Moonspear Dulcis

@Hydra - others welcome

The Ostregas.
It was clearly a name with meaning. @Jarilo had given Toad some insights when she had come to the mountain, but much of their talk had been about the territory's inner workings. He had been kind enough to show her around so that she needn't get the lay of the land on her own. Jarilo and Kukutux had shown her such graciousness that the chocolate canine was positive that this had been the right choice.

The Beta had given some implication that there were stories to be learned. This was certainly something that excited her, but more so was the thought of at least properly meeting with Hydra.

Toad wasn't sure what to expect. Part of her hoped that puppies would tackle her on site — this was something that gave her great joy. Meeting the Alpha female was something she had been looking forward to since her arrival.

In her jaws, she carried two ground squirrels. The result of a decent hunt along the rocky elevations, she thought it proper to bring a gift to the mother. She had, after all, told Jarilo of her hunting capabilities. She intended to prove herself worthy of that confidence by ensuring that the two new mothers and their puppies were as fat as possible.

Toad arrived near where the Beta had shown her Hydra could be found and looked around. She looked rather foolish with her mouth full of the furry rodents.

Hydra was near, observing her cubs play fight with a satisfied expression. They were learning... well, most of them, at least. Movement in her peripheral indicated that another was close, and Hydra, who had been laying down to start, rose to all fours. The tawny furs were reminiscent of an agouti she was quite fond of, but the build was entirely different and not one she recognized. Although she was confident a wolf could not get this far within the territory without intervention, were this a trespasser they would find they had met the end of their road. 

The matriarch approached swiftly, meeting her not with fangs to start but with an outstretched nose to ascertain who this wolf was, exactly. There was little warmth to Hydra then and there, all too prepared to act as she must when she must, and though there was nothing to say so upon her stoic and unfeeling features it was clear enough Hydra's movements were calculated to a certain point. Though when she gathered the information she sought, she recognized upon the stranger (to her) were the scents of her brother and sister (in love), and where her bearing was rigid to start with, her lifted plume swayed at last in welcome. 

Hydra was not one to take chances with her children so near, and as their last line of defense she would ever err on the side of caution. It was much the same with her packmates, and she chuffed in welcome as she turned to stand alongside the other and offer her own scent to boot. You are Toad, she gathered, remembering now her brother having mentioned someone new among them. Welcome to Moonspear. I am Hydra, she introduced. The cubs were too immersed in their faux war with one another, but she introduced them all the same as they played in the rain, these are my children... @Mintaka, @Mira, @Caelum, and @Altair, she introduced, gesturing to each in turn. They have been playing like this for hours. Who do you think will conquer the rest? she quipped, gazing sidelong to Toad.

Toad's fluffy tail wagged low of its own accord as the mother came into her sights. Her movements were stern and stuff at first, but she appeared to relax as Toad bowed her ears. Dropping the squirrels gently on the ground, she gave a grand smile and watched the puppies flounder about, tackling and pulling and flopping on the grass. I am indeed! It was clear from her tone that she was quite pleased to see one of her pack leaders. It was easy to see Jarilo's likeness in her firm features, the strength of her leadership evident in the way she carried herself.

Toad sniffed politely at the dark fur of the Alpha as she drew closer, her own posture rather folded and courteously lowered. There was a sense of satisfaction from the proper welcome. Somehow, it felt as though Moonspear was fully a part of her after these words were spoken, though nothing physically had changed.

The children were next introduced, and Toad's polite posture melted some into a sort of antsy dance of delight. It had been what felt like an age since she had seen such young children at play. Of course the rain wouldn't stop them, she chuckled, looking at each of them to attempt to decide a winner of their games. Fierce little tykes — but in my experience it's often the girls that topple the boys at this age, she looked at the mother and offered a slight wink. In her family, she had noticed that the girls did indeed grow into fierce little spits sooner than boys. Eventually, they would often be beat once their brothers outgrew them.

She stood there for a moment, forgetting herself. Oh! I brought you — well, probably them — these, she knelt down and nudged the squirrels with her nose. They were fat rodents from a good summer of grazing and gathering.

Hydra took the time to observe the other while she spoke; short, and stout too... though it looked as though the other carried a good deal of muscle on her frame, along with weight elsewhere that would no doubt turn into more muscle thanks to Moonspear. Toad had a soft look to her, and there was nothing truly to speak to the contrary. Her eyes were a warm amber, Hydra noted as her gaze drifted upward to the rounded edges of the others face to where they were placed... altogether, the woman was pleasant to look at, and Hydra wondered about what sort of spirit it was she possessed. Appearances were hardly a thing to go off of, she understood well enough, when it came to the heart of ones character... for the most part, anyway. There were also those that you could look upon and know exactly what, and who, you were dealing with; Toad was no such wolf. 

 The matriarch was pleased with the others delight. The mother had forgotten about the days she herself had detested cubs and thought them rather useless, annoying things... with the exception of her siblings. No, she drawled agreeably, they are resilient little creatures. And to hear Toad's opinion on the rest did manage to draw a grin from the Queen, who looked to Toad with a twinkle in her eye. Sometimes beyond. It can be so in our family, at least, she hummed. Arcturus and Revui both had become ambitions, the former belatedly (verbally, at least)... but Hydra had ever been the most ambitious of them all, her desires far from met quite yet. There was so much more to do. To achieve. While the build of the boys might have made it more difficult for most, Hydra had trained for that. Every disadvantage that could be imagined Hydra trained for—losing an eye (both, sometimes), losing a leg, losing her tail... fighting small wolves for their speed, large wolves for their build to get to know each and every situation that might come to pass. 

Toad gestured, then, to the gifts she had brought, and Hydra moved to pull them toward her with a foreleg once Toad nosed them closer. Thank you, she drawled lowly and in earnest, they look delicious. And they did; they were plump, thick with all the things summer had yielded. Before she helped herself to one, Hydra looked thoughtful and hummed, how are you settling in, so far? It was important to Hydra that all were happy here; it was her subordinates that made this place the home that it was. For each of them, old and new, she was grateful.

Tag for reference

Toad grinned as Hydra described that even as adults, the women of her family could be fiercer than their brothers. It was now obvious from seeing and meeting Hydra that this must be true. The Ostregas seemed a grand family, and if Hydra was any example to go by, it was clear that the Ostrega women were a force to be reckoned with. Though Toad herself had a large and stretching family, she felt hardly like a creature of such aspiration and substance, though she was no pushover. The chocolate storyteller wondered what Dirge would be like, and wondered if a woman like this would choose a mate with as much of a powerful stance as she.

Toad's tail wagged lightly behind her as her leader expressed pleasure at the gifts. She sat down slowly, watching the children continue to play from the corner of her eye, thinking about how to answer. Very well, thanks, she said politely, and thought hard about what she had gotten up to during her welcoming period in the pack.

Everyone's been quite welcoming thus far, she said, thinking of Kukutux. Then, she chuckled softly to herself as she thought of her strange conversation with @Meerkat. Actually, maybe too welcoming in one case. It was meant as a joke, and she quickly clarified. Young Meerkat has decided she wants to set me up with her brother, Bronco, since I am, she changed her voice some to a lightly mocking British tone, a single woman.

Toad found the conversation entertaining, and figured Hydra the Fierce might find it equally so. The thought of her pairing with anyone so early into joining a pack seemed simply ludicrous. Her joking was seated less in thinking Meerkat was silly, and more in her own self-consciousness about her eligibility as a woman for.. anyone. She's a very sweet girl, she said.

Hydra was glad to hear that all had been welcoming to Toad thus far, and as she told the story of Meerkat the matriarch turned her head to look and see what Toad thought on such things. It seemed the other was amused by that, which put the matriarch in good humor. Pulling a foreleg to her chest, she answered in a light tone: Oh, the horror, she teased, a slight smirk causing the edges of her lips to lift upward. Placing her paw back onto the earth, she looked to her children again. 

She is, the Ostrega agreed. Far different than Towhee had been, when they had been that age. She could not imagine her sister pairing anyone together for love, and Hydra wondered in what other ways the two might be different. Hydra did not love her any less for it, though she could not help but hope Meerkat had inherited her mothers more vicious capabilities. Looking back to Toad, Hydra inquired, and Bronco is just as good, you will come to find, she hummed, have you met him yet? Or is Meerkat creating a blind date? she did not take the matching seriously—not because she did not believe in it, but because Toad had not shown any personal interest—but Hydra always enjoyed her pack interacting together.

Toad's smile broadened. She couldn't help but be a little excited to meet Bronco, though probably not for the reasons that Meerkat was hoping for. The girl had described her brother as handsome and a good hunter, and silly to boot. Toad had always liked to meet new people, and she was hopeful that Bronco would fit nicely with his description.

She shook her head, and then nodded at the blind date comment. Yes indeed, although I don't think she'll actually blindfold me, Toad joked. If anyone could manage to convince her to be blindfolded, it was probably Meerkat at this point. The girl was tenacious.

The pups were still going at it. The coffee she-wolf couldn't believe their energy. Hopefully they would sleep well that evening. It will be a fun time I'm sure, she followed. A temptation to ask the Ostrega something quite personal would probably have stopped most newcomers. Toad, apparently with no issue being obstrusive, asked away. So how did you meet your husband?

The thought was amusing, and Hydra imagined it for a moment. Meerkat was a girl with a creative mind... were anyone able to create such a thing, perhaps it would be her. Blind dates, after all, were a foreign thing to the woman. As for it being a fun time? I imagine it will be. Bronco is a good man, with a good spirit. If nothing else, I imagine you will find a friend in him, she remarked with a wave of her tail. In the short time of his own being here, Hydra quite appreciated his presence. He was a true ray of light. 

Toad's next inquiry surprised her some, though she supposed given the context of their conversation—dating, and the like—it was not entirely unexpected. Hydra thought back, peering to Toad. It was some time ago. He was a dispersal wolf, from his natal pack, and I... I was still living here. I found him when the snows had fallen... or he found me, she remembered. I would not have guessed all that would come from that day, though I admit, I have always found him charming, she hummed, looking to their children. And in her heart, perhaps she had always wanted that end from that moment on without truly even knowing so. Dirge had always called to her baser instincts; he was more than simply her imagined match, of a far better temper and disposition than she.

Toad listened, clearly absorbed. Love stories were all well and good, but she had always been quite terrible at telling them; this was simply because the real thing was often boring and yet fascinating to her. As usual, Hydra didn't tell a tale of destiny or raw passion. Instead, she told it how it was: common. It was just as easy to see a love in her leader's eyes as she looked to her children. Though she didn't say it, that storybook passion was indeed present.

A soft sigh followed as Toad nodded. I can't imagine there've been many couples that see the future from the get go, she said, chuckling. Although, I guess that's why matchmakers like Meerkat are so useful, Toad half-joked. While she knew it unlikely she would meet her match based on the whims of a prepubescent girl, it was a fun little fantasy to think about.