Osiris had become more independent in his daily activities; his daily range expanded, and he attempted to take on as much responsibility as he was allowed. He had begun to bestride the fine line of obedient and rebellious, though more often, he reverted to his compliant nature.
Today, Osiris ventured up the mountainside. He often tested the limits in his cardiovascular abilities, especially knowing the advantages that it provided during hunting. Becoming a skilled hunter was what he aspired to be, and he knew that his goal wouldn't be achievable without hard work.
Though his climb had just begun, Osiris noticed that his gait was more natural than it had days prior; he had reached the point where he usually started to feel windered. Osiris relished in his progress, distracted for a moment too long. Suddenly, Osiris tripped. Scrambling upon the narrow pathway, he attempted to regain control of his footing. It had been a dangerous place not to have paid attention, and Osiris had come out unscathed this time. The only feeling that lingered was of embarrassment; had somebody seen his mishap? Stopping, Osiris nervously glanced over his shoulder, hoping that nobody had witnessed his mistake.
Hydra had missed the sight of it, but as she came upon him she noted the imprint of his stumbling. Her tail swept in a wave behind her—it was not as though they were immune to tripping, now and then—and she drawled, such imprints can be left behind by our prey, too. With them it can sometimes lead to injury; their ability to recover from such things is different than our own,
she informed with a flick of an ear. Had Hydra known he had not been paying attention she might have reacted differently, but as it was, she did not know.
Bounding ahead of her son—who had grown to be larger than her, now—the matriarch gestured to her side. Come with me. I would like to show you something,
she drawled, leaving no room for his refusal. Osiris never had in his lifetime; Hydra adored him for this. He was tenacious, hungry to learn and understand as she had been in her youth. He often accompanied her at the borders as of late to learn etiquette and the like... but today Hydra had something different in mind as she continued to ascend up until they arrived to a rocky plateau. The earth here leveled out, and Hydra looked to her son to check on his own status. He could handle these climbs now as once he never could; strange to think of that. To think of how very small he had once been.
Had it not been for Osiris' distress, he would have jumped at the sound of Hydra's voice. Upon briefly analyzing his paw steps, he realized that the evidence of his blunder was undeniable. "Kind of like the trail we followed where we looked at the blood?" Osiris asked, taking advantage of the shift in the subject matter.
Hydra pulled ahead to take the lead, and Osiris followed. Her proposal his mind off of his previous misgivings; he was intrigued. "Oh?" he drawled, a smile spreading upon his lips.
Yes,
she confirmed. This was no bloodtrail, but it was a blundertrail; both could provide evidence to their preys state. If injured, you can anticipate more such pockets like the one you created,
she informed him. She had no issue in answering his questions as they went along, and so her ears cupped backward as she took the lead. But when none came and they arrived to their destination, Hydra continued to move forward until she stood upon a solid ledge, heavy with snow and barren of ice.
Look beyond. There is our Glen,
Hydra drawled, ears twitching. This is another good vantage point in which to look out for prey. I want you to begin doing so, and alert me of any movement you see. Wolves can be detected from here too,
she drawled, gaze turning from him to the world beneath them. Hydra wanted to give him more responsibilities; he seemed interested in the hunt, and so she hoped he would take to this task.
Osiris regarded Hydra's information with a nod; traces were a common denominator of his mother's lessons thus far, he had noticed. For now, his curiosity was satiated, and he followed his mother's lead wordlessly.
Their destination was a blanketed overhang—a comfortable ledge with a sprawling view of Moonspear and beyond. It was breath-taking, and quite literally stole the wind from his lungs; he had never seen such an extraordinary sight. As he regained his breath, Osiris obliged and observed the glen below. His eyes roved the snow-covered hills, noticing the life that moved through the terrain—both prey and wolf alike.
Hydra's proposal jump-started his heart, and although excitement surged within him, his expression remained level. The only betrayal of his enthusiasm was the glean in his gemstone-like eyes and the subtle perking of his ears; emotion would not get the best of him in this situation. "I'd be honored to," Osiris replied, bowing his head. "I will not let you down." Despite the various questions that came to mind, he deferred to Hydra, hoping that she might elaborate further on his new responsibilities.
Hydra listened to her son, who was succinct in accepting. Good,
she rejoined simply; she hoped he would not. She would sit with him this day to guide him through it and teach him the ropes to start with. Reclining onto her haunches, Hydra settled into her seated position with her gaze on to lower horizon, where Spear met Glen.
Do you see anything?
She started with; from here, not much would be visible except for movement. Herd movement was obvious; stray, lone prey was difficult to differentiate from wolf from these heights. As it stood, Hydra herself saw nothing as her gaze flit across the landscape below.
Surveying the valley below, Osiris sought any indications of movement within the valley. With the pale backdrop of the snow-covered ground, it was easier for him to discern prey from the landscape. Motion from the northwest corridor caught his attention—five or so deer trekking through the snowfall.
With his posture perking, Osiris motioned towards the herd with his muzzle. "Looks like a good-sized group," he remarked; there were two fawns, two does, and single stag—enough for them to work with. Osiris licked his chops as he fell silent, wondering what Hydra would make of his report.
Hydra saw them a moment after Osiris, having turned to watch him. It was a quiet little moment where she recognized how much he had grown; sitting alongside her, he sat taller than she. Her ears pricked as she realized this. Her little boy was far from little now; he was growing into a man. Not yet, though; he would still be her boy for some time more. Her eyes were soft upon him, and when he spoke she turned to look and see for herself.
Pleased with his finding, Hydra shifted her weight and nodded along with him. Another blip came upon the radar then, causing a ruckus with the herd but not separating them. Hydra rumbled a low note of displeasure. When you see such a thing, call for the pack to answer; any one of us can do so. Go on; alert Moonspear now that someone seeks to use our hunting grounds. If the call does not deter the hunter, one of our wolves will,
she drawled. It seemed a good system. One where he could track and behave as a guardian, too.
Unanticipated disorder occurred, sending the traveling herd into a frenzy. Amid Osiris' observation, Hydra spoke, commanding, "When you see such a thing, call to the pack," his gaze lingered upon the disarray; he was troubled by the sudden change in events.
Despite his inner-most feelings, Osiris obeyed without question—this was how he could help better their current predicament. Howling, Osiris revealed the intruder's proximity and the threat that they posed. As his summoning fading into the frigid air, he lowered his muzzle and waited for the inevitable action to occur.
He listened; fortunately for the duo, little time passed before a Moonspearin wolf intercepted. Ah, not one, two; perhaps it was
@Arcturus and
@Lyra, though as to that Hydra could not really be sure. Two dark blips took control of the situation, and soon the wolf was chased off. Afterward, those two dark blips lingered and pursued the path of the herd.
Now they can encourage the herd to Moonspear, too,
she drawled with a wave of her tail. She looked to Osiris, pleased with the quick shift of events. The tide could often shift in such a way; that was life.
Firefly Glen was your grandfathers favorite territory,
she revealed, gaze turning back to the territory she spoke of.
He could often be found there. He enjoyed the stars; the fireflies remind me of them. You will get to see them in the Summer; they are not around in the Winter,
she explained.
Silhouettes raced into view, deterring the trespasser; the situation was salvaged. Osiris had been tense as he watched from his vantage point, but he visibly relaxed once the issue was resolved. "Will our borders deter the herd?" he wondered, keeping his attention to the action below; the unidentified wolves were already rounding on the familial group, steering them towards the mountain.
The mention of Charon distracted Osiris, and he turned to Hydra as she spoke of her father. Though, it did not take long for Osiris' expression to scrunch as he considered mention of "fireflies". "How do the flies survive if they're on fire?" he asked with an edge of concern; they seemed dangerous.
The innocently posed question was answered with a shake of her head. Prey move where they will when they have somewhere to be. Little deters them; the strong survive, and the weak are culled. That is how it has always been for their breed; that is how it likely always will be.
It was a part of the circle of life; the predator and prey kept one another in balance. One could not survive without the other. They never stay in any one place for long; they are always on the move. Moonspear is vast, though, and there has been one herd that has been content to wander our claim. Perhaps they will return soon,
she drawled, thinking on them. The famine had taken them away, but with things turning as they seemed to... perhaps their own return was imminent.
An ear flicked as she heard her sons question, and she looked to him with veiled amusement. Their name is "firefly". They are not on fire themselves. They get their name because their combined light reminded some wolf of a fire,
she drawled. But it is a far less harsh light than that. It is beautiful, and their light carries no heat or threat. It is like... it is like starlight,
she shares, thinking on them—and thinking, too, of memories with her father within the Glen. A painful pang to think Osiris was robbed of time with him; with his grandmother, too.
Osiris had been thinking like a wolf; the notion of borders meant nothing to prey fleeing for their life. "And they're weak because they don't hunt meat, right?" meat consumption correlated with survival—at least, that was his belief. Osiris silently noted the mention of migration, and again, he found something to question: "Why don't they claim a territory like we do? Wouldn't that make more sense for them—don't they get tired from all that walking?" It worked for wolves—why wouldn't it work for other animals?
Hydra's description of fireflies helped lessen his confusion, and elicited a long-winded, "Oh!" out of him. "That makes more sense," he admitted, recognizing how silly he must have sounded. "Can we go and see them when the Summer comes?"
No,
she corrected, licking her chops as she continued, they are quite strong. One proper kick to our heads can kill us. It is best to avoid where their strike zones are,
she drawled, as best as you can.
Sometimes it could not be helped; and sometimes, if a good grip was landed it ought to be maintained... but it was easy to tell when it was slipping. Some blows from them can be crippling. It is best to trust your instinct in a hunt, and never your pride,
she advised. Hydra again licked her chops, shifting her weight to inspect the situation below further. It was easy to see from their aerial view the way the herd was tested by her subordinates in a casual fashion.
Looking to him to answer his next question, Hydra drawled: they are migratory creatures. We shift where the rendezvous is from time to time to accomodate where they populate. Moonspear is rich with plantlife of all variety in the seasons to come, and they wander to where there is greenery. They are able to find it in Winter, too; this one has been... different,
to say the least. They sleep as we do, though typically by day. They find a place to bed—and rest. I can show you what this looks like, once they are here,
she hummed, it aids in tracking.
Her tail waved at that. Scents were easy to pick up then.
And as for his final question, Hydra nodded. Of course. You must; the fireflies will need to know who the newest protector of the Glen will be,
she drawled with a little grin. He, his brothers, and his sister too.
Osiris stood corrected; the consumption meat was not an indication of strength, and deer were potentially deadly. Once Hydra had elaborated, Osiris nodded in agreement with the information she provided, indicating his understanding. Osiris' concentration faltered briefly, as he watched the motion below—all was going to plan, it seemed. He licked his chops then, admiring how quickly his relatives had taken control of the situation. Someday, he would join them in the fray.
"Hmmm," Osiris drawled then, considering all that he had just learned from Hydra. "They seem very... peculiar," he remarked, at a loss for better words. "But, yes, please show me where they rest," he appended, his tail swaying behind him. Osiris would remind Hydra of this excursion once the herds returned.
A smile graced Osiris' lips as Hydra spoke of his role. "They will know me," he promised; Atlas, Antares, and Vega, too. "And I will protect them and Moonspear forever."
Their way was certainly different than the way of the wolf, that was for certain. She would show him when she could; her eyes moved back toward the horizon, beyond even the Glen now to the forests well past it. Licking her chops, as she listened to Osiris one ear cupped toward him before she turned to look to him once again.
I do not doubt it,
she rumbled, encouraging: it will be your duty to.
And her son, work-motivated as he was, would fulfill it when he was of age and able to. She would give him jobs such as the one she did to say to see to it that it was done. He had grown so much, and Hydra believed in him; he was an Ostrega after all, and there was nothing they could not do once their mind was set to it.
Hydra nosed his shoulder and stood then, drawling continue to keep watch for a while longer. Howl if there is anything strange that needs addressing.
With that task distributed, Hydra turned to go her own way—to patrol, as she often could be found doing.