Firefly Glen ours

attn @Osiris

 

Hydra had made her way to the Glen with her sisters, and after inspection and discussion both the matriarch sent them to retrieve her son. Osiris had, as of late, demonstrated to her much... and she would see her own ideas come to fruition, with his assistance now. Her mind whirred as her gaze cut across the Glen. Sick of spies, sick of the fools that sought to lurk in it for nefarious intent... Moonspear, where it stood, could not always be everywhere at once—

But in due time, they would. 

She rose to all fours and shook out her furs, beginning to canvas the Glen once again. Her stride was short, and she made no mystery about the direction she headed in; Osiris would have no difficulty finding her.

@Lyra and @Alya had been vague when explaining why Hydra had summoned him, but Osiris obliged nevertheless. He moved with haste, following the scent-trail that the mountain's matriarch had left in her wake. Succumbing to his thoughts—and more-so the possibilities that may come from their conversation—Osiris went into auto-pilot as he navigated their homeland.

His jaunt seemed to happen within the blink of an eye; Hydra's silhouette appeared in the distance, and he broke into a light jog to catch up. "Mom," he greeted once he was alongside her, as he reached over to nip affectionately at her chin. "What's up?" his expression seemed to prompt as he pulled away, allowing her the platform to explain what was going on.

Osiris was prompt; he was never one to keep her waiting. She heard his voice, deep and without any traces of youth now, she imagined, and looked over her shoulder to see him there. My son, she drawled in greeting, turning to meet him. You have been quite busy as of late. Patrolling, getting to know those of the back, training, she recognized. Busier now than he had been in his youth, but then so were the rest of them. They were far more mature now, each of her boys and Vega with them. 

Looking to the territory around them, she drawled, you know of my desires to lay claim to this Wilderness. And I wondered if you might wish to aid me in this, by leading a pack that would be a direct part of the empire I seek to build. Moonspear, still, and my second in that way, she hummed, but you would help keep this Wilderness safe, too. I would like to begin to groom you to lead—if such a thing interests you, she added. Hydra would not force her son into anything he himself did not desire or see for himself in his future.

Hydra was concise in her explanation, and Osiris listened with progressively bated breath; it was as though she had somehow read his mind. Since the embassy, Osiris had found himself with a newfound aspiration: leading alongside his mother. His interests had stemmed from his interactions with the leaders that they'd met along the way. Although Osiris hadn't voiced his desires, he had considered them at length— chiefly about how he could fit into Moonspear's upper hierarchy. Hydra, it seemed, had other plans, and her proposed expansion made sense in the grand scheme of things. 

Osiris was flabberghasted and honored, despite his level expression. Inhaling, he attempted to steady the unexpeted onslaught of sentiments that he felt. "It would be my greatest honor," he replied promptly, feeling as though he could finally breathe. "When would the training begin?" He was at the ready, willing to do whatever she requested.

It was not that she did not desire him in the upper echelons of Moonspear society. In fact, she did—and there he would find himself. For what he would build would be of Moonspear, through and through. It had always been recognized as such by their ilk, but for those that would snort and stomp with pomp and ignore it... well, she would not have it be disputed anymore. More than that, she wanted no spies or their like skulking around. Now seemed as good a time as any for this. 

He was pleased by this, unlike the smallminded Arcturus. This, to her, was loyalty and the sort that she could trust. Who better than her own son to helm the first of what was to come? Her gaze was proud upon him, and she, for once, did not hide it. Her boy, becoming a man. 

Here, and now, she drawled. Gesturing toward the Glen, she hummed, this has always been ours. And soon, you will see it so in more than the ways that we have. Who would you like to join you on this venture, from Moonspear? I would not have you go at this alone, she hummed, tail swaying behind her. First the semantics of it, and then, the lesson could truly begin.

Tags are for reference!

"Here, and now," Hydra drawled in reply.  "This has always been ours. And soon, you will see it so in more than the ways that we have." Osiris looked at the glen in a new light, realizing now that all of this would officially be theirs. It felt like fate—as though this was the reason for his existence; Hydra's palpable pride only solidified his theory. 

When asked of who would join him, Osiris did not hesitate to speak to his gut-feeling. "I would like to take @Atlas, @Antares and @Vega," he began, "As this land is as much their birthright as it is mine." Osiris would not deny his siblings the opportunities that he had been given, as they were all as capable as he was. He lapsed into a brief silence then, considering his decision

Osiris would be careful who to choose, as he didn't want to hinder Moonspear's foundation. "I would like to bring along @Leta, @Bronco and @Meerkat, too, if possible. I believe including our allies would only solidify our relationship," he drawled, glancing at Hydra for reassurance in his thinking. The mention of Leta made his stomach churn—what would she make of this?

Hydra hmm'd as she considered his request. The Wilderness, at large, was their birthright. But she could teach the rest to lead, too, should they desire to lay claim to any of it. For now, this was a good start. We will speak with them. I am sure they will be willing to aid you, she hummed with a wave of her tail. After all, it was no different this way than it was now. There would be no separation between the two; they were simply increasing their claim with their numbers. Leta, Bronco, Meerkat... Alright. Should they be willing, they too shall join you, she drawled with a wave of her plume. She would still teach each of them as she had intended to. They would be a good group of founders, and Hydra would show them the way. Help them lay their claim truly and solidly. 

Have you any questions, to start? she inquired, giving him room to raise any concerns or inquiries otherwise before they began. He might have none, or he might have many—Hydra prepared herself for either scenario.

Osiris felt relieved once Hydra had replied, although a hint of doubt lingered. She opened the floor then, and he seized the opportunity for further clarification. "Did I ask for too many members?" he wondered, his ears lowering slightly. 

Of course, he had several other questions, but qstifling his voiced concern was his current priority.

No, she drawled. You asked for just enough, to start. It is a good group, to begin things. And those numbers are important. More important than numbers, though, is quality. When seeking others to join your fold now, you will need to ascertain their worth. Not simply to you—to the pack. Can they hunt? Can they protect? Can they heal? She hummed, ears pricked forward. Are they trustworthy? That, I have often had to discover for myself. Rarely does my instinct lead me astray, except for when I ignore it. Sometimes, we think we see in others things that simply are not, and never will be, there, she drawled. You, above the rest, must be realistic. Pragmatic in such matters. I have had to turn sick wolves from my borders, in knowing that our resources ought to be spared for those with us, in the Winter, for instance, she explained to start, beginning now to move deeper into the Glen.

Osiris nodded, taking in the invaluable information that Hydra provided; leadership, he anticipated, would be riddled by tough decisions. "That makes sense," he drawled as they began to walk, acknowledging what had been said. "I'd like to join you next time you accept a member of the pack," Osiris had never been present for such events, "If at all possible—so I know if my gut is correct, too." He licked his lips, feeling another flicker of doubt, but soon after willed it away; emotion, he knew, would only hinder his capabilities. 

"What will be our first step?" he asked then, changing the subject altogether. "Meeting with my proposed memebers?" he guessed.

Hydra nodded; his request would be granted. And then, I can also be with you here, should you ever desire me to, once you have claimed it. You are Moonspear still, and always, and our territories will be shared, so you may also join me at the Spears own if you are near, she hummed. He need never fear that she would not be there to aid him. And your questions, should you have them... you can always ask me, she hummed. 

As far as what came first? Hydra nodded. We will speak with them, and see if they are willing to join you on this endeavor. We will all be doing this together. The expansion only meant their acknowledging their growth, and the need for a more firm grip upon their resources. Winter was coming, and Hydra would not have prey that was meant to be their own feed the mouths of those other than her family, which the Glen would be.

Osiris was encouraged by Hydra's willingness to be available to him, and the importance she focused on togetherness. "I do want you here," he replied earnestly; she was one of his greatest resources. "I can't do this alone—I already know I have so much to learn." Osiris would have been a fool to deny Hydra's help.

"It sounds like a plan," he agreed, with a wag of his tail. "And, honestly, I'm curious to know how they all will react to the news."

With him willing to lead and learn known, it seemed only a matter of time now. And Hydra never did enjoy wasting it. I suppose we should return home then to find out, hm? She started forward, gesturing to her side for him to join her there. Tell me, Osiris, more of your trip. It was good of you to stop and visit Easthollow, she remarked, thinking aloud, I have not been able to make the trip myself... but Valette... she has been good to our family. Better that Leta has elected to join us, too, as Bronco and Meerkat have, Hydra had not thought too much about why that was; Leta, to the matriarch, was a girl who desired to grow and become a braver woman. 

Hydra could certainly help with that. 

Though Hydra saw Osiris as a man in many ways, in this one area she was entirely oblivious that he might fancy any at all. And that in turn, some might fancy him. For when she looked at him in certain lights, he was as small and soft and vulnerable to her as the day he was born... hardly grown enough for that, and so it never had come to mind.

Like Hydra, Osiris loathed to waste time; the sooner the confirmed who would join him within the glen, the better. "Yes—" he agreed, a hint of excitement edging into his tone, "—lets." Sojourned to the matriarch's side, the pair began to make their return to Moonspear. 

Hydra's mention of Easthollow caught Osiris off guard, and only his brief expression of panic betrayed his mental misstep. "Yes," he remarked, perhaps more fondly than he had anticipated. "We're lucky to have her—she's smart, willing to learn and loyal—from what I've experienced," there was a whimsical shimmer in his gemstone eyes, "I met her here, actually, a while back when she came to visit Aunt Alya. We spent some time looking at the stars." Osiris was oblivious of his inner-most feelings towards Leta—all he knew was that she made him feel funny... but in a good way. It was confusing.

She had not been looking at him to see his expression of mild terror, but her two working ears heard warmth in the typically cool baritone of her son. Did they betray her...? Her head turned to better look at him, and as he spoke on about her—all good things—Hydra quickly determined, I will have to spend more time with this Leta. And they had looked at the stars together, a sweet thing—

Much too soon for all of this. Hydra was prepared for much, but somehow not this. Not yet. 

The stars, hm? You know how your late grandfather loved them, she reminded, looking to the wide open sky before them. He was always reaching for them... she remembered fondly, her voice faraway. Her father, the starchaser. Hydra thought, if there is any place beyond the ground that we go to once we die, I would imagine that he found his way to them. 

But she knew better. She knew where his bones were, and her mothers too—and that nothing, not the landslides nor the floods, could ever move them. In any event, sensing that Leta was of some import to her son, Hydra looked to him. I must call upon her, she drawled, remembering, she wanted to learn how to protect, did she not? Have you been working with her, yet? She wondered.

Osiris nodded in recognition; perhaps it had been Leta's love of star-gazing that had chiefly captivated him. "She had never seen a firefly before, and she mistook one for a star," he remembered. "Perhaps that is another reason why grandfather extended his claim to these lands," he mused, thinking of the starchaser. 

For some reason, the thought of Hydra and Leta meeting made his stomach feel like it was going to fall out of his butt. "Yes," he answered to both of her questions, swallowing the unexpected lump that had formed in his throat. "She's already improving," selfishly, after what had happened with Fallstag, Osiris wanted Leta to steer clear of the borders—but he knew that he couldn't control her. If she wanted to practice her patrolling, he would oblige with the utmost discretion. Osiris would not risk Leta getting hurt again; he felt personally responsible for her protection.

Did she, now? Hydra wondered, thinking, the girl may be simple... A star, earthbound? But then, who knew if such a thing was possible? It could be... though it was certainly not the insect. They did look alike, she granted. But Osiris was right in his way of thinking. Perhaps, she rejoined, rather thinking it so now. Not solely for the wisdom of additional prey, but for the thought that this place was so like the nightsky in some spaces, where there was nothing but the open stretch of land and darkness. 

And then the stars—though here, the fireflies.

Rarely did the woman use her imagination for such pretty imagery, but she could see it. As for the girl improving, Hydra looked to him and nodded. That is good; I shall spar with the girl, she decided, see where she needs improvement, and leave that to you, if you would like to teach her. She wondered what sort of trainer her son might make; he had several lessons from her, and would receive more as she wanted him to become as adept as she was in the art of battle and defense. 

Home was close now, and Hydra, eyes still upon him, grinned wolfishly as she hummed, I will race you home. The last one there must play the part of squire in @Mintaka's imaginative stories, and at that, Hydra bolted. Try though she might taper her daughters fanciful imaginings, if it could stir to thought the image that her son and Leta unwittingly provoked... it might not be too terrible to endure, someday.

Osiris followed after Hydra with a laugh, racing towards their mountain with all of the energy he could muster; unsurprisingly, he was bested by his mother. 

As he was a man of his word, Osiris played the part of the squire in his Mintaka's story the following day.