs did not seek to draw blood, and she had went for an area she knew was more durable and hardy. Hurting Towhee was not on her agenda—learning, and winning, was.

She had become predictable, so Hydra had no problem not only dodging her attack but countering it expertly, grasping the younger girl by the scruff and dragging her bodily to the ground. She felt the telltale pinch at the back of her neck and felt another flicker of heat pass through her. Partially pinned beneath Hydra, she began shaking her head and growling before angrily shouting, "Let me go!"

With a noisy grunt, Towhee yanked herself free and rather wantonly shoved Hydra away from herself so she could climb onto all fours. Feeling heat prickling all down her back, she found herself quietly seething at her own failure. She had come into this knowing she was smaller, younger and more inexperienced, yet reason didn't seem to have any sway over her emotions currently. She felt hotly indignant that an outsider should get the best of her so easily.

Without a word, Towhee turned sharply from Hydra and stomped away, grumbling at Phox as she brushed past him and sulkily led the way back into the Redhawks' rook.

At the others request, Hydra released. This had been a spar, not a battle for dominance. Bar her predictability, Towhee had done well—and Hydra had went to say as much, but the girl was quick to depart the scene. Hydra, panting, watched her go until she heard the call of her sister. She had found something interesting, it seemed—perhaps what they had smelled. So Hydra, giving Towhee not another thought, turned on her heel and bounded off in the opposite direction of Towhee, toward Alya.