Kintla Flatlands look and see her eyes, they glow

His first words were weighted, and Hydra nearly did not want to hold them. For him to explain himself meant he had made a mistake, and in this, there could only be one: he had known. But for how long? This was why she listened. She could not control the surprise that broke across her features as the best (surely worst, to him) of his news came, and at the end of his tale of woe, Hydra found herself reconsidering her reaction; life had never been kind to Terance, had it? It had never given him a single break. But that was what one got when one went down the wrong path, she mutely mused to herself. Chaos, and pain—even in what ought to be his greatest success, his rank of Alpha, there was turmoil. No celebrations or fanfare for the scarred runaway. 

She was silent, for a few moments, as she digested all of his information. Tegan's packmate was with Terance, now. Wait, forest? She paused, sniffing at the air, noting he did smell different... How is she? Will she be there for good? Her previous pack will want to know, she added. Hydra had a feeling he did not want to speak further on the Frostfur, and she was content to let that conversation rest for good. Truth be told, her only disappointment in the matter was that Liffey was not included in the list of those reported dead. 

And once he had said what she had wanted to hear, Hydra exhaled a heavy breath of relief that she had not even known she had been holding. For another moment she was quiet, and then she shook her head. You are alpha now, she spoke, gaze shifting toward him. You can change things, Terance. If Liffey no longer holds sway over the decisions you and yours make, foolish, nonsensical bitch, Moonspear... she made us the enemy... And there could only be one reason why this was (Hydra believed), and she had been wrong. Proven it, twice over. Her tongue struggled to find the words, which was strange, for as eloquent as she typically was... 

But if he changed the narrative, she was certain the stars might show him more kindness; for they favored her, and she was sure they would recognize his correction to the woman's besmirching of her families name...

and so she finished with: it need not be that way. You were never the enemy to us, even after you left, not in name... but we had our stories, too, that some among you... they were not ready for the truth, and so told their own false ones, she sighed a little, at that. She had been nothing but honest with him in the entirety of her life, so surely he would understand what he meant. 

Hydra had known since the moment Rannoch had left the false words spread about her; it was why he had left, after all. Not in content, but time left little to the imagination, and she imagined once they left, they felt fearless to speak what they never would have in her company. Perhaps not to Terance, if what he had said was true all that time ago (that he would not hear such things), but she did not doubt at all that words against she and hers were spoken. 

Oh, she could acknowledge she was a monster; but not the sort that harmed her subordinates, or was unjustly cruel to any who did not earn her ire or contempt. All those that had met her teeth had deserved it. 

Hydra wondered what he might make of it, her words, and watched him without guile.