Moonspear Second, don't you tell me what you think that I can be

AW ~ Come meet lil pupper, or maybe some of the fam? <3

Aries had begun to become more and more active. He often started to wander, though whether or not his parents liked this was beyond him. His eyes now were completely open and his vision was no longer blurry - he was fascinated by many things around him. Not for long, however. He'd stare at something for a few minutes before something else caught his eye and he'd go and stare at that instead.

He had not spoken any words yet, but often grumbled and growled - accompanied by the occasional bark. The young boy had wandered again, this time further away from his little family, and if he was completely honest, he didn't remember the way back. But he didn't care, he wanted to kill that stone!

Aries leapt forward, play-growling and wrestling with a tiny smooth pebble, biting it as though his life depended on it.

Well... it could be dangerous!

After Charon had heard that his mate had accepted a whole family into the pack, he hadn't been too amused — they were awaiting their next pups themselves and their own were still growing. Almost in the adult ranks, perhaps, but far from full-fledged adults. Some part of him also understood the necessity for new wolves and if those wolves brought pups, so be it; they'd been small for long and things had been far from ideal ever since Floki had vanished. He longed for the time when his brother stood by his side as Beta and the pack had flourished.

As he was making his way toward the borders Charon heard the noises of one of the small children nearby. His hackles prickled and he walked towards it, finding out soon it was the boy and he was focused on attacking a pebble. Charon watched for a moment and then approached, his body language dominant and tail waving in the air like a banner to signify to the boy that he should show submission in the presence of his superior.

For her own part, Hydra was not sure how she felt about the new, little arrivals. They were strange to her, and Hydra did not enjoy strange things. But she swallowed these feelings as her mother had accepted them and thought little else on it. She would just avoid the tiny creatures. 

Hydra followed the trail of her father as she often did as of late, and as she saw his figure and his posture Hydra quickened her stride. Licking her chops she mirrored his posture toward the cub, a flash of disdain evident only within her deep blue eyes. One ear turned toward her father, and the other remained cupped toward the pup.

Aries continued to attack the pebble for a good few minutes until he was interupted by a larger wolf. A much larger wolf. He was dominant, too, but the little boy didn't care much for his posture. The less-potato like child stepped forward a bit, sticking out his muzzle ever so slightly to sniff the male. He tilted his head, and pinned his ears to the back of his skull.

He didn't like this wolf, not yet.

Aries stared as another wolf arrived, this time one darker in colour and smaller. She, too, held a dominant position and for a while the boy stayed still. After a few moments of silence, he perked his ears forward again and let out a play-growl. He wanted to play! He ignored the dominance showed to him for now, since he didn't think they would hurt him. Ma and Da wouldn't let them!

Perhaps should Hydra not have shown he may not have needed to take any drastic measures — but she did show, mirroring his body language. It wasn't hard to see which of the triplets she was as she showed up. His attention remained on the boy, only a single ear mirrored; cupped towards his daughter, then forward again.

The boy did not seem to mind them very much, merely leaning forward to sniff them and then letting out a fierce little growl. Maybe his courage was commendable or maybe it was foolish. Charon wondered if something was wrong with this one, that he would not show the submission required of him by nature, to survive, or if his parents had simply raised him wrong so far.

A growl bubbled in Charon's throat, one that indicated he was not kidding, and he moved towards the pup, body language still demanding his submission. He leaned his head down, teeth bared as another, louder growl was drawn from his throat and he tried grabbing the pup by the scruff to shove him to the ground by force and show him his place.

Hydra wanted to learn from the best what was right and what was wrong, and what to do in these situations. The baser part of Hydra strongly disliked the presence of other children here but she could not understand why. It did not effect her, personally—but it effected something, somehow, and she felt discontent by it. The cub seemed not to understand what they wanted of him, and when the boy let out a play growl Hydra let out a very real growl and stepped forward as though to say, no—this is not what are asking of you, her expression dark and severe. 

When her father acted, Hydra quieted and was watchful. What Charon did felt right within her core, though Hydra's reactions when annoyed or aggravated always bordered on extreme. If what he did was that was not something she cared about; the boy needed to learn, and this was how Hydra would teach, too.

Apparently, they did not want to play. In fact, it seemed the opposite. Growls came from the other wolves, and Aries stood silently, watching them with his little blue eyes. Soon he was shoved to the ground by his scruff and the boy growled back in protest. He did not like being told what to do, that much was obvious by now. He didn't even know these wolves and they were trying to boss him about!

Aries wriggled in an attempt to break free, but he wasn't strong enough. One day, when I'm big and strong, I'll show them who the real boss is! He squirmed one more time before huffing and allowing his body to go limp. With a great deal of reluctance, the boy tucked his tail between his legs and gave a small whine. He was in no way happy with this, and it was probably obvious by the flicker of hatred in his eyes. But, in this situation, he was unable to fight back, so he submitted.

Next time I won't go down so easy!

The quicksilver mother never let her babies stray too far from her side, even when they believed themselves to be completely alone. Her son, Sirius, had been lost due to her carelessness — and the fae would be remiss to let it happen again with the two that remained at her side. Where a puppy could be found, Olive was never far off. She preferred to glissade amongst the shadows of the craggy mountain, giving a wide berth to the puppies as they bumbled about and explored their new world. Olive was relieved because they seemed no worse for wear from their perilsome inception, even though neither Aries nor Cass could verbally confirm nor deny. They laughed and babbled on as puppies should, and even though they might have recovered from the past, Olive still felt it quite strongly in soul as well as her scarred limbs, the beauty of which had been defaced at the behest of the black feather fuckers.

It was just as Olive was doing that afternoon, following the. He was over a month old now and exceedingly adventurous, a virtue that Olive had no intention of stifling. So she followed him silently, letting her movements be light and soundless and hoping that Arie’s nascent nose could not scry her scent from the winds. Perhaps she had grown into an overprotecting mother [did she not have a good reason to be?] but she always had this proclivity; smothering them in her kisses and affections from the moment of their birth. Olive was a melancholy woman, this she knew, but the sadness never touched the love she bore for her family. 

So when the man cloaked in white made to grab for her son, panic struck through her heart. Her mind went through the motions of leaping onto the scene, snarling fiercely and stealing her puppy away [from yet another wolf who wished to do them harm], but her body stayed put. Leaders of the pack were certainly the most dangerous and held the power to do the most unfathomable things and Olive had learned to fear their authority. The druid was defiant of it,  of course, but she would never show it —  her days of risking the lives of her family for vociferous and hedonic emotions were over. 

But, who was this man who felt the need to flaunt his authority in front of a pup scarily the size of a housecat? Olive was torn between what she [as a mother] wanted to do and what she [as a pack member] needed to do.  Olive grimaced and bit her tongue and pawed her toes into the earth as her son was shoved against the earth and she could no longer simply observe. So, the tiny shewolf strode cooly from the shadowed background, as if she had just come upon the scene and discovered the transgressions, tail pressed tightly against her rump, ears splayed backwards and against her head, a undulating whine emanating from her throat — everything about her exhibiting the submission that her son failed to produce. 

“Oh, sir,” she beseeched him demurely, “he’s but a child.” Her jade gaze flicked to the familiar dark shewolf who accompanied the alpha, then resettled on the man who threatened her dearest of kin — Charon, she recalled Amekaze saying. “My son knows not what he does.” If her voice sounded somewhat desperate, that’s because she was. Olive settled her body against the ground in a crouched position, ready to expose her belly if it was needed of her. Olive would do anything within her power to protect the sanctity of her son’s rosy little world, even if it included her own debasement. There was not much lower than she could go, after all.

For all the aggression in his moves there was no intent to harm the boy; he was merely raising him, if his parents would not, and teach him to respect his superiors. Charon grabbed the boy's scruff and pushed him to the ground. The boy wriggled at first and for a moment he considered more drastic means needed to take place; not anything that would harm him physically, but only more demeaning so that he would learn.

But then the boy finally stilled and submitted, and it was not necessary. Charon kept teeth around the boy's scruff a bit longer, even as his mother came onto the scene and started to beg of him to let go of the boy.

Then he let go and turned to look at the mother, his stance still dominant to show he was not to be messed with. "I was only teaching him a lesson," he said. "He should be respectful of his superiors. A bit of humility never killed anyone." By 'superiors', Charon meant all elders the boy had, in age and rank; even Hydra and the rest of his own children, for they were older, and all of the adults — not just himself and Amekaze. He stared the mother down, dared her to defy him further; they did not have the best of starts. Hopefully she would understand what he meant and she would see it was for the best of the whole pack — her son included — that he learn some manners.

The woman her mother (and by proxy, her father) had accepted into the ranks came upon them then, pleasant and meek and submissive. Hydra was pleased by this, but the words spoken rankled her. She was very much so confused by this—the words in themselves seemed to challenge her fathers judgement... and the head of the cerberus felt her own head lift and her ears prick forward, awaiting her fathers reaction. He was not rough with the child (iin her eyes), and the boy had then reacted appropriately... which implied he, inherently, knew right and wrong. It was best for the boy to understand now that he must respect his superiors, wasn't it? Hydra was not a mother herself and presumed that children simply knew these things. That she herself had known these things. But Hydra had been raised differently, being a child of two leaders. Her own proud and dominant nature had been fostered and cultivated by her parents, who accepted her ways. 

Hydra knew that in due time she too would be among the adults in hierarchy. And in that moment she certainly felt superior to Olive, who questioned her father—but she simply observed quietly as she often did, learning from her father and absorbing all that he said and did.

He was free then, as the male let go. And boy was he glad. Aries did not like at all that he had had to do that, but he was still alive. And he would grow big and strong, he was sure, and then he could be the one to challenge that guy! Right?

His thoughts were forced to the back of his mind as his mother's voice could be heard. The ash boy gazed at her, silent as ever. He wanted to let out a happy bark of greeting, but he didn't want the big wolf to do that again - but maybe ma was here to get rid of the wolf? Maybe she would come and show him just how strong she was!

But... no.... she lay on the ground almost as Aries had been forced to, but of her own accord. What? His head tilted in obvious confusion and a frown played upon his maw. What on earth was she doing? Wasn't she meant to stop the male from hurting him? Maybe it had not hurt physically, but it had damaged his pride for sure.

Even after she arrived, the white king did not let go of the boy — and for every moment that another’s teeth lay against her child, Olive’s expression fell further from general discontent to genuine fear. But it was all over in an instant and he soon released the small boy. Olive wished to rush to her boy and pull his small frame into her arms and kiss him until there was no soreness left in his body; but her body leadened under Charon’s challenging gaze, unabashedly asserting himself over her, and the mother averted her sidereal gaze from his. Instead of move closer to her babe, she remained close to the ground, ears splayed back against her skull and a single, a dainty forepaw lifted and held close to her body should the king want to submit further.

“Yes h— he will learn,” she affirmed, her tone soft and fragile. The sylph allowed her gaze to rise up to glimpse the man’s stern visage and she tried to determine whether or not she would attempt to stand; a swift glance to the taciturn girl at his side made her decision that, no, she would not rise — but no more would she rise than she would keep herself from her child one second longer, so she slunk over to the boy and wrapped her waifish, pale body round him — not in a way that seemed guarded or untrusting of the mountain king, but in the way a mother might hold her child tight after a mild scare. He and his sister were the last vestiges of a life she once considered happy — they was precious, and the druid only felt assured of their safety when they was by her side. 

Slowly, carefully, the woman’s carriage rose until she was sitting. ”I am Olive, this is Aries.” She greeted, holding her son back with a hooked forelimb. He would not be the cause or undergo any other profaneness — as long as his mother was there to coax her spitfire babe down the right path. “You… are Charon,” she whispered plainly, hoping to say I know who you are, I know your position in more or less words. It was the first time they had met, but not the first time she had heard his name. A sidelong glance was offered to the dark girl his side — Olive did not know her name, but she had been present at her acceptance upon the borders. It was her, wasn’t it? The scents of the mountain family intermingled quite heavily and Olive found it difficult to pull one from the other; as was the case with the one who stood off of the king’s side.

Charon was pleased with the woman's submitting, and he nodded in approval, his expression mellowing somewhat after having let go of the boy. The scruff was so designed not to be harmed — not with anything more than throbbing muscles, perhaps, in the morning — when grabbed and used what it was made for, and that was what he had done. He saw no harm in his actions, and he was glad for the mother's weak heart that her son had submitted when he did so that he had not needed to take further action in the demeaning direction.

He merely nodded as she agreed that he would learn, and then looked at the boy. His body posture relaxed somewhat now that they were both submitting, tail falling to his hocks and hackles smoothing, though his shoulders remained proud to indicate his role as Alpha. "Nice to meet you," Charon said when she introduced herself and her son. She had already guessed his name, to which he nodded in confirmation and added, "Yes. I am Charon Ostrega. This is my daughter." He glanced at Hydra and waited for her to introduce herself. The boy was momentarily forgotten and the situation seemed diffused for now.

Hydra, she introduced, her own posture growing lax when she noted that Olive seemed to mind herself before her. Hydra's ears flicked atop her head, and she glanced toward the confounded cub before looking back to Olive. She glanced toward her father; she had wanted to hang out with him, and supposed that this would suffice. This was a new member, after all. Hydra tried to remembered what Olive had spoken of when joining... And when she did, she spoke on the topic: You wish to become a botanist, Hydra was not so interested in this for herself, but for her sister Lyra. Do you know much of plants?

He finally saw his mother move closer, wrapping herself around him like a warm blanket. But even so, it felt like he was being ignored which he didn't like - but he supposed it was better than having to submit. That was the worst. He stayed as quiet as usual, occasionally shooting a cold stare at both the wolves that were not his family while they were talking. They most likely wouldn't see as they were busy looking at each other rather than him, but perhaps that was what made it so fun.

Besides, if they didn't see, he wouldn't get into trouble, so it was totally fine! Right? Oh well, he wasn't bothered.

”Wonderful to meet you both.” Olive greeted with an astute nod, glad that the incidence with her son was behind them. Internally, the mother still reeled from the experience of seeing her kin being pushed aggressively against the ground in a show of dominance — it resonated too deeply for her to be comfortable with it, and the emotions the scene inspired were reminiscent of when Sirius was carried off in the jaws of another.

Hydra inquired as to her her profession and trades, distracting her mind from the worriment that constantly plagued her. It was a pleasant transition, as there was nothing she loved more than to exalt the world and the universe, the chaos that dominated it all. The druid loved it as much as she felt imprisoned by it. ”Yes,” came her demure corroboration. ”I was raised by naturalists, so I have a close relationship with the plants around us — but if i’m being honest, my love is for the stars.” How was it possible to summarize her relationship with the world beyond theirs. How was it possible to tell them that she had been divinely chosen by the forces that be to relay their messages and carry out their wishes? Perhaps, she would divulge this one day — but it was much too soon, and their meeting much too tense for such things.

 Turning her attention once again to the bundle of dove grey fluff between her forearms, she touched her nose against Aries’s side. “We don’t know for sure, of course, but I imagine this one will become quite a skilled guardian.” Hydra had been privy to the same one-liner when it was uttered at Moonspear’s border, but Olive relied on the fact that the girl would not remember such marginalia. It also made her think about Aries and the rebellious soul he nurtured — and she loved him all the more for his individuality, despite what Charon thought. 
 

The tension seemed to thaw and Charon was glad for it, though he wondered how long it would last. The boy seemed to have a knack for trouble and Charon wondered if it'd subside anytime soon. He thought of his own young ones, and then in a dark moment he considered just finding the boy when he was alone one day and flinging him off the mountainside. Only his parents would ever miss him, and it would eliminate all risk the boy posed to his own youth. If he was so dominant towards adults, what would he do with little pups? Perhaps he had had too much poor experience with dominant males on his mountain, but it was not a risk he was willing to take.

Meanwhile, Olive went on a tangent about plants and Charon probably looked like he was listening attentively. The only thing that piqued his interest was when she mentioned the stars and he said, "I'm an astrologist myself. It's nice to be so close to the stars on the mountain. As for plants, you should find Pyx. She's nuts for plants." He didn't really get the allure in plants, but whatever, they were allowed their things if they wanted them. And the more they chatted to each other about it, the better, so that he wouldn't be bothered with the boring parts.

Anyway, when Olive mentioned that Aries would become a skilled guardian Charon snorted. "Maybe if he learns to control himself and take the advice of his superiors. He'll never learn anything with this attitude." He didn't even mean poorly — he just thought it a laughable idea that tiny Aries would amount to anything like guardianship going his current route. If he refused to learn from anyone, how would he become great?

Hydra knew her father would be interested in her desire with the stars... and as for the plants, Hydra licked her chops and informed her, Lyra, my sister, enjoys learning about plants, so perhaps Olive could help her if she wanted. Her father spoke about Pyx, who Hydra hadn't interacted with too much... Though she had seen them in passing frequently. 

The subject shifted back to Aries. If Hydra had heard those words before, she was gracious and behaved no differently than she had been. She found herself agreeing with her father, though felt that went without saying. She glanced at Olive to see how she would react, far more interested in that.

He was quiet and still, relaxing against his mother's side until he heard his name. At the mention, his ears perked and his gaze fell upon Charon and Hydra once more. He was unsure about them. Hydra especially. She was rather silent, just like him - or she had been during this conversation, which made him wonder if perhaps they'd get along.

But then the alpha made a comment that was clearly about him, and the boy stared with a blank expression. Aries did not like it. He felt as though they were not speaking well of him, though he supposed that was because of the recent events that had just occured. Even so, the boy was perfectly aware that his name had been spoken various times during the conversation.

His glance fell upon Hydra, wondering what it was she was thinking. What had Charon said about him?

i’m sorry for the hold up!

Olive was glad the the tension had passed [at least somewhat]. Olive felt lighter but the alabaster king maintained his indifference and and Hydra was continued to be stalwart. Perhaps that was the norm for Charon and Hydra and the other wolves of Moonspear, and the true discomfort had been entirely hers — the mother was the questioning type, and she could never be completely sure of a wolf who cut its teeth upon puppies. She must keep her children closer. 

It was difficult for Olive to want to stay in this conversation; all she wanted to do was whisk her precious baby away from the den and let him play as puppies so, where he could be free, but the mother persevered. The fates of the small, fractured Svartell family lay in their ability to curry favor with Moonspear and its leadership. So a smile twinkled upon Olive’s lips and she stelliforous eyes looked up at them from where she lay, appearing to be quite pleased. The Ostregas were making conversation, so she would too, but she did not have to feign for long. 

“Oh, an astrologist?” 

The woman’s interest genuinely piqued by this fact. It had been a long time since she had met a wolf of similar tastes; ones who did not scoff at the her talk of the stars or question their tellings. There were many types of astronomers and astrologers, and the druid was surely different than most, but there might be hope for Olive and Charon yet. “We must go starwatching together, she suggested musingly, wondering what the strange, brutal man knew that she didn’t. 

Olive looked down at her small cub who sat blindingly in her arms. The femme pressed her nose against the velvet upon his head and held there of one moment, then two, before looking back up and continuing. “My children are named for the stars… Aries, Cassiopeia, an—“ but her downy voice jarred in her throat as she nearly uttered the name of her firstborn. No, here, she was not at liberty to talk about Sirius freely as she could around Dakarai. Pain stroked her heart but the mother gathered herself and made a quick segue. “My fierce little one,” she said, eye flitting to those of her son. "Tiny ram,” But then she looked at Hydra and the Alpha, respectively. ”He takes after his father — a warrior. But we have much learning to do, yes?” She jostled him in her arms and her voice was nearly a coo, and the woman couldn’t be anything but soft in the face of her babies. 

 “Pyx…Lyra. Are they black of coat and blue of eye, as so many others upon the mountain?”

Charon didn't realise the difference between astrology and astronomy so he did not see his error there. When Olive said they should watch stars together some time it seemed like a far shot, but maybe it would be a good way to try and mend what was broken between their families now. The boy's insolence shouldn't stand in the way of him liking its parents, perhaps, but still Charon found himself on edge around the whole family now.

"Yes, we shall sometime," he decided to extend his paw, then. Maybe Olive wouldn't be so bad if they'd get to know each other a bit better.

She then went on to explain that her children were named for the stars, and he nodded, glancing at Hydra. Charon did notice that she had intended to add a third, but he guessed that it was a deceased child. Those things simply happened, if you had a weakling among your brood. He felt extra proud as he looked at Hydra and thought of his own, all four strong and alive today. "So were mine," he said — he didn't make way to tell all the names of his children; she'd find out by herself sooner or later.

Much learning to do indeed, Charon thought to himself, but he made no more mention of it other than a grimace in response to her words. Then Hydra said that Lyra liked learning about plants and Olive asked after Lyra and Pyx' appearances. "Lyra is identical to Hydra," Charon explained. "And Pyx is brownish grey. She's not family, not by blood anyway." Pyx often felt like a part of the family because she had been around for quite a while by now, and had seen his daughters grow up, but they weren't bound by blood.

Her father was a gracious man, to want to stargaze with a mother she felt could, potentially, be incompetent. But who knew? Perhaps it was the child that was wrong within, and it was through no fault of the mother. Well, if anyone could get to the bottom of it it would surely be her father... Hydra would decide for herself in time, but her feelings toward Olive were tentative to nonexistent. Still, if they were to be pack she supposed she ought to know her better herself. There was a large part of her that did not trust the too-sweet woman, and so as her father spoke on them stargazing Hydra nodded her head, mute and watchful but inviting herself along with the brusque gesture. Her father was perfectly sufficient in looking out for hte pack and himself, and there were no "but"s about it. If this were a facade, though, then it would be the perfect surprise. Hydra was prepared for that surprise, fully. 

As she spoke on Aries needing to learn, Hydra's face mirrored that of her fathers—a clear indication that she was his daughter, if ever there could be any doubts—before Charon informed her of Lyra, and Pyx, who wasn't family but in a way was.

Should we begin to finish up this thread?

Still the adults (and Hydra, who was much bigger than him anyways) spoke like he was not there. And still, the boy hated to be ignored. But perhaps this was better for now - perhaps while their attention was diverted he could get back to being alone. He would like that. Aries slipped from his mother's grasp, freeing himself with a sigh. He loved his mother, but he prefered not to cuddle unless they were sleeping. Then again, even while sleeping the boy wasn't the biggest fan of cuddling.

The ash child busied himself with nosing at a bug on the ground, poking it a little before squishing it under his paw. He tilted his head, looking at the gross little mess where it had been, and wrinkled up his nose. He turned, then, looking as another bug scuttled by. This one he did not kill, he simply watched it with apparent distaste.

This’ll be Olive’s last post :)

Charon continued to speak about the family of wolves that lived upon the mountain and even agreed to star watch with her — and this forced camaraderie would have normally delighted the pale woman, but her eye was inadvertently pulled to the small boy as he extricated himself from her arms and began to play with a small bug. With a small sense of horror, she watched as the boy batted the creature around and crushed it upon the ground. 

Um, no. That was not okay.

The pale, distressed mother tried to hide her dismay at such an act and, for a moment, wrote it off as childish curiosity gone awry. All puppies smushed bugs — but it didn’t make her feel any better. With a rushed start, Olive got up and gathered Aries between her twiggy front legs. ”We… must go,” she said, deciding her first interaction with Moonspear’s King needed to come to a close. Olive turned to him. “I will see you soon, to stargaze — yes?” and after she had bade Hydra and he goodbye, Olive gathered Arie’s small scruff in her jaws and carried him back towards the den where his father would deal with him.

Their interactions were cut short when Olive suddenly got up to leave. Charon hadn't noticed anything the boy was doing, having pushed him from his mind (as it should be in his mind — the pups were quiet when the adults spoke), and he wondered if the boy'd done anything to trigger this sudden departure. It didn't matter though, as soon he nodded at her in acceptance of her departure and said, "Yes. Good luck." He hadn't meant to sound so dry with the last words, as his eyes were drawn to Aries again. Charon was glad his children weren't like that.

Then he nosed Hydra's shoulder in silent gesture to follow and started making his way to the borders for a quick patrol; with his daughter, should she wish it.

my last too! feel free to reply again or archive :)