Moonspear so if you meet me, have some courtesy

attn @Praimfaya tho <3 fwd dating this to after katya heat a bit!

 

Her patience as of late was frayed; any scent of heat was met with answering fangs up until the scent faded to nothing. Hydra watched after her women, ensuring none could breed alongside her companionship; she hounded them and kept after them to prevent them from even falling into it. Moriko had yet to enter it, and Katya was met with Hydra's unrelenting attention up until the point her heat ended. Hydra meant nothing personal by it; and if she was observed, she let it be so. This was necessary so that no bastards could be begotten. 

The Queens reprieve might be brief, but Hydra would embrace it for now. Snow came down in droves, and Hydra found the borders and marked them well so that all would know this mountain was protected and claimed. Now of all times trespassers would be met with her terrible ferocity; she would not risk her women here, nor her men, unnecessarily. Her children, too! Her own season had yet to arrive, though she attributed that to her children still being children; she spurned the advances of any and all men these days, given her body was not receptive in any sense of the word. The world was quiet as the snow fell, and Hydra paused in her marking to enjoy this peace.

♥

as the breeding season trudges on praimfaya begins to understand a little bit better what hydra spoke of during the meeting. the scent of pheromones that several (?) of the women of the spear have been putting off — though they are squashed by the fearsome queen — do not go unnoticed by the tau. still; her understanding of the mechanics of how it happens are unknown to her, though by now she understands that the scent of heat is what leads to cubs.

assimilating herself to moonspear was beginning to become easier ...if not routine. still, she stays with dacio and opalia not really venturing out of her own private little circle. the feeling that she's lost her identity in a place where wanheda ( understandably ) means nothing is still hard. hard for her to adjust to, hard for her to look to the uncertain future with any sort of confidence. her confidence, she suspects, will take longer to heal than she originally thought. wallowing; however, isn't praimfaya's style so she finds solace upon the borders and pleads for linkoln to give her the advice, the clarity that she feels she so desperately needs.

perhaps the spirit of the first commander-of-death, too, feels the sting of her failure.

at some point though praimfaya failed to take note of when, snow had begun to fall. it doesn't bother her, in truth. she keeps moving along the borders, pausing here and there to mark them and scan the neutral territories right next door for any signs of activity. they are quiet and it isn't until her path crosses with hydra's fresh markings that she comes across anyone else. the alpha female is further ahead of her and praimfaya lets out a chuff of greeting, sure that the queen of the spear will hear her.

The chuff of Praimfaya was not missed; one ear backturned, and her head turned as she watched the approach of the young Praimfaya. She stilled until the young girl was alongside her, and then moved with her. She was all at once relieved that Praimfaya had no season herself to endure... but she imagined the young girl was lost within it. Hydra was not her mother, but was the mother of a daughter; if she were to go before her own time, she would hope that someone would guide her through these days to better understand them. 

Licking her chops, Hydra looked to her new subordinate and asked generally: do you have a better understanding for all that is transpiring around us now? That, she felt, was a good place to start. Experience was how Hydra learned best, and Praimfaya herself was in the thick of it.

praimfaya watches as the queen of the spear stills so that she can catch up with her and a small noise of gratitude is made as she falls into step with the other warrior woman. generally, yes, praimfaya responds to hydra's question. when a woman goes into heat it means she can have cubs. she lacks the embarrassment others might have at speaking about it if only because the mechanics of how it happens are still largely unknown to her. even so; praimfaya's never been the blushing bride type.

when she is in heat she emits this scent that is attractive to males, all in all it sounds like a massive and exhausting pain in the ass to praimfaya. — what age do we experience our first heat? praimfaya asks her, wondering if she needs to be more concerned than she presently is; though she suspects that she doesn't. not this season, at the very least. and then she asks, because it is this she is truly curious about, you said you can suppress it in other women? how?

Yes, she confirms first to the broad statement. Hydra had yet to encounter someone barren, but, thus far all I have encountered who can fall into heat are able to be with child. There is typically always a risk if she breeds that children can be brought from it. Hydra was a woman who elected to avoid risk by ending things before they could begin. Eliminate the threat and there was no cause for concern. As an alpha female, it is my duty to ensure those that are without a mate bear no bastards to put a strain on our resources for those that do and were granted permission. Bastards in of themselves are not the problem in that situation—it is the disobedience of the breeding party. If they can do such a thing and it is permitted, the disobedience can become cyclical, and children often learned from their parents. Hydra would not consider tolerating it. Hydra wanted Praimfaya to understand more in the context of it all, though she gathered the girl was a smart one and perhaps already did. 

As for the first question, Hydra shares: Twenty-two months, at least to her knowledge. males, for whatever reason, sooner—eighteen months. She had learned this through her nose; the scent of a sexually mature male was entirely different than that of one who had yet to reach their time. The scent of Arcturus, for instance, had changed. Boy no more... he was a man. Now he simply needed to act like one. 

The other inquiry was easy to answer, too. Your instinct will typically guide you. Stressing out the other females can end it prematurely... you do that through posturing, harassing, putting them in their place; other times, constant presence can truly be enough... Hydra was intimidating even without the bite, and would determine the latter to be absolute fact in the instance of one she-wolf... and when females go astray during the season as I advise not to... if they return and are pregnant, they are no longer welcome here. Them, or their children. With a sigh, Hydra drawled: this year I am inclined to be less forgiving, given the famine. We were fortunate no children passed, but that is largely thanks to the number we had to provide for them. Hydra was thankful to Moonspear for their contributions toward the survival of her young, and felt it deeply then. More cubs than they had, though, would have spelled certain death for at least one.

praimfaya is quiet; contemplative as hydra speaks, answering her questions and offering explanation where praimfaya has inquired. hydra goes on to explain that in moonspear she doesn't tolerate 'bastards' — cubs born out of wedlock. this was an interesting concept to praimfaya. her own parents were mated ( although not when she was conceived ) but during the fairly nonexistent times praimfaya had considered cubs during her brief reign of roangeda she hadn't ever expected those who sought her permission to be mates. does moonspear have many mated pairs? praimfaya asks next, curious if that was the reason for hydra's harsh outlook on non-mated pairs having cubs or not.

twenty-two months. though it confirms what praimfaya has suspected she feels a rush of relief all the same. 'heat' was not something she would have to worry about for another year yet. that's strange, she remarks at the information that males could breed earlier than females; were she a bit wiser to how pregnancy happened praimfaya would've commented that it was likely because a woman's body did all the work. in her ignorance, however, it goes unknown and thus unspoken.

understandable, praimfaya murmurs in conclusion to hydra's will to lay down the law. if they directly disobey you then consequences must be dealt. in moonspear's world hydra was the commander and as praimfaya knows to be: the will of the commander is law and mercy could be easily exploited. that is very fortunate. pri murmurs in agreement. the famine was hard on everyone, praimfaya knows from her own experience trying to navigate roangeda thru it.

[b]Myself and my sister have mates,[/q] Hydra drawled, gaze turning to Praimfaya as they moved. Each step taken was one that Hydra knew where her foot would land; three years upon this mountain granted her the ability to maneuever here, particularly the borders (her most frequent of haunts), with her eyes closed, and more could come within the season; but mated pairs are more invested in the future of their cubs. Some breed to breed and care not for what is begotten, and abandon the child. You might not think it a burdensome thing, and perhaps one might not be—but if each she-wolf begot a bastard within the pack, and only one remained of them all, or there was no father to help hunt for them... it fell on the rest of them, and meant less food for all—themselves included. The future must be considered. It is harsh, but that is life; it can be cruel. Hydra sighed a little.

Explaining further, she expressed: It is not simply luck that caused each of my brood to not go hungry this year. There were many mouths to help feed them despite the lack of prey. We must also keep ourselves fed; it is how the children continue to be fed. To become a mother is a great responsibility, but the pack shares in it. If they go hungry, the children go hungry, Hydra made her points. If Praimfaya was to become a leader herself, it was best she not go into it blindly and be told that it was an easy thing that all should be able to do because they could. That was putting the pack, and the children within it, at risk.

Again she thought of Speedy. These days, the woman plagued her... though she hoped such a time would come to an end. With the famine, perhaps—and she, terribly, hoped—the lot of them had died. Starvation would have taught that wretch a nice little lesson in the most awful of ways, and she would have deserved it. Freezing cold, and hungry—maybe the woman would have even survived long enough to see her children quiver with their own hunger pangs. It would have served the tawny liar right; she never should have done it, and then they would never have known pain. Speedy had herself to blame. 

Hydra looked to Praimfaya and nodded. In these things I am strict. Else history might repeat itself; fool me once, shame on you—fool me twice, well, her ear twitched. Hydra would never be the fool, not if she could help it. As far as her remark on it being fortunate, Hydra nodded. It is; and for our small number of children, we were able to assist Vercingetorix when he came to us. He had meant to stay, to help protect and to hunt—but he had been killed beforehand, leaving Dragomir and Isilme's life entirely in Moonspear's hands. It was quite clear by the way Hydra treated either that she would never call them a burden, nor did she think of them that way. She felt responsible for them and adored Dragomir namely, given his long time here and their time spent together as she mentored him. They, to her knowledge, were not even bastards; she had assumed Vercingetorix and Aurewen to be mated, the latter simply abandoning her ties and her life due to lightning and her Heavens. 

The matriarch jumped deftly over an errant root, landing atop a hard pile of snow and continuing forward; she paused moments thereafter to paw at the earth, leaving scent-marks behind from the glands there.

praimfaya listens to hydra's reasonings keenly, connecting the dots easier as to how it makes sense once it is throughly explained to her; and it does make sense. still, praimfaya herself is not sure how she will handle such a situation when ...if roangeda is re-birthed. as things stand right now she is still too young to take up the crown of wanheda and she doubts the survival of her people with her tender age. it has already been proven to her how unsuccessful her youth makes her. perhaps ...perhaps she considers, she should wait another year yet. it isn't optimal but it strikes her as practical all the same.

there is a saying ...spoken by the first wanheda: 'you may think our ways are harsh but they are how we survive'. it is the first time in a very long time ( possibly ever? ) that praimfaya has spoken aloud about her spirit guide, her keryon. she speaks those words now; echoing across the generations that stand with her at present as a way of assuring hydra that she understands where she comes from and that she does not — in any shape or form — judge her for the harsh outlook.

a bought of silence falls over them, then and for a moment praimfaya is content to focus almost solely upon their task at hand as she rubs her shoulder against the bark of a tree to mark it, wincing slightly as the rough texture pulls some fur from her shoulder. thank you for answering my questions in depth, hydra. especially when she could've mistook praimfaya's want for understanding.

Hydra listened to Praimfaya, interested in her words. They sound very wise, Hydra admits, and, after a quiet moment between them both, she asked: would you share more with me about your culture, if you are willing? Her ears pricked; she was interested in it all, admittedly, more for Dragomir and Isilme to start with but the speaking of the first Wanheda also piqued her interest. Wanheda, bloodkru—these are things I have not heard before, she revealed. Her tail swayed behind her. Hydra also wanted to learn the language they spoke, if not to become closer than to understand when help was truly needed and it could not otherwise be admitted. With her own sisters they had a silent language they could interpret... it was subtle and nuanced, but to the trio blatant and obvious. 

Hydra noses at the snow and pauses to lower and press her shoulder into it, scent-rolling for a moment and simultaneously scratching an out-of-reach itch. Rising to all fours, Hydra looks to Praimfaya when she is thanked. Any questions you may ever have, Praimfaya, feel free to ask me. I am willing to teach you, she rumbles; Praimfaya is a strong, smart, girl (the matriarch had deduced)... and for her care of Dragomir, whom Hydra was particularly attached to, the Ostrega was particularly warm to her.

of course, praimfaya replies to hydra's inquiry about showing her more of her culture. she thinks that dacio may not fully approve of it but praimfaya trusts hydra and sharing the knowledge of their people is what kept them alive as a people even when things appeared bleak. she may be the commander of nothing right now but she is still a commander. roangeda's fall was a bump in the road; a mark of her journey to learn from so that she can better herself. so that, the next time, it will not happen again.

bloodkru, she begins, salmon pink tongue darting across her lips figuring she would start with the less morbid of the two. blood is wolves that share blood. and kru means clan. your family. not always blood. for instance, the wolves of roangeda were called roankru. roangeda clan. moonspear would be natkru. moon clan. or javkru. spear clan. praimfaya says, giving examples in her explanation. thinking that maybe she wasn't nonkru after all.

wanheda translates to 'the commander of death'. death in trigedasleng is wamplei. commander is heda. combine them together and you get wanheda. she glimpses at hydra then, curious as to how the queen of the spear would take these small lessons. thank you. she speaks to hydra, humbled by the woman's willingness.

Hydra listened, intrigued and truly interested. An ear flicked as Praimfaya explained, and Hydra felt she understood. Moonspear, then, were her kru. She went on to translate to her what Moonspear might be called, and Hydra tilted her head wondering if words could be combined. Now and then her mother had spoken her natal language in its idioms, making accent an easy enough thing for her tongue to work with. Could it be both? Natjavkru? She pondered aloud, wondering more about the language. Such things always interested Hydra, who appreciated different languages and dialects. 

If she knew that Praimfaya had thought she was of nonkru, Hydra would have sought to change her mind on that; she wanted, truly, for she and hers to feel welcome here. To think this a home. 

As the other translated, Hydra quite liked the sound of Wanheda. It would be nice to command death, but Hydra knew better by now than to know it was she who did so. She and death, though, had a symbiotic relationship. Death benefited from Hydra's life in that it saw so much more of it while she breathed. Her ears pricked as she nodded along, listening. It sounds like a strong language, Hydra drawled, and a good culture. You were Heda among Roangeda? How did this come to pass? she drawled. It was not that she did not believe in Praimfaya; rather, Hydra had never known one so young to be placed at such a position in life. As a wolf, Hydra could not imagine bowing her head to any so young—but she never had needed to. Hydra had been instructed to lead since girlhood, and it made her own authority unquestionable as she aged.

Praimfaya would need to be taught, and Hydra would be the one to teach her in small, little lessons. The girl seemed to know the basics; Hydra paused again to mark the border where they stood, looking out beyond them to ensure no strangers were near that needed addressing. When she determined there was not, she continued forward.

natjavkru. a combination that, admittedly, she had not thought of. rather than be jealous that she had not first thought of it, she was impressed by hydra's eye ( or ear? ) for what she, herself, had missed. it can be anything you wish it to be. praimfaya affirms with a sage nod. i like it, she remarks with a small smile. natjavkru. fierce and strong sounding like the wolves that inhabited the spear.

i was in training to become heda, but yes, praimfaya speaks when asked if she was 'heda' of roangeda. regardless, though dacio had been her teacher, praimfaya had made the decisions ultimately. aware that this practice is strange to those outside her culture, praimfaya begins with, to be heda is a birthright. not just anyone can be chosen. only a single born child is eligible to become heda and the heda must be chosen by the spirits of the commanders. it is a complicated matter and would she have been aware that there was another outside of these wilds, her claim might be contested but what happened outside of these wilds is of no concern to her and thus, ceases to exist.

i was the only child of my parents and i was chosen by the first wanheda, linkoln. he is my ...spirit guide, you could call it. praimfaya explains, watching hydra for any reaction. in my culture, the title of heda can only be contested by another fos goufa but usually, it is not.

Hydra listened to Praimfaya with interest, and was glad to hear that Natjavkru was something that worked. In speaking with her mother, who sometimes lapsed into her own mother-tongue to teach Hydra lessons when she was very young, she understood some words could be blended in different ways that the English dialect did not. 

She listened on, and heard of how being Heda was birthright. 

Things suddenly seemed to blend; Hydra recalled a pack, once called Drageda. They too had a commander. She thought of the mercenary that had passed, his children—they must, once, have followed that same commander. Praimfaya had come from that legacy. Hydra did not know she had met her—Antumbra had never given her her name, nor did Hydra think that the previous commander had been a woman as Wildfire, also a woman, was their mate—and the matriarch deduced that this first commander was dead. Drageda with them, it seemed. 

That it was birthright was interesting to Hydra; she supposed it was the same for her, in a way, but she had earned it overtime among the rest of her siblings. She was not the sole cub born—there had been several options, so to speak. It was Hydra, though, who was born for the task. Raised and reared for it, too. The mention of spirits was not missed; if there was one fault in their way, Hydra thought it might be the existence of religion. She could not see how faith could keep one strong when life revealed time and time again that there was little use of it. What would their faith to something they could not see do for them? Keep them fed? Safe? 

But Hydra withheld that judgment. It was important to Praimfaya, and so she would not wag her tongue against it. The girl was young; life would teach her that much without Hydra's instruction. Her features are impassive as Praimfaya mentions Linkoln, her spirit guide—there is nothing to read there, then. 

So, the spirits had selected Praimfaya. And the Roangeda wolves accepted such. An interesting faith, but the fault in it was that a child was easy to kill. Could another get jealous and simply end the life of them before they reached adulthood? What then? All questions for another time; she did not want to bombard Praimfaya, though she enjoyed hearing the girl tell of her ways. It was like listening to a well-woven story, but it was based on reality—history. These were stories Hydra enjoyed to hear. 

Fos goufa, Hydra repeats, intrigued; she imagined it meant only child, but never liked to assume. Sniffing at the borders and nosing a rock, Hydra continues along with Praimfaya before peering at her. I think I would like to learn your language, she drawls with interest, wondering if Praimfaya would humor her interest. For one thing, Hydra wanted to better understand Praimfaya when she lapsed into these words; for another, Hydra thought of the tactical advantage of being able to speak with Dacio, Praimfaya, and Opalia when there were less than trustworthy wolves near. Do you think you could teach me? She inquired, eyes bright upon the girl. There was no shame, or harm, in her asking—Hydra did so enjoy learning, herself.

And so throughout the remainder of their time together that day, Praimfaya began to introduce Hydra to rudimentary words rather than phrases to start. Hydra listened and absorbed with ample interest, repeating to test her own grasp on the words.

fading pp conclusion w mochi permission <3