Alya paused as she passed a peculiar scent on her patrol - Vaati's. She'd left it here as she'd crossed back into the territory after meeting with him. How sloppy of her. With a surruptitious glance around the area, Alya rubbed herself against the mark in an attempt to cover it up. The distinct scent of lust that had been mixed with it (and that had become Alya's special brand of perfume, lately) had been rather telling.
But soon enough, the scent was well enough disguised that she worried about it no longer. Besides - even if someone had found it (aside from her sisters, who knew about her
liasons), what would they do? Alya was merely trying to save face.
Business concluded, she continued along on her patrol. The valley floor felt much safer with Vaati on their side. The dark wood seemed almost neutralized, and she wasn't worried about Redhawk aggression. If they came, she would meet them - Alya was no child.
Alya glanced over her shoulder as the sound of another's approach. It was a pack scent, so she slowed her pace and shook out her pelt, the sudden motion making her more visibling among the trees that crowded Moonspear's base. The other bled out of the shadows and revealed himself to be Hydra's young apprentice.
"Hey - you," the dark woman greeted, floundering for a moment as she tried to recall the boy's name. It was silly for her to forget; Hydra talked about him often enough. Alya resolved to be more present, and to pay more attention to her packmates. This was getting just a little bit silly. "Drogon," she said at last, giving her tail an idle flick.
It was pretty obvious that she'd forgotten his name, so she tried to make up for that fact with a benign smile and her full attention - something that most could only strive to achieve. "On patrol?"
I didn't realize he was sneak-attacking! I would've let him :o
"Alya," she supplied without offense. She'd spent her whole life being mistaken for her sisters, and - if it had ever occurred to her at all - it had been a very long time since she had thought it rude. Instead, she found Drogon rather charming, and in answer to his sweet, boyish smile, she offered a grin of her own.
The one and only, he said. What a lonely life he must lead, without even regular siblings to play with.
"Mm," she agreed, bobbing her head as she turned back to the trail, assuming Drogon would walk beside her, now.
"Not patrolling so much as freshening scent markers." Alya had come to believe that the true threats came from
inside the territory.
"But I'm just about done."
Her smile thinned somewhat as he mentioned his sneak-attack. Briefly, a cool, haughty look came into her eyes. Whether or he believed she was Hydra, she'd still detected his presence before he could launch his attack. That didn't sound anything like
almost to her.
"Is that so?" she said instead, expression falling back into easy friendliness with a side of superiority.
Her opinion of Drogon rose somewhat as he laughed off her implication. He was using humorous self-deprecation on her, she realized. Huh. It works, she thought to herself, painted a smile that was almost maternal (if not for the hint of insideous mischief that she could not seem to shake) across her pretty face.
"You might've surprised me still," she offered, "I was not expecting an attack."
She found herself willing to admit to this in order to give praise to the boy; there was something she found inherently likeable about him. Perhaps it was the knowledge that Hydra thought well enough of him to take him on as an apprentice. (Alya found herself considering it might be worthwhile to take on an apprentice of her own.) Perhaps it was simply his own magnetic charm. Either way - "We should practice. Maybe it'll help you to spar with someone a bit like her, but less... frightening," said Alya, giving Drogon a smile that was not meant to be bloodthirsty or flirtatious, but ended up being both.
erk. Sorry for the wait and probably a crappy post. I'm not great at fight scenes, but I want Alya to have more experience.
As soon as Drogon gave confirmation, Alya lowered herself into a brief, playful bow. A tiny smirk remained on her face as she righted herself, but slipped away as soon as she stood ready once more. The woman began to circle around the younger male, waiting to see if he would attack first.
"Don't be shy," she encouraged, eyes sharp upon the younger wolf. He was not her brother, and although Hydra thought well of him, she did not yet trust him to keep the fight clean. Not even she planned to play it entirely fair, after all.