Moonspear ring of fire

@Atlas @Osiris @Vega @Antares @Dragomir if you all would like! Thread can apply to Guardian Trade :) Set after Cam thread

 

Hydra had a mind to bring her cubs with her closer to the borders. The children were able to accompany them on hunts, though they had not been able to hunt much of anything of true substance for some time now. Nearing the rendezvous, Hydra greeted the cubs present with a low chuff. What she had managed to find was several scavenging raccoons; enough to sate their bellies, for the time, and her own too. It had been nothing short of a massacre; Hydra was able even to restore another cache with the remainder, taking only three of her kills with her to the children. Working on tracking had not been for naught; her ability to catch a scent, and keep with it, was serving her well.  

Depositing it to the earth, Hydra circled the rendezvous and inspected the site, stilling when she was pleased that none had gotten so far as this; if she had it her way, none ever would. More attentive to who was present, now, Hydra specifically sought the features of Dragomir; he might know the scent she wore, and if it had been an enemy of his in any capacity then she would know for certain here and now. And if not, then he was simply a foolish boy who had learned his lesson the hard, painful way.

whyyyyy not!

shes not trespassing but she is close, and you can feel free to skip me however many times, but I figured if they make it to the border <3

As Maia had edged around the Firebirds claim, it had been extremely hard not to seek out her sister.  But she knew that the instant she saw Wraen, she wouldn't want to leave again, and first she needed to tell her other older siblings what she'd found.  She had promised Cori she would.

As she passed the Moonspear, though, she felt such a massive wave of nostalgia that before she even knew it she was slipping sideways and approaching their border.

She didn't want to cross.  She just wanted to see the spot, one more time.

The borders were similar to what she remembered, thanks to the evergreens, but with one massive difference; any trace of Charon's scent was gone.  Feeling slightly sick with it, Maia felt the urge to leave, but her feet seemed rooted to the ground.

When wind of his dam's return to the rendezvous reached him, the growing cub surfaced--slow at first, skimming through the cover to try and discern who all might rush to greet her first, what she may have, or whatever else? But sure enough, Antares stepped from the shadows and came forth on his own, sliding in to greet her before curiously regarding what it was she was offering them now. Food, unsurprisingly, and with his ever-growing littermates, they were sure to make short work of it with just enough time.

As he licked his lips and lifted his muzzle up to sniff at the winds, he started to really suspect this might not be all. Maybe sensed it, and watched his mother carefully for the next clue to come.

Dragomir couldn't often be found at the rendezvous, so it was a rare thing for Hydra to arrive while he was still lounging there. When he wasn't hiking restlessly up and down the mountain, the black juvenile was out looking for clues to his sister's whereabouts; spending any time around the resident pups fell low on his priority list at present.

But he was there when Hydra arrived with several coons, and he was quick enough to rise to his paws and trot in her direction. Antares rose from the shadows as well, every bit a sneaking specter until the moment he emerged. Dragomir's ears swivelled to the dark-furred cub, alert and wary. His others siblings might arrive soon and though there had been no indication so far that they would make any effort to bully him away from food in this time of scarcity, he was keenly aware that he was the outsider where the pups were concerned. Older, yes, but also alone with no littermate to back his claims.

Perish the thought; he could not dwell on his sister's painful absence right now. Instead he dove to snatch at one of the coons, proferring it in the air for Antares to take the other end if he fancied a game of tug. Until the other cubs arrived, there was no reason to be over-cautious.

Was waiting to see if the others would join! Y'all are still welcome to hop in, but I'm gonna get this guy moving :)

 

It was only Antares and Dragomir who came to meet her, the latter somewhat of a surprise (albeit not at all an unpleasant one). Sniffing the air in quiet bursts, Hydra discerned that the rest might be off with either her sisters or their father, each of those scents strong here. She had hoped the eldest among Moonspear's cubs would be here, and luck was in her favor; he gave no indication that he recognized the other stench of trespasser upon her, though she also imagined the bloodscent of food would reach him first. 

Pleased to see him invite Antares to play, Hydra watched with apt interest for the way in which her son would respond. It was a lighthearted moment against the recent events that they had experienced, and Hydra was content to let it play out. Dragomir was one of them, and a cub within their ranks to boot; despite not being her own child, he was treated no differently than one by now. He had remained, and worked hard, as she expected each of her children to do when they could; it seemed now was a turning point for their progress, where they had a better grasp for things and could travel further with their family. 

Hydra stretched for a moment, thinking again of the borders; as she rose, her gaze panned back to the two cubs. Perhaps it was not yet time for Antares and the rest to go to them when one had trespassed so recently; rising, and heartily shaking her furs, the matriarch looked to see their progress with mute interest. She could still educate them both on border etiquette, and what she would never accept from any—them included, should they ever make the error of trespassing in another territory. Hydra would raise them to be wiser than that as best as she could.

gonna slide her out of here bc I don't want to blow timelines up too badly! <3

She sat only a few moments, pausing, remembering.  Then, with a sad sigh, Maia picked herself up and moved on.  She had no friends here anymore, no real reason to linger outside of that odd, sad hope to see a face despite knowing it was impossible.

By the time they arrived, she'd be gone, leaving only her scent lingering on the claim's edge.  She at least had her family to look forward to seeing.  The thought of Terance and Sarah brought a new, cheerful glint to her, and her stocky form took off in a run northward.  Soon!

Antares too kept an ear turned behind him, wondering if and when his siblings might join them behind him while simultaneously knowing better than to let his guard down if even a trace of a chance remained. Although, whatever Mom was up to was awfully tempting to give that singular focus towards. However, more often than not, usually someone else was not too far--and as he grew both in size and awareness, he also grew better at handling all of it, really.. in his opinion.

But for now, it was still just him, and Dragomir, with the offerings the dark alpha of the Spear brought for them--over which his sights skimmed again, questions rolling--what would be their lesson? Their intent? His lips twitched, and he instantly perked at the sight of the older cub's motions for a coon, hungry for any understanding he might grab. But.. Oh? 

Knowingly, for this was a battle he fought among his siblings more than once, he slipped forward into an invitation such as that--seeking to dig his teeth into the carcass dangling, and as soon as he was clamped, he hunkered the rest of his body low, planting his hind-paws wide and heavy. Atlas might out-bulk him on most days, so he was undaunted by a larger fellow on the other end of the tug, and rumbled back a low rrrrrr before giving a quick jerk of his neck.

Perhaps Antares was smaller, but he had the benefit of multiple siblings to spar and tussle with. Dragomir had had only one sibling and spent two of his most crucial months bedridden; he currently lacked the muscle in his neck and shoulders to contend well even with pups who were younger and smaller than he. And even if they were, Moonspear's brood was sizable thanks to their genes and lifestyle both. It was a more even contest than either of them imagined.

No one else arrived, so Dragomir allowed himself to ease up. A playful growl bubbled around the coon's fur as Antares grabbed the other end and grounded himself. Before Dragomir could tug it away, the sturdy Moonspear pup jerked back on it, unsettling Dragomir's balance. His eyes flew wide at the utter strength in the younger pup's pull.

He recovered quickly, eager to show Hydra that he was just as good as any one of her children. He spaced his paws more widely and lowered his body, hauling back on the coon with another playful growl and a frisky whisk of his tail.

She watched on, invested in neither side here but engaged nonetheless. All things were lessons, even in play; how to utilize ones strengths, and how to offset ones own weaknesses, to be the victor in their games. Though she imagined Dragomir might engage in such games in passing with her brood, she could not remember having ever seen such an event for herself. Interested in seeing how it all would play out, her eyes shifted to Antares as he moved in. Hydra's tail waved to hear their playfully delivered growls, which sounded anything but; her heart warmed to witness things such as this, and the progress of both cubs. 

Though Hydra had never said as much, as she watched the young Dragomir she already felt he was in league with her own blood. Hydra hoped her children would learn to take a page from him and work as hard as he did. Soon enough they would come to work alongside one another; she was eager for the day, but as it had not yet arrived Hydra was more than pleased to watch them at work this way. 

Antares himself had learned much; the way he squared himself was telling that he heard many of her lessons provided, and through his own experiences with his siblings learned more from there. He was a cunning, clever boy; but she had taught Dragomir plenty in his time here, and so had her brother, and so she could only guess at how this might end. Shifting her weight as she watched, Hydra's eyes were for them both.

With a new opponent on the other end of the raccoon, his brothers and sister had taught him never to underestimate--or to let his guard down for too long unless he was ready to deal with what that could invite. He might have even come in a little overzealous at first, true to form as a confident puppy with a few of siblings to often take it out on and vice versa for them; he was well aware of what he could do, and sometimes, how he needed to do it to not be lost among the others who were just as vigorous as him too.

Dragomir held fast, and adjusted himself accordingly.. so Antares took that as a good cue to amp it up if he wasn't going to get away an easy, early slip on him so soon. But, happy with these developments as his eyes tracked the other boy's waving tail just past him, he kept answering back with short, rough jerks to his head, still trying to stay heavily planted. He saw the worth of the anchor approach, obviously, but he was starting to feeling a little itchy to move more... if only.

He knew something that was pretty annoying on the other end of times like these, likely a trick his sister had used on him before--where she drug the game (by way of his feet when his eyes went where his teeth were) into an adjacent tangling mess of dried up fern stems. So, with his persistent hauling backward, he started to pull veering more towards his right with his hind hip, attempting to control more momentum than just his own mere tug, simultaneously starting to suggest a circling spiral--in his best hopes, though, as he stared Dragomir down intently on the other end of the tough skin to see if he could get him to slack off, drag his way, falter... ideally. Antares didn't know if he could even move him at all, or if he had worse waiting to answer with now that the game could really get good.

It would never not surprise Dragomir how powerful the youths of Moonspear were. They came from good stock—so did he, but only in his sire line. The blood of the likes of Gavriel, Thuringwethil and Vercingetorix coursed through his veins, as well, and all of them were powerhouses. He, too, would grow to embody their strength, but there'd been many setbacks along his path, putting him on par with Antares when he should have been superior by age alone.

If he really wanted to win, then Dragomir might be able to use his greater size to his advantage, but he was enjoying the game. He wanted to show Hydra what he could do, but he also wanted to continue engaging Antares in a friendly competition. So when the younger pup hauled and began turning his momentum, Dragomir slackened his grip a little and allowed himself to be led, playing the part of struggling adversary for a little while before planting his hind feet and shaking his head side-to-side.

Hydra had always enjoyed watching her younger siblings scuffle; among them, she would hedge bets as to who the best would be. Who she wanted the best to be. Even now she found herself doing the same, wondering who between the two would best the other this day. Dragomir truly had grown much both physically and mentally since his arrival here, but there had not been a day (as Dragomir seemed to know) that the younger Antares had been built for this the moment that he could learn. All the same, Dragomir was a survivalist; tenacious, and full of a fighters spirit. She was glad to see him as she did; he recognized the game and measured his opponent. This was different than protect the prey or even steal it—this was simply an exercise in strength. 

Both of the children had that in spades. 

She watched now, still and quiet, though now and again she would shift and lick her chops as the tables seemed to turn. They were well matched, the two of them; she was sure it would be the same with each of her children. Antares clearly had his mind to the task, and Dragomir too; even still she had no idea which way it would go, or if there would even be any victor at all. It was a moment of true fun even with the training it carried with it, and Hydra looked upon them with a rare hint of warmth about her. Blink, and one would miss it.

He enjoyed the give, and the take, each for their own worth. Dragomir did not ever let him have or get away with too much, even when he gave in to some degree. Antares kept a calculating look zeroed in, like it may help, foresee something.. or at least understand his course as it played out as they tugged.

Quick to take to anything more vigorous, he decided he had enough of the slow pull thanks to his opponent's shakes. It shook another low snarl out of him as he set his teeth, then wrenched his neck back and forth too with his weight anchoring in behind it. A few motions in and he thought he had the right opposing momentum to hopefully get some of this carcass to rip if Dragomir kept to his guns on his end too--otherwise, Antares was going to look for another change of tactic, perhaps one more even more offensive and less exactly within the lines of the tug of war.

Would you guys mind if we fade this one out with a lesson or something? I'm trying to clean up my threads and freshen things up for March, and this one's from November. If you'd rather continue it, that's fine too, figured I'd ask!

Dragomir had to bunch the muscles in his neck and dig his nails into the ground to prevent Antares from yanking him forward. The increased vigour came as a surprise, throwing Dragomir temporarily off guard. He steadied himself as quickly as he could, but Antares managed to budge him several generous inches in the interim. Setting his feet, he hauled back and the satisfying sound of flesh and fur ripping reached his ears.

Excitement coursed through him, making his heart thrum and his blood sing. A muffled growl reverberated through his nose. With several hard jerks of his body, Dragomir ripped back on the coon's carcass until at last it came apart and he stumbled backward, holding a smaller piece than the one left behind in Antares' grip. Flagging his tail jovially, the boy flopped to the ground, thoroughly exhausted, and began to gnaw on his prize.