Moonspear Charge ahead, no, never turn

immediately following this!

Gannet paused in his walk as they reached the mountain, his anticipation growing ever since it had come into sight. This was going to be great! He cast a happy look sideways at @Andalusia, wondering if she was as excited as he was to introduce her, and made sure she paused with him before lifting his muzzle to call for @Hydra specifically. If another came, they would be able to attend, but he knew he was not of a status to allow her to walk freely with them yet.

When he was done, he turned to her. "If they don't come, we can go." He said, sure it would be fine if he was accompanying her. Might be they would need to get closer to where the family would likely be, central to the territory.

A call from Gannet was one Hydra had rarely heard—the first time he had called for she or her family, she had not been home but exploring the Coast, where she had first met the wolf that tagged along with him now—and she swiftly rose to all fours to meet it. By day, Hydra kept in the shade to avoid the Summer heat; it was during the night and the wee hours that Hydra could be found prowling the borders (though intermittently, she would ignore the heat to patrol, not wanting any harm to come to her family). Her long-legged trot brought her to the duo in good time, though had they been closer her arrival would have been sooner.

Hydra recognized his companion immediately, and her tail waved at the sight of her. Those scars she would know anywhere, and her scent, too, now. The Beta beamed, her reception of her family member warm. Her nepotism was apparent, and it was very fortunate for Gannet that she considered him as good as part of their family at this point in her life. Her eyes were filled with warmth as she approached Gannet and attempted to nip his shoulder, before drawing alongside the female. Andalusia, she greeted, moving to bump into her companionably. Though their initial meeting had begun with some caution and indifference, to hear that the other was an Ostrega was groundbreaking for their relationship; Hydra was ever prepared to defend those that were kin, and befriend them, too. Were you able to find what you sought? She asked as she rounded upon the duo so as to look upon them both.

They hadn't lingered long at the Caldera, and so they arrived at Moonspear in good time: an hour still dark, and untouched by the early rays of dawn. A fitting time, Andalusia thought with a glance to the sky, to arrive when the mountain's moniker still watched over its land. The moon shed a calming light through the late spring night, and settled a peace in her heart that she'd made the right decision, following Gannet here. She shared his glance, and felt his brightness touch a light through her eyes. She liked the kid; he seemed a good one, and if the wolves here were anything like both he and Hydra, she figured she'd settled in well.

While she nodded at Gannet's remark, it was hard not to grimace at the thought of entering Moonspear without the blessing of its leaders. While Gannet would be fine, she was still an outsider - but luckily, Hydra didn't keep them waiting. She seemed completely at home, wrapped by the night's long shadows, and now Andalusia felt her anticipation spike. She returned Hydra's bump with a good-natured nudge of her own. "It's good to see a familiar face."  she said as the other Ostrega pulled away, but her smile dimmed at the question that followed.

"Sort of," she glanced briefly at Gannet. "I was from the Caldera. I reckon I lost them in the war. Gannet gave me a low-down of his family there, but none of them - well, they aren't the wolf I'm looking for." S-sss - argh! She bit her tongue - she knew it was in there somewhere, paired with him, brusied and crumbling - "The more I remember him, the more I'm not sure if he even made it through."

Gannet was silent as they spoke, and he wondered why she was so intent to find this one she lost if she didn't even know his name. He didn't ask, though, not wanting to interrupt them. He was glad she had agreed to stay with them. The mountain needed more loyal to it and he imagined life was rough alone. It was the best for both!

He glanced between the two of them with a smile, then back at the mountain behind. Hopefully Hydra would see this as well. It seemed like things were going well so far!

feel free to not wait on me if I'm not needed from this point out!

Hydra listened to Andalusia, surprise evident at what she had recalled. From the Caldera? Had Gannet known her, in his time there? She glanced to him, but he did not seem to show her whether or not this was the case, and so her attention shifted right back to Andalusia. Though it was an unhappy ending to her search, Hydra saw the light in it. 

Well... Perhaps he is looking for you, too, she thought aloud. Moonspear is not too far from the Caldera. If he searches in this area, he might come here to see what we know, and she would be easier to find, staying in one place. Hydra tilted her head, asking: have you come here to stay? Her tail swayed behind her, hoping it might be so.

Hydra's optimism refreshed her, and Andalusia's face warmed with a spreading smile. While a realist at heart, she almost hungered here to hold out her hope for as long as even a glimmer was there. "Perhaps," she mused along, and her tail swayed at the thought that staying here wouldn't be the end of her search after all.

To stay would make sense, and the logic in the plan settled well with her. New light filled the dark cavity of her chest; her memories were tricky at the best of times, and if she'd survived all that she had, maybe he had survived his trauma, too. And if she was looking for him, without even knowing fully who he was - then maybe, he was looking for her, too. "That was my intent," she pulled herself back to reality and returned Hydra's question with the respectful dip of her head. "For as long as I can stay, at least - and if you'll have me for however long that is. If the wolf I'm looking for does come looking, it's only fair to tell you now that that time might be cut short." But if he didn't come, or if she couldn't find him - she'd rather be with family, even family she hardly knew, than with anyone else.

Hydra listened and acknowledged what Andalusia said, thinking on it. She knew her fathers nature, and knew that he would be disappointed if another wolf departed from Moonspear for something else. However, Andalusia was self-sufficient; they had permitted Rannoch entry, and healed him, for him to leave without just reason. His now mate had taken their resources without providing very much in turn. We have new life here. If you can hunt with us, and teach them what you know, and contribute, you would be welcome here, she offered with a wave of your tail. Perhaps, if this stranger searches for you, he might be in need of a home himself, she pondered with a twinkle in her eye.

Andalusia was family, and was an honest wolf at that. She bore scars that foretold she was a fighter, and Hydra felt even she herself could learn from the older she-wolf. Hydra could not turn her away, and she felt her father would be glad to have another Ostrega among them, even if it was for a short time. Perhaps he would not ever come, in any case—Hydra remembered hunting for Rian, and never finding him... and he had not come, either.

And just like that, she was accepted. Another Ostrega of the mountain, but this one seemed friendly. Gannet waved his tail, pleased, and simply followed as Hydra led them back into home.

super short, closing this guy up!