Moonspear hunger of the pines

attn @Dirge & @Jarilo ; lil backdated

 

@Alya slept with the cubs she had recently put down to sleep. But who knew, perhaps they might feel inclined to join her despite her attempts to exhaust them hours earlier. Hydra kept the whelping den in her peripheral and called to her brother, and her mate. Thoughtfully, Hydra looked to @Lyra and drawled, protect the proximity of @Kukutux's own whelping den. Hydra would not leave her short of a pair of protective teeth. Hydra's gaze looked 'round, and her ears pricked while she listened for their approach.

The recently-minted beta was not far, busy keeping lookout near Kukutux's den and simultaneously on the prowl for a fresh catch, but Hydra's call was quick to pull him in--though the note of it did not inspire particular alarm, he still didn't want to dally on answering any. Jarilo cast a lingering look over his shoulder in the direction of the ulaq before he picked up his pace in earnest and headed off to meet with his sister.

Soon enough, he found her and slowed himself up when distance eased away between them. His approach finished respectfully, then with a friendly bump to her shoulder. With everything lately, it was hard to guess what she might want to discuss so he was all ears.