Deep in slumber, Kavos had fantastic dreams:
—of giant, incredible monsters, and journeys through climates and wildlands he could never recall after beginning to stir. These night-visions both terrified and invigorated him; both chased him into wakefulness and beckoned him to sleep forever. The colors, the sounds, the smells! It was all so very vivid and stimulating that it drove him mad with titillating fear and selfish want each time he awoke without provocation— oh, how desperately he wanted to be there!— but such fantasies were not meant to be. And for the last week or so, he had woken up angry... and alone.
At least his mother had seen him through the cold.
She'd promised to return, and he had waited at first out of necessity, but the second he'd caught a mouse for himself, and then proved his ability again on a poorly-sensed rabbit, Kavos felt confident enough to strike out on his own without sparing a second thought for anyone.
The longer he was alone, the more he thought about those he missed, and the more he dreamed. He barely remembered Eros and Prialux during his day-to-day plow, but their young faces were crystal clear when he slept, often perched beneath by the flop-earred shadow of Tambourine, or the deep chestnut fur of Banner. Even the dark figure of Stark loomed in the fringes of his thoughts, though he was unable to reconcile with whether it was because he associated the closest thing he had to a father with the preservation of his life or the unfortunate elusiveness of his death. And with no present concept of suicide, Kavos relied entirely on his most base instincts— all of which drove him to keep living.
The morning had worn itself into afternoon by the time Kavos had reached the great Moonspear. He had been walking too long, not even noticing that one of his pawpads had become torn several miles back, and now maintained a steady drip. He smelled his own blood, but ignored it in favor of chasing the scents that bordered the peak looming above him. He remembered how careful Amara had been to steer them away from such pack scents, but without her there to act as a buffer (and without knowing the likely ramifications of breaching these unknown borders), he crossed into the mountainous territory free of any caution.
Still, knowing there might be others around put him on edge, so he stiffened his limbs defensively and hung his tail low between his legs in marked uncertainty, as he picked up his pace in the hopes of crossing the base of Moonspear unnoticed.
A late riser by default, by afternoon, she found herself hitting her stride and stretching out into motion solo over the lower reaches of the Spear. There lingered an appeal to head out to the flatlands, investigate hunting and otherwise in the face of the mild temperatures, but her mind kept wandering back to Charon almost to the point of distraction, so she never got around to leaving entirely.
By the time she officially joined up with their claim's outside edges, interest had waned and her mind kept wandering too much already as it were: to the skies overhead, to the ice-capped peaks, then inevitably back to her scarred mate, and everything else in between seemingly all at once. She grappled with getting her focus back, and when the battle was hard-fought to such paltry reward, she felt frustrated; with numbers thin, there were more things to do than lounge and laze with Charon at her side -- although that idea stayed on her mind whether she liked it or out. He was probably on patrol too, or somewhere nearby with the girls, and of course this notion soothed her prickly attention enough to let her get going again over the base.
And as such, she found it largely undisturbed.. up until a strange trail (with a hint of blood on it?) raised her alert and immediately sent her stalking after the source. Without knowing what would await, she willed the cloudy focus away to favor a spearheaded, tactical mindset if she could have it. Raising her hackles and shaking off the rust, she hoped whatever it may be could interest her long enough
She loomed dangerously down the path behind the foreigner's trail, tracking close to where she guessed his footfalls to be and slowly, surely, gaining speed with every long stride. Finally seeing the stranger, although at first it was just a glance of his lighter furs as he trekked, only encouraged her to pick up the pace even more. When she closed in on him, it was without preamble, and besides the presence she carried with tail tall and posture fringing on the edge of violence, there was only a low snarl to suggest that so long as his paws stayed on her mountain, he was at her pack's mercy.
i wrote this in 3 sittings so it's just as disjointed as you'd think :@
Though tall for his age and toting feet large enough to imply he was a well endowed man, at the end of the day Kavos was still just a boy— no older than nine in human years— and despite his bridging sense of independence, his true age would come to full light when presented with an unfamiliar force. This fact, his age, was perhaps the only thing that might keep him alive in this instance.
He was brave at first, turning as the sound of a charge withdrew him from focusing on the monotonous plod of his own steps. His lips peeled back, revealing a bright shock of fresh gums and uneven teeth; some that yet looked too large for his mouth, and a few— the last of his baby teeth— that looked to be too small. The noise he returned was high and strangled, tapering into a sharp cry of alarm as his legs suddenly buckled and his body made to roll onto its back.
He resisted the urge to submit... but he was weak. Weaker than he could ever feel. Kavos' want was to retaliate, to defend himself, but his body was smarter than his desire to rebel, and the most primal need for self-preservation as well as a wolf's urge for social contact, had him unwittingly seeking to appease her. The boy growled uncertainly as he rocked on his side, unable to decide if he should be on his feet, or giving her his belly. He was caught between the motions, his tail tucked over his sweet spots, and his wide eyes eager to see how violently she'd close the last few bounds between them.
Hydra had been seeking her mother, or father, again—for much the same reason as the other times, in fact. She wanted to patrol and knew that at this point she still must do so with them. What truly caused her to seek them out was that she enjoyed their company and their counsel, and craved their teachings. Because if Hydra truly wanted to do this alone, she would, regardless of repercussions (as she presumed that to do so was
not fatal, not with her parents consistent diligence she herself had sniffed out at the borders... sooner rather than later they would find her in any case).
The girl froze when she caught the same scent as her mother had. There was no hesitation as she, too, kicked herself into high gear—Hydra even called for
@Alya and
@Lyra to join her. Hydra had, naturally, told them of their fathers perspective on trespassers (that they were to die). What caused her to not hesitate in the slightest was the scent and—as she galloped onward—sight of her mother, already on the scene. Hydra had more distance to cover than she, but her violent intent was evident in the sharp, hard lines of her youthful face. The dutiful and savage daughter did not question the things that she was taught, but she had not yet arrived before the (now submitting) Kavos who still had time on his side... and maybe, just maybe, her mother.
Now up much closer, his true age was far more apparent than it had been on stalking up from his rear. But knowing this alone likely would not be enough to temper her aggression any; she didn't know him enough to feel any sympathy for his worn state, so here his worth was particularly diminished until he proved otherwise. Ignoring her mountain's boundaries already set him back.
Although she'd left him with the chance to change quickly that and just flee, it didn't seem that would be his choice as soon as his body bowed and his belly was up to her just after. At least sight of his overturned underside, and all the decadent vantage points she could use to dispatch him if necessary, instinctively appeased the alpha — along with knowing she was not alone, for one of her dark daughters appeared. He'd not warrant a chase outright yet, not with this being a small step in a better direction, but she did close the last ground with a low rumble — poised and assured in the steps that brought her very close.
The malicious curl of her lips stayed firm however with all senses keyed prominently on him as she moved over the juvenile male's prone form to take in a good, long look at him. "What are you doing here?" she snarled quietly, coldly, while hovering her muzzle near his teeth first.
His grimacing mouth was set into a silent cry; mixed teeth shining as his breaking body committed to submitting without his explicit choice to do so. The cogs in his brain turned and rolled quicker than he could understand, but he what he could understand was the fierce and heavy pounding of his heart, letting him know that he was afraid. Having never been seriously injured, he was reacting purely to her presence rather than the muscle memory of something bad. He didn't need context to know that he had done something wrong— whatever it was.
Another dark figure was streaking towards them too, and as mother bear exercised her right to examine him as closely as she wished, Kavos felt intensely overwhelmed. Her breath came hot against his face, slapping him with her intense disapproval.
No one had ever talked to him so harshly before.
The wide-eyed boy suddenly didn't like how prone his body was. It had felt right at first but now he was beginning to feel the same way he felt when he'd first realized the snow had trapped him in Marauder's Keep— I'm in danger.
He turned on his feet again, backpedaling from beneath Amekaze and giving himself more room to run if he should no longer be able to handle the kitchen fire he'd thrown himself into. The dark queen's question still burned in his ears; he'd been unconsciously mulling it over in the seconds that had passed, wondering what he should say, wondering what she wanted him to say. Kavos was not a stupid boy, but he hadn't been taught very many things; so when he finally did give a response from his vulnerably crouched stance, it was in the form of a fiercely disjointed bark:
"Home!"
What he meant to say was something along the lines of "trying to get home..." but close enough.
She forcibly came to a stop, hearing her mothers words, noting that her mother was battle-ready but not battling. And so Hydra wheeled around her to the opposing side, her ears catching the word he spoke: home. This isn't your home,
she remarked with a snort, you're trespassing. You could be killed for that,
she glanced to her mother in a way that meant she was double-checking, and turned back to Kavos. His body language appealed to her, too, and she found the urge to attack him had lessened significantly, though it still lurked within. or... is he saying... he wants this to be home?
her eyes turned from mother to trespasser. Not off to a strong start if thats what you want, she thought, but this she kept to herself. Her mother was the more experienced of them, and Hydra naturally deferred to her; her words, and inquiries, were all so that she could learn from one of the best (Amekaze).
Rightfully so, the boy looked uncomfortable and it left her to wonder how much of his predicament he realized. Wolves crossed through here for any number of reasons. Only few did so quite this foolishly, some of which she could probably attribute to age or inexperience if she wanted. She let him right himself, move away, and stood where she was with a soft huff. His answer came as one, abrupt syllable. Just a lone word. Home.
To her, her small family, and a few select others, the mountain was precisely that. But he remained a stranger still. If he had wandered from a nearby pack, she would never know it by scent now. At least, none of them familiar to her nose.
Hydra had keyed into the important points here already, thus saving her from more than a subtle nod that matched a glance her way. All of what she said rung true and her trust for outsiders had thinned over the winter. "Whoever he is, he is lucky to not be dead already," she sighed, but she could not tell his true intentions yet either. "He might be.." she murmured quietly to her daughter over the other juvenile, still watching him with narrowed eyes and a stiffened tail. She had yet to decipher how bright he truly was or what hell it was he had crawled from before making it to here before their tense scrutiny. Assuming his ability to answer more, she'd have to ask on. "Well, is that so? Are you looking for your home? Or needing a new one?" Possibly as clear as she'd bother to make it with the prefacing Hydra provided.
*jumps in time machine*
A noticably poor grasp on the language would back Kavos into a disadvantageous corner at that moment. Though he might one day understand the importance of verbal communication, it unfortunately escaped him now. He could certainly understand their terse behavior— feeling in his bones that he wasn't wanted by either raven she-devil— but their words registered very little meaning in his flat-bedded ears.
The mother spoke directly to him then, asking him a question he seemed to struggle with internally, but he didn't take but a moment to answer.
Yes, he said stiffly. Then, seeming to realize this didn't answer the question, he blurted:
both. Misunderstanding the question as it was meant, but answering honestly anyway.
Hydra glanced at the male, then her mother. He responded, and as his body language remained appropriate Hydra listened. After a beat, Hydra hummed to him: if you want this to be your home, you will do this,
and she set upon him an arduous task to fulfill. And once that is done, you will wait by the border. If you trespass again...
she did not need to finish the sentence, she did not think. One head-nod from her mother was all it took to seal the deal, and Hydra would not forget it. They let him go, though they followed him beyond their proverbial doorstep some. Hydra watched him, curious if he would fulfill the task... and eager to find out if he could.