Moonspear it’s not meant to be

calloused paw-pads carried him slowly along the mountain’s incline. there were wolves below setting a claim, where he had only briefly passed by, as the slopes behind the glen intrigued him more.

huojin didn’t have a particular reason for this short detour; he knew where yuèlóng was, and could have easily gone straight there, but thought that something might be calling him here, too.

he stopped to sniff at their border before sounding a series of short, non-urgent calls to anyone nearby.

As Desdemona was always to the border, she heard the call. It was non-urgent, not a particular call for a leader, but a simple one. With a raised brow, she eventually approached the figure- but surprisingly, they were smaller, and red. Not too many at Moonspear held various of colors, majority would be either between the two, black, and white. 

Finding a child with such colors was odd. She approached the boy, even though it was someone not even a yearling, she held a rather stoic face that can be counted as cold to others, "This is Moonspear- I am Desdemona, what do you need?"

Though the calls had not sounded urgent, that did not deter Hydra's swift response. But what awaited at her proverbial doorstep was not at all what she had anticipated. Descending from the jutting ridge she had observed him from in the first place, Hydra made quick work of the gap left between them. It was not a face she recognized, and she could not place a name upon his scent either. But it was clear to the matriarch that this visitor was around the same age as her own cubs—gangly and disproportionate, though not small—and so she looked over his shoulder for some indication that he was not alone. 

But there was none of that, and so her cool gaze fell back to him as she took a step nearer as to investigate the scents he wore, should he not withdraw from her approach. Other than Desdemona, who was unsurprisingly there to meet him first... it seemed there was no one else. He was smart enough to not trespass, at the very least, and so she was left to ponder a likely alternative to his being here alone. Are you lost? she drawled, wondering if he was a Neverwinter cub. 

SHADOW POST

admittedly, though much to his dismay, huojin’s english skills had diminished during his time outside of the wilds. he’d gotten used to speaking mandarin, understanding its complex tones, and had allowed himself to forget much of his second language.

nonetheless, he focused himself on understanding the dark woman’s words. des-de-mo-na, he repeated silently, my name is huojin. the lionet’s words were accented, somewhat unclear, but should have been understood to some degree.

i, eh.. sorry, huo continued, this is.. moonspear? it’s pretty. he glanced in either direction. can i live here?

And so the Queen descended from the mountain to join the guard. Perhaps it would be intimdating, with two adults confronting a small, red child. However he stood without a fear, and talked with an accent. It was unfamiliar, and unusual- a pup that was definitely not around here.

Then, Desdemona rose her brow once more at his suggestion. She only quietly looked at Hydra, as the guard had no say in the matter.

no, huojin said, i can get to yuèlóng. my āyí is there. he didn’t have fond memories of huā, but they weren’t necessarily bad either. he remembered her being just as he was: cool, calm, and focused.

huojin tilted his head toward desdemona, then looked at the fresh face before him. can i live here? he asked again, wondering if she’d heard his question.

From accent alone, Hydra knew where it was he was from. Though this was not one of Hūa's; Hydra would have recognized him if not by sight then by scent. He confirmed it to them both, and Hydra's ear turned to Desdemona as the woman looked to her. You may stay here, for the time being. I am sure Yuélóng worries for you, and may wish for you to return home. Things will be different here, however, she drawled, already thinking of sending @Alya to inform Hūa of this news. You must inform an adult when traveling away from Moonspear, and if you wish to go far, you will not go alone. There are some wolves out there that would be happy to see you dead, by whatever means they wish—you are just the sort of wolf they would hope to come across. Am I understood? She hummed, eyes as dark as her words as she sought recognition upon his features. These words were much the same that she had told her own children. The world was an unkind place, and Hydra would not soften them with lies on the matter.

huojin listened carefully to her terms, then asked one question — what’s your name? — before ultimately agreeing. i am going there, to yuèlóng, not from. he thought that it might be an important point to clarify.

their terms being decided, huojin stepped carefully into the territory, keeping his eyes locked with the alpha to avoid testing her kindness with rudeness.

maybe, only four nights. that would give him enough time to see every part of this mountain, he thought, while also allowing some rest before his journey to the coast. i have news for huā from my mom. being young and naïve, huo assumed that everyone he knew also knew one another, and so saw no problem with mentioning names.

skippable

She had stepped back a bit, to let the child talk to Hydra. He hailed from Yuelong, an ally back by the coast. Surprisingly though, he ended up in Moonspear of all places, and wanted to live here- but visit over there, for four nights? She thought that was correct, though with his accent and words, it can only be assumed.

The boy went by whims, it seemed.

He explained, and she wondered where it was he had come from. How long had he been gone? He did not smell of the coast, and supposed he must have traveled some time. When he looked her in the eye, Hydra's lip lifted and a low growl ekked forth from her throat. He was young, and likely did not know better than to not look another directly in their eye. It was a direct challenge, and the boy was old enough to learn important lessons such as these. Avert your gaze, her posture demanded, though as of yet she made no move to physically reprimand him. Her children had learned much the same lesson. 

If he were to remain here, she would need to teach him the way of the wolf just as she did with her own cubs. 

Once he seemed to respond to this, her visage would smooth over—a simple passing storm. 

I am Hydra. And what is your name? she asked, before then adding, what news do you have? She wondered if any of it was prudent to know, though doubted it involved anything that meant their endangerment if he was traveling by his lonesome. Still, one never knew.

hydra’s dominant display came as a surprise, but huojin’s response was prompt. he quickly turned his head and flopped onto his side, throwing his legs open to reveal complete submission. he’d learned how to recover these situations from watching others; this was his first experience being forced onto his own back.

she soon quieted. the lionet  rolled himself upright, though he would remain lying on the ground until one of the adults left him or otherwise requested he move. huojin, he told her, or huo, too.

as he’d suspected, hydra did know his family.. or it was suggested by her curiosity. huojin didn’t care either way; none of the news he’d returned with was of particular importance. more wolves like us outside of this place, huojin explained, where yingyue and fengmian live.

his deluded aunt had somehow reunited with her lover, and with him, was raising four children. huā knew the latter detail, though. it’s not far. my mom is there with them.

He knew how to respond, and Hydra was mollified. News of Ying came, and Hydra listened with great interest. She had not known the woman had gone from the Wilds, and was disappointed to hear it. She did not wear the passing feeling on her features, and she regarded the young Huojin with a nod. News that was not urgent, at least. In any event, Hydra drawled, take care of what you reveal to others. Were Hūa an enemy of mine, I would have learned much from you. Perhaps you think your news of little consequence, but I have learned many important things from you, Huojin, she advised. Ying had no doubt earned a reputation and made an impression among more wolves than just she. Any that knew Ying well understood she was a fighter; the loss of her was an advantage for any enemy. 

You are fortunate this day. She is a friend, she revealed candidly, gaze turning to Desdemona. Gesturing to her side so that they could move deeper into Moonspear, Hydra hummed, let us get you something to eat.

really? huojin asked. maybe these things were more important than he’d thought, but that didn’t change his general ambivalence. i’m happy to go see her again, after this long time. he stood up then, moving quickly to meet hydra’s gait.

Truly, she answered in echo, as succinct as he. Ying had wanted to create an army with her; Hydra pondered on a successor to this, and looked down to the boy. I am sure she will be pleased to see you alive and well, she imagined aloud. Perhaps he was not a runaway; perhaps he and his mother left together, and he was simply returning now. Hydra peered to Desdemona, nodding to the woman that she could resume her patrol. The matriarch would introduce the cub to the rendezvous, where he could eat and rest for a time.

She imagined @Alya might be nearby, and looked around for her. Often when she thought of either of her sisters, they would appear as though they knew it—and more likely than not, they did. Do you speak the language of your aunt Hūa and Yingyue, as well? she asked, none too idly, as they moved. A favored pastime of hers was learning the languages of others, and young though he was Huojin could surely teach her this thing that she did not yet know. While she was fluent enough in Japanese, it was not the same all around she had found despite similarities.

It was not often, these days, that Alya found herself interacting with those outside of her blood family. Her sisters were her most constant companions, and she stood in for Hydra at times when she could not be there for the children. Perhaps some of the others did not even realize they were three instead of two.

Sometimes, Alya felt this was so.

Today, however, she found herself moving toward Hydra as she spoke with a young stranger, summoned, somehow, by the mere act of Hydra glancing over her shoulder. She looked for Alya, and there she was, gliding out of the underbrush to attend.

Well, who is this, she said, her voice lacking the proper inflection to be a question.

her question was easily answered with a nod, followed by a verbal confirmation: 大家都这样做. 你做? if hydra knew of their family, then surely she would speak their language, too.

turning to hydra, he asked, are there any men here? it was a genuine question, one that came without humor or spite. huojin simply thought it interesting that thus far, he’d only been greeted — and welcomed — by women. 

my name is huojin, or huo. he looked the newer woman over, then smiled, finding her resemblance to hydra to be a generous challenge. would he be able to tell them apart over the coming days?

it didn’t matter, since huojin didn’t necessarily plan to return after he departed.. well, not yet, anyway. what’s your name? he asked, being careful this time to avoid eye contact in case she was another of their superiors.

She did not understand much of anything he said; while there were some similarities between the languages they spoke, none arose then. 番号, she answered with a curt shake of her head. While some she could interpret from repetition, speaking it was another matter entirely. Though I would like to learn, she drawled with a small sway of her tail. 

His inquiry was answered with a nod to start. While you cannot see them, perhaps you might smell them, she hummed, sniffing to the earth and gesturing to a recent trail of her sons. Alya materialized from the shadows, as if conjured by her imaginings. When her children were born, she was always good at doing just that whenever needed. Letting Alya answer for herself, Hydra hummed, Huojin will need to return to the coast; he thinks four days rest is sufficient, her eyes were bright as she looked to Alya, sure her thoughts were quite clear to one who knew her the way that only Lyra and Alya ever would. Would you escort him? she drawled, thinking it high time her sister went on a trip to see more of the world again for more reason than one.

The boy was quick to introduce himself; Alya's smile was almost imperceptible, but present as she regarded the bright young thing.

I am Alya, she replied. Her ears cupped toward Hydra as she spoke, but her gaze remained on the youth before her, deep blue carefully measuring. Only the suggestion of a trip drew her eyes away, startled, toward the Queen.

Certainly, she said, for there could be no other answer when Hydra asked something of her. But she scanned her sister's face, searching for answers.

Did Hydra really want her to go now, when there might be trouble brewing on the horizon? She almost asked, but the glint in Hydra's identical gaze gave her pause; it was clear that the woman did, indeed, want her to go, and when Alya looked back on the past several months, she thought she could see why.

Another faint smile flickered across her otherwise placid features, this one near apologetic. She knew she'd been reclusive and withdrawn, but she thought she'd at least been putting up a good front. No facade was ever good enough for her sisters, however.

She turned her attention back to Huojin. What do you think, Huo? she asked. You won't mind me coming along, will you?

oh.

then, there were men here. huojin wasn’t particularly excited about having to seek them out for himself, but thought that it might be nice to make a friend.. if they could find him first.

huojin shrugged, sure. having already travelled this far by himself, he didn’t really think an escort to the island was necessary, but he would nonetheless respect hydra’s wishes. she was his elder, if nothing else.

his stomach rumbled quietly, just loud enough for him to hear. he looked up at hydra with an urging half-smile, then peered back at alya to ask, you’re coming to eat some, too?

He seemed willing, which pleased her. It would not have mattered had he not been, it was decided. This simply made things easier. Hearing the boys stomach rumble, she looked to her sister when the boy regarded her. Up to you, her look said; if Alya hungered, why not? But if she wished to harass Lyra, or any of their children she was welcome to that as well. Hydra moved along, electing to hunt instead of simply dig up something older. He would surely benefit from the impromptu lesson. 

last from me!

Alya smiled benignly; she'd develped a soft spot for children.

She'd developed a lot of soft spots, lately.

. . . she was a soft spot.

"I'd be glad to," she said to the pair. It was about damn time.

last from me!

And so it passed with Cerberus coming through.  It had been some time to have met Alya, but the conclusion came to introduce Huojin back to his home, and to the empress Desdemona has yet to see nor' meet. She still wondered who this one's parents were, for the unusual eyes he may have, and the flaming pelt that he also carried. 

With a nod to them all, the guard slipped back into the mountain.