Moonspear confess to me,

backdated to after Keres shared w Hydra/@Dirge the news~ @Dirge @Altair @Caelum @Mira

 

Keres had shared with Hydra the news. While part of her felt irate that Keres had not prevented Mintaka from leaving herself—she knew the state of these Wilds, and of the wolf Mira herself had to kill to return home the same as the rest of them—the greater part of her was more disappointed in Mintaka for not speaking with her, or her father, herself. Winter came, and Hydra's motivation to find her daughter rose. Her children would need to look, too, together when they could. 

But there was something she wanted to discuss with her young, too. Mintaka felt she had not fit in here, she had said. Something Hydra herself had somehow missed. Actively Hydra had sought to make sure all of her children felt home within their home, and why should they not? This was their domain. All wolves were welcome here the way that they were, including the blind. If the rest of her children felt this way, Hydra sought to slay those demons in them once and for all. Hydra loved them all for different reasons. 

Caelum and his quiet strength. Altair and the way he always seemed to be moving. Mira, her savagery—the way she saw herself in her eyes. Loyalty, even when away. Mintaka, her adventurous spirit that she had sought to enable by adventuring with her when Mira had been gone. 

Settling near the rendezvous, she called to her children.

Mira was quick to arrive to her mother's call. She had not yet noticed her sister's absence, often spending times alone or in quiet places upon the mountain slopes. And so she came to Hydra, assuming another lesson as usual- and settling herself down before her mother, eyes deferred in a submissive respect that blossomed of love.

Caelum himself was on his own a lot, so he had not noticed his sister's absence yet either. They had not bonded very much. Mira was probably the one of his siblings that he was most attached to, if not mostly because, ironically, they both spent a lot of time on their own and seemed most alike. Mira was bloodthirstier where Caelum was cold and uncaring when it came to mutilation or death, but it worked well enough. Though he did not realise it, of all his siblings Caelum would probably miss her the most should he lose her.

Mira was already there when Caelum arrived. He moved in to lick his mother's chin, though only because that was what he had learned, not because he understood why. Then he sat down and watched his mother, waiting for a lesson to start.

permission to PP @Altair provided

 

Hydra regarded her two cubs, soon three when Altair arrived, with her own rough brand of affection. Her heart ached in longing for the fourth, but the fourth was determined to leave them. Mintaka has gone, she informed, and so I ask that you keep your senses open for her. She has spoken to your aunt about feeling as though she does not belong, which is her reasoning, she drawled, searching their faces for any indication that they were aware of this all along. Hydra drew in a breath, and spoke on. 

I do not believe any of you to be at fault for this. Nor myself, nor your father, she hummed, and even though I do not understand why she feels this way, if you do, or if you ever feel as though you do not belong, she hummed, I ask that you speak with me, or your father, so we might work together so that we can help however we might to remove this feeling from your heart. Understand this: unless you bring true harm to this family, you will always belong. You are blood of my blood, born to this rock just as I was. Named for the stars that shine above it, she expressed, looking to their faces, It is for you that I hunt, it is for you that I kill, it is for us all that I seek to keep this Wilderness safe. That Mintaka turned her back upon all of this, on all of them, wounded her greatly... but Hydra still hoped yet to right her daughters misinformed and misguided mind.

She fell quiet, then, so that they could speak freely with her.

Mintaka has gone, and Mira blinked once in silent surprise. Yes, her sister was a fool- and looked like neither Mother nor Father- but was she not an Ostrega? Mira could not understand the feeling of not belonging, especially when they had been raised side by side. Still, her mother's words soon shifted into confirming her love for them; her willingness to hear about their feelings, her desire to protect them. A warm feeling stirred in Mira's shrunken heart. 

Mother fell quiet, and the dark princess pondered her words.

If I see Mintaka beyond the mountain at some time, can I bring her home again? Bring her meaning drag her to Mira, who was convinced that Mintaka did too belong here- so much so, that she imagined if she found her outside, she would capture her to return her to safety. She was just too foolish to know the mountain was the best place for her, wasn't she? This was her family's claim- she was meant to remain here, like the rest of them. Who is she with? Where is she? Mira was curious, and wondered how Mintaka would be safe out there. After being kidnapped herself, she did not trust the world to be a kind place to anyone.

Caelum listened to his mother's words. Mintaka had gone. He had never been very close to his sister, but he nodded all the same in acknowledgement of the dark news. Even though they were not close, he still felt the loss. After all, family was important and she chose actively to no longer be a part of theirs.

While Mira asked if she should return Mintaka, should she run into her, Caelum remained silent. He merely listened and when his mother was done talking, he remained silent. He'd never felt as if he did not belong (though he had never really thought much about it, either, hadn't gotten to question it) so he did not feel that any of what she said was applicable to him.

No, she answered Mira swiftly. If Mintaka does not wish to be here, and does not feel welcome here, dragging her home will not make her feel this any more. Mintaka has made a choice. When she left, she also decided how we felt without speaking to us on it. Just as that was not fair or right of her to do, it is not fair or right for you to drag her anywhere she does not wish to be, she hummed. Mintaka had determined all on her own that she did not belong; that her mother, father, and siblings played a part of that seemed, well, a natural branch to fall onto in the contemplation of why. 

Hydra did not understand that. For all of Mintaka's whimsy, Hydra had held onto hope that she would grow up into a functional pack member. As a child, well, Hydra would never hope to make any of her cubs feel that way. Were they useless, though, and unwilling to help the pack in any capacity... that might change. But all of her children had shown her their limitless potential; Mintaka she imagined might have made a wonderful ambassador someday, with her love of wandering... or else a scout, perhaps. But, well, that dream came and went when her daughter wandered far away. If you do see her, she drawled, looking to her, you may share with her that she is missed, and that her belonging here is entirely up to her. Either she wants to, she drawled, or she does not. Because she will always belong here if she wants to, she hummed, it is her imagination that tells her she does not. Now was another time in which she detested that imagination, but her tone did not betray as much.