Moonspear You can't be too careful anymore

Since Galaxy's death, Alya had made a point to run herd on her remaining pale sisters. It led to the contemplation of her father's genes, and questions on why exactly his pale coat should lead to such disappointing specimens. Even Jarilo, doofus that he was, seemed to have the proper knack for ferocity. It just needed to be honed.

So what was wrong with Korei, Vela, and Galaxy? Fervently, the dark woman hoped her mother would bear more soot puppies this year. For all their sakes.

She was patrolling further inside the borders today, keeping track of Vela's whereabouts and a level ear up for any kind of commotion. Not even home felt safe these days - Alya had been taught time and again that the worst tradgedies happened withing Moonspear's borders. It wasn't ideal, but they were a strong family, and she knew they had no choice but to persevere and, perhaps, try a bit harder to mind their young, even when they were 'safe at home'.

Safety had never been a question in Dirge's thoughts. Even with all that had happened, he still felt in relative comfort within the borders. Had he been uncertain of this, knowing that those borders had more surveillance would have been most reassuring. Instead for him it was business as usual as he forged a path through newly fallen snow to see what had changed. Ever watchful and waiting for herds to come rolling between the narrow passes, his thoughts had not turned inward that day. Though what had happened was a definite tragedy, there was a disconnect between what it was and what it meant. He explored neither train of thought, instead leaving them ignored at their station.

As he slipped between errant stones along the varied terrain of the borders, all was quiet. This part of the forest was not entirely well known to him, but he was becoming familar quick; days ago it had been very near to a young doe tiring itself out for the last time. But even with the silence he was aware that he was not alone moments later as distant footfalls reached his ears. His ears fanned forward as his steps came to pause; his gaze searched his nearby surroundings for the source... which turned out to nothing more than a wolf. Not just any wolf, but yet another mirror image to Hydra. He had yet to find a way to tell them apart physically, but something instinctually told him this was neither Hydra nor Lyra. At least if he was wrong, he would discover such soon.

Making his way towards her, he studied her with an appraising eye. There was no need to draw attention to himself he thought, the crunch of cold snow would give him away if it hadn't already. "Care for company?" he inquired with his usual nonchalance. If she wanted to be alone, it would hardly offend him to continue about his way.

Alya, too, affected supeme nonchalance. She gave the male a half-glance as she strode through the territory, glad that, this time, she could easily place a name to the scent. This was one of Hydra's suitors - the most likely to secure her intentions, at present.

"Dirge," she greeted, resisting the urge to stare a bit longer. He was not really Alya's type (being that he looked nothing like herself or her father), but she could see what had captured Hydra's attention. He was not a terribly exciting man, as far as the dark woman was concerned, but he was certainly fit enough to have a chance at keeping up with them, and Hydra had spoken of his fair temperment as well. "I find myself quite amenable to company today," she then replied, deciding that it couldn't hurt to get to know the man.

Alya slowed her pace - silent permission for Dirge to walk beside her - and shot the male a lingering look. Yes, he certainly seemed fit enough. Alya just couldn't get over the loudness of his fur. How would he look beside Hydra, if she did end up choosing him? The idea pulled Alya's mouth down at the corners. Oh well.

"What are you up to today?" she asked, wondering if Dirge had anything besides patrolling in mind. Alya wouldn't mind a hunt or a race, or tracking down more family to annoy.

She knew his name but that came as no surprise. He had no doubts that Hydra was close to her sisters; his name had been passed around. Whatever details beyond that remained a mystery to him and perhaps for the better. Dirge couldn't help but stumble embarassingly on the recollection of her name however, but one would have never been the wiser. A wan smile spread on his face as she allowed him to join her, the conversation progressing smoothly.

"I was out looking for the herds your father speaks of," he began, "but it would seem they're proving elusive as of late." And it went without mentioning that the distractions had mounted their attack as well. The nonsense with the packs, the alteractions with mountain lions, the list seemed to taper on though partially his own more than anyone else. Aware of her glances, his own gaze surveyed through the timberland. There was not much to see that caught his eyes.

"And as it were, the snow does wonders to blanket their retreat to wherever it is they go. I'd rather not find myself having to bed down with them alone just yet." Prying others away from their grief and stretching their numbers did not appeal to him either in light of recent events, not that he suspected he had any pull himself. His musing brief, he returned her question—"But what of you?"

it delights me that she thinks his fur is loud

Alya recognized the look on Dirge's face; she'd spent her whole life seeing it everywhere she went. "Alya," she supplied, not wanting to be mistaking for one of her counterparts, in this case. It would be embarrassing for Dirge if he happened to think she was Hydra, and she didn't feel like affecting Lyra today. "The herds stay closer to the valley floor - usually away from the border," she explained, lips quirking up in a smile. "The rams, on the other hand, can be found on the higher slopes. The only thing you'll find on the middling parts of the mountain are small game and the occassional hog or misplaced deer." There were also wild cats, of course, and sometimes wolverines. But those weren't prey animals, and considering the recent hubbub, Alya didn't think she needed to tell Dirge about those.

"I'm just checking up on my sisters," the girl went on, answering Dirge's question. "The white ones." The dark ones could take care of themselves.

She seemed quick to flaunt information as to where the herds were and he kept his smile. It was logically the best place to find them and of that he was aware, but a wrong choice in words wasn't worth ruffling feathers for regardless of who it came from. Alya was every bit of a pit viper as her sisters if anything was to be gleaned; he too remembered her actions and mood of that fateful evening.

"I would have never imagined such a distinction between siblings, but I have yet to meet them all," and Galaxy obviously was no longer on that list. Corpses made terrible company. He knew they had a brother, Jarilo, and he knew Vela was the near spitting image of Charon... though she hadn't seemed to fond of him. There had been the she-wolf there that night that had cried—he presumed she had been one too even if her name tumbled lost in his recollection.

"Shall we?" he suggested with a flick of his muzzle; he wouldn't hold her up with banter. "I'll go along until we get closer to the borders, or unless you decide to chase me about. I promise I'm not terrible company." His first few steps were tentative in hopes she would continue her lead. Following along had its perks, though it was up in the air where he would go with them.

Alya had been heading further into the territory rather than the borders, but she saw no reason not to backtrack with Dirge. She did not know much about him aside from what Hydra had said, and Hydra did not wax poetic about her suitors the way Alya did.

"So, where do you come from?" Alya asked, wondering why he had left. She and her sisters has vague, tentative plans to strike out on their own at some point, but it seemed so far off and was more like a happy daydream than a real plan. How had Dirge decides to leave his parents?

She kept her pace slow and measured, wanting to get as much out of him as she could while she had him. It would be good practice to see how much she could get him to tell her.

Ah, that question again. At least that question he could answer with relative ease, though he wondered if changing the answer to it would have any effect at all. He wouldn't do that today, or at least where collaborating ears were likely to be. She wouldn't be the last one to make conversation out of where he had come from.

"From the south," he started off, "a good few weeks away at least. Not too terribly different from here I suppose with the mountains and what not. Might've been a touch drier." And maybe the seasons weren't so pronounced, but he didn't put a lot of thought into it. He remembered parts of that landscape fondly even if the memories tied to them were not.

"What else would you like to know?"

What a worthless answer, Alya thought, for it told her nothing about what she truly wanted to know. But it had satisfied the letter of her question even if it had not satisfied the spirit, so she let it go. Instead, she chose to pick apart his assumption that she only cared to discuss him.

"There's nothing you'd ask me?" she asked innocently, eyes flashing briefly with mischief befor she hurried the conversation along, not wanting to give him a chance to correct this (implied) mistake. "Tell me about your family," she insisted, offering a starry smile. "Do you love your mother? Have you ever hated anyone?"

Her ears pressed forward atop her head, showing her interest. Now that Dirge had swept aside the facade of casual conversation, she was intent on getting to know him as quickly and invasively as she could. Perhaps rapid-fire questions would help keep him off-kilter and make any possible lies more easily detectable - Dirge was (currently) small potatoes, so she was willing to experiment.

An innocent question prefaced quicker ones; it helped him to decide more about her personality and how it differed from her sisters. A thin smile spread along his face as though his patience were tested by opening such a proverbial can of worms, but it was the way of the world. They only got out what they put in, so to speak.

"I have four sisters, and I love my mother, but don't you think hate is a bit of a strong term," he rattled off smoothly, ever keeping his cards close. Just as well as he opted to boldly test the space between them by closing it a step, leaning in to finish in rougish, hushed tone: "And a wise wolf knows to let a princess to take her pick of questions first lest he get the opportunity to ask at all."

Four sisters? thought Alya, at once becoming interested in meeting the four women. Moonspear had lacked powerful women throughout her childhood, and although Amekaze had done well in teaching them what it was to be one, she wanted to see what other strong women were like as well.

"You'll have to introduce us, if you ever get the chance," she decided, not at all against meeting his mother, either. "I suppose hate is a strong word, but that doesn't negate the question. I'll take that as a pass," she said flippantly, meaning to press on once more to prevent him from correcting. She paused, however, when Dirge stepped nearer to her, his voice changing into something Alya recognized a little too well.

"Then it's funny you should know to do it," she hummed, not repelling him from her proximity, but not opening herself to it either. "A wise man would know better than to play games with me."

All in all, she had not met many wise men.

In truth he doubted that the chance for her to be meeting anyone of his family was particularly good. It had been months since his separation from Saor and Nyx and even longer from the rest of his family that remained. There was of course, his ignored flagging that technically they were family, bound by some loose thread he had only pulled at in times of boredom. But he kept such things to himself, not entirely sure what to make of it all and less inclined to use what he had seen as a baseline of expectations. Whatever the case, it did seem that they all had the ability to embroil themselves in trouble of varying designs and degrees.

"I never said I played games," he hummed as a smile came to his features, "but you would most certainly get along with my sisters. They'd like you quite a bit, favoring sharp tongues to lash their only brother with." He thought Saor would have been amused with Alya first, ever quick to dismiss his antagonizing with someone else who clearly had capable precision. Nyx would have probably bit his ass already, many times over, for his long list of previous choice in words in other conversations.

Beneath it all in a moment of clarity, he felt a pang of some unpleasantry for their absence before sweeping it all away. "Surely if the day should ever come that you and your sisters meet them, I'd wager it wouldn't be sundown before you all went off to terrorize the countryside," and it went without saying that some poor god would be left to fret over the outcome.

Alya's expression hardened to stone as she perceived that her accusation was being avoided. He didn't play games, he claimed, but had seemed intent on testing her boundries a moment before. The dark woman wondered if Hydra knew Dirge acted this way to women other than herself - but it didn't matter. She would soon.

Alya did not warm to Dirge as he went on to pay her what may very well have been a compliment, coming from someone else. Perhaps she thought Dirge too forward in assuming these things about her, or perhaps she did not like being lowered to the same level as his sisters - they were not princesses (as far as she knew) after all. More likely, though, it was just Alya's natural tendency to be mulish and contrary, when the mood struck her. For whatever reason, she'd dug in her heels where Dirge was concerned.

She did not like him. Him or his obnoxious fur.

"My father's calling for me," she said abruptly, turning and, at once, departing. She was not in the habit of bedgruding Hydra's whims, but the dark woman had already decided that her beta would be hearing about this encounter.

Their conversation came to an abrupt end, Alya's parting statement a cleaver to whatever could have been carved up. His steps stopped at once; his expression to her backside was stunned for a beat before he found a narrow smile to spread over. Evidently she did not favor his company. Though he considered pursuing her as she retreated to presumably find better company, he remained until her figure had slipped from sight through the thick timber.

With a shrug to compose himself, he thought not of her running to Hydra and announcing her opinion. His thoughts had turned back to the original plan that had brought him out there in the first place—tracking the herds—and it did not take much longer for him to set off leisurely down the slope in search of them.

thank you for the thread! ♡