Moonspear amidst the mists and coldest frosts

@Osiris

The winds still howled against the stone of the mountain, creating haunting echoes on the surface of their home and carrying those eerie wailings beyond their claim. At the point when the sound might have driven them mad, the gusts died away and left them in chilling silence. For the better part of the morning, the dark titan wandered the upper portion of the mountain. The sweeping movement of his gaze had become a habit, searching for anything that would allow him to prove his strength or test his hunting abilities. All was quiet on the mountainside, though. Not long after that time, when Atlas had moved down toward the trees nearer to the base, the fog began to roll in.
 
The gruff figure stood stiff, fighting against the cold, and peered into the cloud of grey that had started to creep along the base of their home.

Like Atlas, Osiris had been scouring the lower corridors of the mountain. He took care in the way that he moved, navigating through the fog with his concentration apportioned by both the placement of his paws and the faded trail that he had discovered. Though the hare's residue was days old, Osiris was determined to find a conducive conclusion for his efforts. 

The winding trail brought him near to where Atlas stood. Halting as he sensed his brother's presence, Osiris' glanced where Atlas perched—no higher than ten feet overhead. "Brother," Osiris called, staying mindful not to yell.

IMA INVADE UR GUYS THREAD! Lemme know if you don't want me party crashing <3! 

 

Hydra had been near the base, though further from her cubs during her patrol; she had caught, though, a coyote who had come too close. It was lanky and lean, but would do well in feeding the children—so she turned and headed toward the rendezvous, where she knew she might find her children along the way. 

And she did, albeit closer to the base than she would like. Not so close for her to feel the need to reprimand, but with the fog rolling in Hydra would prefer them elsewhere. She could only see one, thus far, but heard the other; Hydra taunted her stoic son with a low noise, keeping out of sight for the moment, before emerging and letting them see her there, with the quarry that swung from her mouth... next she she began to walk, and then trot, upward, waving the meat and deciding that on this day, she would test their ability to hunt. Without large game to practice on, Hydra knew that this might be a good place to start at least. The chase. If they felt chilled, this would surely warm their blood.

/makes a 'bruh' face  at the shadowpost
:) u have to deal with this i'm not editing LMFAO

‘Brother.’
 
The winds carried the sound of that familiar voice upward to where the dark hound was perched. His lips curled downward into a thoughtful frown and cast his golden gaze toward the golden coat of his kin. Osiris had grown just as well as the rest of them, having stepped into his youthful strength with astounding capability. Perhaps not as smart as some, Atlas still did not doubt the power behind that frame.
 
“Osiris,” the swarthy youth responded in a smoky voice. Though large, with the promise of growing even still, Atlas still retained much of his childishness. The boy likely would not shed that until he had endured through his first year or two. Still, there was something intimidating about the thick-chested young titan.

Atlas' rejoiner was met with a wag of Osiris' tail; he was happy to be in the company of his brother. Although Osiris yearned to join Atlas upon the rocky mantle, his ambition kept him grounded. 

Osiris' attention was re-directed once more as Hydra revealed herself. Although he was pleased to see their her, Osiris couldn't help but hyper-focus on the quarry that hung from her jaws. "Mother," Osiris greeted, licking his chops.

Atlas seemed not to note her there, despite her sound; his focus was honed in on what was in his more immediate vicinity. She would have to remind him the importance of heeding all that was around him... or perhaps this was a tactic meant to mislead. Could he have caught on to that lesson before the others? Hydra dared to hope it was so, but would come to find out soon enough as her eyes remained upon him while one ear remained cupped toward her tawny son. 

Expertly, Hydra bounded upward and paused in an area she knew would be difficult for either to reach her immediately at so she could advise them of todays lesson. Pressing the dead beast against the earth to smear its scent upon the slope she stood upon, Hydra looked to her sons and said, track. The best animals to hunt are injured ones; they leave hints of this. Blood, tufts of fur, the prints it leaves behind—does it favor more leg than one? Hydra, having kept her eyes on Atlas, now turned to gaze at her green-eyed son, though her attention was unwavering on either of them; her ear shifted, now on Atlas. Working together can aid you in this endeavor. Come and find your injured prey, she indicated the felled beast beneath her before she picked it up and turned on her heel, moving at a rapid clip upward. 

She left ample hints for them, smacking the body against brush and stone and tree for blood and fur alike to be left behind as she moved well ahead of them. 

Hydra out, for now!!! Tag me when you want them to have found Hy/prey hehehe

The glance of Osiris’ emerald gaze was the first sign that someone had approached them, but the stalwart figure did not stir from his perch. His mother’s internal thoughts had been correct; he had hoped to mislead them into believing that he had not realized it. The light that had entered his brother’s gaze was enough to tell him that whoever stood at his rear was carrying a prize with them. Once he turned his head just slightly, the scent of the kill was swept through his nostrils and the dark titan’s whiskers twitched with interest.
 
Then, the sound of her movement carried his gaze toward her as Atlas watched Hydra climb higher than where she had been moments before. The agile movements of her frame showed just how adept she was at climbing those dangerous peaks. For a moment, the swarthy child envied his own mother for her ability. That passed soon enough, however, as he fixed his intense stare back on Osiris and smirked. 
 
“Let us collect this prize, brother,” the titan remarked. An expression of determination crossed his features, hoping that Osiris would readily agree to such a feat.

Track, the children were instructed. As quickly as Hydra had arrived, she turned heel upon the two young wolves and disappeared. Even before the dust had settled, Osiris sought Atlas—his accomplice in what they had s been tasked. "Yes, lets," a smirk shaped his words. 

Emerald-like eyes sought their surroundings, searching for a way to travel up the mountain's incline. Osiris found a path quickly, and jumped to action, climbing with far less grace than Hydra had. His footing was unstable at best, and his legs scrambled every so often as he moved. But, in time, he arrived where Atlas stood.  "I'm ready," Osiris confirmed in a pant, before leaning over and nipping his brother's shoulder. Food was Osiris' greatest motivator, and he would not allow his climb to slow him; he already was confident of their victory,

Blood, tufts of fur, the prints it leaves behind—" Osiris recalled the information to himself in a chant-like manner, the words continually looping through his conscious. After a quick moment to collect himself, Osiris bumped his shoulder to his brother's and then pushed off into a jog without looking back. He was confident that Atlas would follow.

Osiris’ willingness was a good sign. Of course, their mother had offered them some words of advice that would make their jobs much easier. Atlas wondered if she had provided them with too much and had removed any semblance of a challenge from the task. None of that would matter. Once the boys had found where Hydra had taken their prize, they would have proven themselves as far more capable. The very thought had set his mind turning. All he wanted was to show that he was able-bodied and just as fierce as the rest of Moonspear.
 
Turning his gaze toward Osiris, the dark mountaineer began his venture in pursuit of the dark woman. They would travel across the jagged stones and snow with a hunger in their gaze, seeking the bloody goal that had been set for them. Atlas had been fortunate enough to track the faded scent of another prey animal with their mother close at his side. The burly young boy believed this would provide them with an upper hand. Plumes of breath rose from his nostrils and lingered above his head before he outran it. The golden glow of his gaze sought the first signs of their prey.

Nothing was stopping Osiris and Atlas. Their mission was clear, and their path a fair trial; they were only just learning how to be real mountaineers. Osiris and Atlas were young, impressionable—they were only just beginning their training, and this was one of the many tests that they would face. 

Their ascent gave way to a flat plateau, and Osiris was thankful that their climb had come to an end. The feeling of invincibility ceased once he realized how quickly he had expended his energy during the climb. Osiris felt as though his heart was going to explode; his breath came and went raggedly. and although everything in his body told him to stop and rest, he pushed forward with haphazard steps. Osiris' greatest motivator stood at the finish line: fresh meat.

The green-eyed boy was pouring over with enthusiasm. Atlas watched with a furrowed brow and a thoughtful frown as Osiris took large leaps and bounds, expending precious energy in their attempt to climb after the dark woman. The other boy had always been easily inspired by food, though. The dark mountaineer did not find it too unusual that he would consume the strength in his body for the prospect of a warm meal. The burly shadow followed after his sibling, keeping only a small stretch of distance between them in which he could assess the surroundings and make sure their mother had not tricked them into following a false trail.
 
Once on the plateau, his breath came in heavy plumes from his flared nostrils. Atlas turned toward his sibling and breathed in the frigid air. The scent of blood was heavier there; this was sure to inspire a burst of energy from the green-eyed Ostrega. The dark sibling watched carefully, wondering if Osiris would be able to pick up on the bits of food that had been left behind for them.

Though his labored breath, Orisis was able to trace the evidence that @Hydra had scattered along the trail. With the tableland underfoot, he regained some of the strength that had been lost in the climb. Despite the recess in elevation, his heaving did not recede. 

"I think that we're close," Osiris announced as he paused to sniff at a tuft of hair—another piece to their puzzle. "Don't you think so, brother?" He drew his attention to Atlas then, licking his chops; victory was on the horizon.

Alright MOM YOU CAN GIVE UR BOYS THEIR TREAT.

The voice of Osiris drew his ears forward and the broad-shouldered boy turned toward his brother with a stoic countenance and a soft flick of his tail. Without the blood of the prey animal, Atlas feared that their tracking would not have been as successful. The warm metallic tang of the aroma was much easier to trail behind than the stale scents of wandering prey that hadn’t already suffered the punctures of fangs against its flesh.
 
“Yes, brother,” he breathed in a smoky voice. “We will have our prize soon. Let us catch up to mother now?” Atlas then suggested to his sibling. With the turn of his head, the dark mountain-climber waited to see if his kin was capable of finishing their journey and leading them to the warm reward at the end.

Hydra awaited not too far from where they presently lingered. She had seen their approach, though they had not seen her from where she stood, and retreated back to the shadows. The mother had taken care to not make things too difficult for her sons; this was but their first lesson in which she had forced them to trail her, after all, and she knew she ought to start at square one as much for her learning as for theirs. What could they do, now? What could they not? This was but a baseline for her children to know, and an important insofar as at the very least one of these things would be able to be seen when hunting for prey. 

There was more than that, too—which she would, of course, teach them. 

She had ensured to give them some challenge in their search through the path in which she herself had selected. It was not necessarily easy, though neither would it be impossible for them to navigate. The lesson was twofold; for strength-building, and skill-honing. Just as she had been, her children were born of the mountain; they would someday be able to navigate it as easily as she, and the rest of their elders born to this place, could. Hydra, every day, saw to that. 

She waited for her children, their success imminent but their lesson not yet over in its entirety. Hydra was still, silent; they would not find her with their ears, or even their eyes, but their nose.

"Yes, lets," He agreed. Osiris took the lead then, needing no further prompting from Atlas. They followed the blood and fur-lined trail, ghost-like wisps of breath trailing overhead them as they trod through the snow. 

Hydra's scent lead Osiris from the light and into the dark; the change in direction caused him slow. "The trail leads this way," he told Atlas,   "And the smell tells me that Mother and the meat are close—"as if on cue, saliva began to fill his mouth. Pausing with his toes touching the shadows, Osiris craned his neck forward in an attempt to locate Hydra. 

"Mother?" he called, pushing his ears forward and squinting into the darkness.

wrapping up so i can have some new ones with my boys <3

 

It took them little more time to find her. It was Osiris who called to her first, and Hydra moved through the shadows and looked to him with a pleased rumble, gaze then shifting to Atlas. Well done, the both of you, she drawled in a rare moment of praise. The clues this time had been evident and easy to follow, though as their training continued it would become all the more difficult to pursue. Nosing the meat toward them, Hydra invited them to it. They were learning to begin to earn their keep in such a way. 

She settled in a seated position, fielding and answering their questions as they came. Hydra was glad to educate them and hoped all that she informed them of they would absorb. It felt as though now was the time such a day had come, which was a relief; repeating herself was a tiresome thing, though for them she would do so. Hydra herself was getting a better grasp on the mind of young—when things stuck, and when things would not. She had speculated such things with her younger siblings, but it was far easier to get a grasp on it when they were your own in that there was even less time apart. 

When they all tired themselves, Hydra would harry them a little more with other tasks to exhaust them; sleep these days was much easier now that she knew how to expend their energy, but she always liked to make sure. That in mind Hydra soon left them to their own devices when @Jarilo came to bond with them, moving to find @Dirge to hunt for larger game.