Firefly Glen black mambo

Border patrol primarily! But it could go any which way! ;D

A chilly autumnal breeze brushed through the terrain, tousling the inky cloak of the dark sentinel.
 
Atlas was stationed at the edge of the glen where he had noticed their markings had faded. He did what he could to renew them before gazing out across the land between their claim and their previous home. Moonspear seemed to loom so tall when they were not at its rocky peaks. It was an indomitable structure and he was proud that he hailed from such a powerful pack. Thinking back on the slopes of his home, he felt a pang of nostalgia and wondered how Altair and the other pups were faring.
 
Snorting softly, he marked the area again and continued on a steady path around the edges of their hold. The sunlight glow of his eyes danced along the mountain range for a while longer before he turned them to focus on his nearest surroundings.

takes all the Bo threads <3 but she needs to meet more of the moonboys

Fennec was returning from her trip gathering, the hide full of plants gripped carefully in her teeth.  She didn't want to risk crushing any of them, and once she got there, she'd need to sort out which was the strange and which ones she knew.  The strange would sit as it was for now until she could organize her test.  Fennec's lips twitched up a little wickedly at the thought as she stepped carefully round the trunk of a rather large tree, paws automatically lifting higher to aviod any roots that may be portruding at the base.

Her ears twisted and flicked as Fennec heard the telltale signs of someone patrolling the borders.  Bronco?  No, that wasn't his gait.  She was tired and dirty but curiosity always seemed to win out.  So she shifted her trajectory, cautious steps instead leading her to meet with the nearby wolf.

The she-wolf was rather remarkable in the way that she was not noticed until she had all but crossed into his path. Atlas was shocked by this at first but regained his footing when he caught sight of her gaze. He’d never seen eyes like that before. They had milked over and seemed glossy and unfocused on anything. Their color was nearly that of her coat; if he were superstitious, he might have thought her a ghost.
 
“Hey there,” he called out in a low chuff.
 
She was unknown to him, but her scent was of the area and she seemed to know where she was headed had he not crossed into her path. The shade wondered if she had been searching for a hunt but held that inquiry to himself until he found out whether she wanted to chat or not. The anxious young shadow had to remind himself that he might simply have crossed into her path and nothing more.

Fennec paused when he greeted her and set down the bundle she was carrying so that she could reply.  His voice was friendly, but unlike Osiris, he didn't provide her any ammo right off the bat.  Hey.  Who are you?  It wasn't the politest of greetings, but it wasn't impolite.  She had yet to really sort out the hierarchy here (not that she respected it much unless forced anyway).  Posturing didn't mean much to a wolf who couldn't see it.

Meeting the other wolves of the glen was a priority for another reason, though.  She wanted them to know who to come to should they need healing; if she was going to truly establish herself a reputation, she needed the cred where she could find it.

WC: 126

Straight to the point, the golden-cloaked female inquired who he was within just a moment of crossing paths with the dark hunter. Atlas offered her a warm smile that she would not have seen, and his inky tail waved behind him in a demonstration of friendliness. All the while, the young Ostrega was entirely unaware that his companion was blind and could not have known about the body language that he had shown her.
 
“I’m Atlas, er… Ostrega. Atlas Ostrega,” the shade introduced with a small nod. “What’s your name?”
 
There were sure to be members within the glen that he hadn’t met before. Osiris had been much better about venturing out of Moonspear; he’d met Leta out there in the wild, after all. It was important for them to know those who had joined the ranks of their family pack. If Atlas had any chance of growing into a leader like his brother, he would need to try to be more social.

He sounded pleasantly boring, so that should have been her first cue.  It was an unfair assessment but he did have that same polite air to his words that the other one had.  Fennec.  She'd been waiting, but she couldn't be sure just yet.  Ostrega?  Are you related to Hydra?  She asked, seemingly interested.

She thought she remembered her mom saying that Hydra had a bunch of kids here.  She wondered if there were other Ostregas, or others who claimed the name or family ties.  Back home family ties had always been pretty loose.

WC: 94

The assessment was a valid one; Atlas was far from interesting and far from being someone worth going out of the way to chat with. He’d struggled with this internally since a young age but had arrived at the conclusion that he was far from exceptional in any way, shape, or form. Perhaps this could change with time, but the inkwell yearling had many doubts on the matter. Try as he might, he simply paled in comparison to his other family members.
 
Fennec was a name he had not heard before. He stored the moniker in his mind, pairing it with the pale young woman with peculiar eyes. The girl’s gaze was something he was rather eager to comment on, wanting to let her know that he’d never seen someone’s eyes take such a pretty milk-like color before. Instead, he was derailed, and the subject arrived on his mother.
 
“Ah, yeah… she’s my mom. Maybe you’ve met my brother Osiris? Or the other dark one Antares?” The good ones, he added internally.

>:)

Aha, and there it was.  The answer she'd secretly been hoping for, and the one she'd honestly been waiting for ever since speaking with Osiris that first day.  Maybe you’ve met my brother Osiris? Or the other dark one Antares?  I've met Osiris.  She said pleasantly.  He's very nice.  I haven't had the pleasure of meeting Antares though.  It was amazing how used to slipping into this pattern of speech she was getting; it got easier every time.  Hydra is impressive, I'm surprised she hasn't taught you all to be leaders at this point.  It's cool of you to support your brother though, he's going to make an awesome leader.

She said all of this as if she were talking about a dear distant family member, cheerful and nonchalant.  Fennec couldn't have even said why the thought of digging into this possible sibling rivalry pleased her so much; she just enjoyed pushing buttons that were dying to be pushed.  Really, though, all she had to do was think about how mad she'd be if Towhee had handed a pack over to Fig to lead and not involved her in the process (LOL).  Would she get over it? Sure!  But you better bet he'd have some groveling to do.

WC: 208

I fucking love this. THANK YOU FOR EXISTING STARR.

Without knowing it, Fennec had opened a wound in the boy’s soul.
 
He had spent many days wondering why their mother hadn’t wished for him to lead a pack of his own. Had she been able to sniff out his insecurities at such a young age? Did she know that Osiris had none of the worries that Atlas did and had determined he was a better fit to lead another pack under their family name?
 
The dark yearling swallowed, trying to suck down the lump that had formed in his throat. He offered the young girl a feeble smile that was riddled with the anxious nerves that bubbled beneath the surface of his composed features. “Well, I uh…” and then he stopped talking because he wasn’t sure what he should say to something like that. He’d just met this girl and it wasn’t good form to dump his familial envy on her. Besides, what right did he have to be jealous of his brother for accomplishing more than he ever could? It was not Osiris’ fault that Atlas couldn’t overcome his anxieties and uncertainties.
 
“He’ll probably be a better leader than I ever could, to be honest,” the inkwell admitted softly.

NO PROBLEM o7

She shouldn't have doubted her instincts, apparently, because all siblings really were the same at heart.  The stammer at first didn't give her much, but that second statement was a veritable goldmine.  If Fennec were an anime character right now, she'd have been in profile behind herself, rubbing her paws together gleefully with borderline sadistic glee.

If you say so.  Did you even get a chance, though, to prove that you wouldn't make a better one?  That seems hardly fair.  She scoffed lightly on his behalf, as if she were insulted for his sake.  She didn't have to try too hard since she was being honest in one regard - it really wasn't fair.  The way he'd backed down immediately didn't speak much to his confidence, but that didn't mean he deserved to get shafted.

If it were me, I'd have made him prove it.  But I guess you know yourself better.  She shrugged, listening to see what the suddenly quiet Ostrega might say to that.  Okay, so she honestly hadn't come into this conversation with the intention of starting an all-out brother brawl... but how hilarious would that be?

Besides, she'd be doing Osiris a favor.  Better to have that resentment out in the open than festering behind the scenes.

WC: 210

The blonde girl was frightening.
 
Atlas listened to her speak as though she knew him. And even though they had only just met, she seemed to have already gotten a decent grasp on his strength of character and a few of the weaknesses that plagued him. The inkwell could not imagine what deep dark things she could rip from him if given a little more time. As she offered her advice freely, the shade listened. The expression on his features did not change, but his heart seemed to increase in speed and leave him feeling as though his paws were no longer attached to the earth.
 
“Has he not already?”
 
The realization struck him as she remarked on her last piece. What need did Atlas have to make his brother prove his worth? He had already ventured out into the wilds and gathered strength, numbers, and had managed to return those things to their mother for review. What had the shade done? Little more than teach his younger siblings how to track small prey and patrol the borders.
 
What could a glorified babysitter do against the greatness that Osiris had demonstrated?
 
“Maybe you’re right though…”

Fennec made a noise of disbelief.  From what she'd heard so far from both brothers, she could assume that Hydra had probably named who got to run the Glen.  Atlas would have immediately spoken up with some alternative otherwise, and she'd already gotten that impression (or been told outright, I don't recall) from Osiris.

What, because someone handed the pack over to him?  Hardly.  Fennec frowned.  Honestly, it's a bit of a raw deal for all of us, isn't it?  I mean, we deserve to have the best leading us, and if he didn't have to work for it, who's to say he is?

So she'd gotten pretty attached to this idea now, a crusade for justice or whatever shit.  If Atlas confronted Osiris it would be interesting, and if he won it would be even more interesting because she'd have been the catalyst behind the change.  If he lost and sold her out?  That would fit her witch image perfectly, honestly.  Plotting treachery, placing kings...  her dramatic flair for self-importance was eating every bit of this conversation up.  And every outcome - good or bad.

WC: 185

It was getting harder for him to breathe.
 
‘… it’s a bit of a raw deal for all of us, isn’t it?’
 
The crease in his brow deepened at this and he looked to the milky-eyed wolf with an expression of complete shock and fear.
 
“No, no… no that’s not…” he stammered out. The shade shook his head, trying to rattle some sense into his own thick skull. “He did have to work. We all did… to get the pack formed and to get members that were willing to follow. That can’t be handed to him. They’d have to trust him to join, wouldn’t they?” It made sense, did it not? Didn’t their numbers have to believe in Osiris and trust that he would lead them to great things? The longer he thought about his own reasons for having followed his brother, the more he realized that he might have done so out of obligation – because he owed it to his kin to see this through with him.
 
All the while, he wondered if Fennec had actually met Osiris or if she had crossed paths with someone else in their brood. If this was her lasting impression of the green-eyed Ostrega, Atlas was terrified of what she would say about him when they had finished their talk.

He got defensive, which was adorable.  She backed it off some, not entirely, but her tone took on a careless quality.  She wasn't invested, after all - he could do with all this what he liked.  Maybe.  I trusted that he was the best wolf for the job, sure, but that's only because I couldn't do better.  If you could, then I think you owe it to everyone to find out.  She paused, almost a verbal shrug.  But maybe you can't, and that's fine too.  Just my opinion.  

That was all she needed.  She didn't plan on a confirmation here, or really a confirmation at any point.  Just getting to plant these little seeds was enough.  She loved to set their minds spinning and to get their backs up, and from Atlas' tone, this round had been a rousing success.  She never stopped to wonder if taking so much delight in someone else's obvious discomfort made her a terrible person, and if the realization had been yes, she might have taken that as a badge of honor.  So perhaps it was best she never did wonder at all.

WC: 187

The more carelessly she offered her advice, the harder it became for him to swallow. Pressure had built up around his head and his throat, constricting the ability to think properly. He thought he was going to suffocate before the blonde she-wolf spoke the magic words of release. 

'But maybe you can't, and that's fine too...'

The air flowed freely into his lungs and his chest ached with the weight of that realization. 

I-...

Two thoughts waged war inside his head: yes, you could have done better and no, you are the weakest link. The shade did not know which would win, but he wasn't ready to let Fennec find out with him. Looking toward the ground, Atlas frowned deeply and tried to sort through his thoughts. No, this pack would absolutely have failed if I had been placed in his position, the yearling finished and then attempted to give her a weak chuckle that caught in the back of his throat. 

It's a good thing it turned out this way, I guess.

Maybe.  That was the end of it.  Despite the finality in his voice, though, Fennec wondered if it really was.  It was interesting that Hydra's kids would have that kicked-puppy mentality.  From what Fennec had learned about her mom's friend, she was nothing short of impressive, and it was quite a boost to the blind girl's ego to hear Atlas talk like that.  She'd said she couldn't lead better, but she didn't take it to heart like it was a personal failing.

That had been about as fun as she'd hoped.  Unless... she'd never really told that bold of a lie before.  Did she want to?

God, would that answer ever be no?

If you're ever curious, I could try to see for you.  How it would go.  Fennec had always wondered what it would be like to take up the more soothsayer aspects of the trade.  She knew most of it was bullshit and knowing your mark well enough to speak to whatever insecurities they had, but it seemed like a laugh either way.

WC: 175

The pale female didn't push the point after he had offered his last piece. 

Maybe she had only been trying to help, he thought to himself with frustration. Atlas wanted to hear what she had to say, but he couldn't help but feel sickened at the idea that he was standing there talking to a complete stranger about whether or not his brother was worthy of leading their pack. It was a talk that should have only been kept to the innermost reaches of his mind. The swell of anxious feelings settled in the back of his throat again. When the girl Fennec offered to help him, he looked to her with shock on his face. 

H-how exactly would you do that? If... I was interested, he started, looking at the girl's gaze with worry and intrigue written into every line of his face. He didn't want anyone to get hurt. Atlas also didn't want to cause trouble for his brother when the pack was still so new and they were working to make it strong.

This was a risky way to trial this, a lie that was more insight than outright falsehood.  She began to catalog everything she knew so far, but as that happened, she explained.

I would listen to what the fates tell me.  They leave signs, but only to those who can hear and read them.  She flicked her ears and offered a small, secretive smile.  I can interpet how it would go, though what that means only you can decide.

His brother led, confident, unaware.  He thought himself unworthy, yet was jealous enough to question it and to be interested in the outcome should he question it.  Hydra obviously held control of them, gave orders they didn't dare question.  He struggled with his place here and inadequacy.  All of these were a veritable goldmine, things she could twist as she listened.

WC: 140

Fennec explained that the way she would determine how that scenario would go would be to listen to the fates and they would tell her. This immediately overwhelmed the inky yearling. His brow furrowed and he stiffened, unsure how he should address the proposition without actually understanding what she meant by it. Did they have to go somewhere to address these fates? How did they get their knowledge? What did it cost to have that information shared with him and the girl Fennec? The longer he thought about how she’d worded it, the more his anxieties raged inside of him.
 
“Who uh… who’re the fates? Do they require anything in exchange for what they tell you? And… how do they get their information?”
 
Atlas hoped that asking these things wouldn’t perturb her. He didn’t want to have the girl vanish before he had a chance to parse through what she’d said and determine if it would be beneficial for him. Atlas did not want to do anything that would bring harm or dishonor to his brother or his family. He did not want to be indebted to something he could never repay either.

Wow he had a lot of questions all of the sudden.  She wouldn't have pegged him to be into this, but maybe he was just overcautious.  That tracked.

Overcautious. Doesn't feel good enough.  Overshadowed by a brother (and his mom?).  Wants to prove himself but kinda a coward.

It was a harsh summary that she drew together in her mind, but it would help her if he agreed.  She could use it to spin him a future.  They don't reveal who they are or how they know.  They just send signs and I find them.  All it takes is a good ear and an open mind.  Fennec answered smoothly.  Ever since she'd started considering embracing this trade, lying almost seemed to come easier.

They respect me, but a secret never hurts.  If you have one to share with them.  This was going to be the start of that thought as far as payment went.  It didn't make any sense for the fates to want food or material things.  But something spoken would work wonderfully for it.

There was a fair deal of mystery that surrounded the fates. Atlas was rather surprised that someone roughly his age was capable of communing with them and was willing to offer this as a marketable skill to someone else. The crease in his brow deepened and he frowned while he mulled his thoughts over.
 
Fennec explained that they did not seek things that he would think to offer in return for the information he might get from the fates. They desired things that he kept close to him: secrets. The inkjet figure wasn’t sure if he was capable of simply offering one of his secrets to someone he’d only just met, or to an ambiguous figure that might provide him with details about his future. All of it made his head spin.
 
“What kind of secrets do they like, Fennec?”
 
His voice was soft and uncertain, but he was willing to try. If she wanted to exploit such willingness, no one would stop her.

Secrets you don't want to give.  Her answer was immediate.  She heard the hesitation in him, and she didn't know if this would make him pause in revealing to her.  So she had one more trick in her arsenal.  But don't worry.  No one else will know; secrets have no worth when they are no longer secret.  And any secret he shared would obviously need to have worth to appease the fates.

All she needed was something.  She did not want to give him his fortune before, though she began to formulate an image of what it might contain.  Words of his brother; his insecurity, his future, his mother.  A claim?  Maybe, if she could reason it.  She didn't like to make it up completely.  She liked to base it off of sensed things, something real behind the fabrication.

He didn't like how swiftly she had responded to him. The expression on his face shifted to one of concern, but he did not deny her immediately. Some vile thing in the pit of his stomach said that it was worth finding out - it was worth seeing if he was capable. Atlas could not think of a secret that he could stand to part with. He stood with a frustrated expression for a few long moments before he looked to the fair-haired girl and frowned. 

"I will have to think on it," he informed her solemnly. 

"Where could I find you when I've decided?"

Fear and anxiety stabbed at his innards. The inkjet figure wasn't sure if she would be willing to wait for him to find a secret worthy of sharing with the fates. He wasn't eager to admit it, but Atlas knew that he did not carry that many interesting thoughts within him. There were only a few that he imagined would be good enough, and those were difficult to part with.

I'll be around, she answered casually.  She'd wanted to test this out, and considered giving him an answer regardless of him wanting one or not.  Something to freak him out, maybe, or leaning in a little harder.  But now she was taken with the payment of a secret.  She'd already gotten from him that he might be unhappy with his brother's leadership - what other little gems did he have cooking up there?

Good to think on it.  I don't think they like deals made lightly.  Fennec added, flicking her tail and then turning to walk jauntily away.  She loved the idea of teasing this out playfully, though she had no way of knowing that she'd not be a member here much longer.  More the pity... but maybe, still, one day she'd deliver on it.

Last from me unless he stops her!

The seer commented that she would be ‘around.’ A remark which left the dark young beast feeling as though he might have offended her or did not consider her gift in an appropriate way. It was not until she let him know that the fates would likely not appreciate an offering made lightly that he felt any better about the scenario. It was good to know that she thought he was being smart.
 
“Thanks for your help!”
 
Atlas called to her just before she slipped out of reach of his voice. His gaze lingered on where she had departed for a moment before he set himself right and carved a path for the furthest reaches of their borders to patrol.