Moonspear damn it tears me up

A fox roughly the size of the new children of Moonspear swung from her jaws. She had found it attempting to burrow into an area within Moonspear, and she wished to cull the predators of this place before her siblings were born. Her mother had grown fatter, and Hydra wondered when she would explode with the life within her. How it happened she was not sure, but now and then Hydra found herself glancing at her own sides. Her mother had told her she was too young for it to happen to her, but Hydra was still paranoid that one day soon she would become fat with life, too. 

Hydra dropped the fox off at their doorstep, though after briefly investigating she noted her mother and father were not present. She trotted toward the borders, deciding a patrol would do her good—she nearly hoped to find someone lurking too close, to get her frustrations out. The fox had not satisfied her aggrivated state.

terance was patrolling again. though last time he'd decided it was relaxing, he since decided it was actually kind of fun. he ran into wolves within the territory every day, meaning it was a good way to get acquainted with the rest of his packmates. unfortunately, however, it was hydra he ran into the most. he'd also yet to see lyra, still completely unaware she even lived here-- but that's just the way it goes, isn't it?

he approached her with a little nose touch to her shoulder, padding besides her as she trailed the borders. he gave a small nod of his head, but didn't speak. that was greeting enough, he decided.

Her ears swiveled back at the sound of Terance's approach, and her head turned to see him come alongside her. Her tail waved at his greeting, licking her chops and wondering at the gentle touch he afforded her. Hydra thinks briefly of Rian, but remembers he had forgotten her—he had not even come to say goodbye. His small nod was returned with a low chuff. Already Hydra enjoyed his company. He had been helpful with the vapid boy, and his presence on the borders was frequent and reassuring. It was nice to be able to count on seeing another face near the borders besides her sisters own, who patrolled with her often as well. Strange, but in a good way. Her tail waved as she peered over the borders, blinking at the horizon.

they walked in silence for a little while, terance's ears perked and alert. eventually, he decided he could hold a conversation with her-- even though she was a bit too self-righteous for him. "quiet day?" he asked, assuming it had been. he hadn't seen anything along the borders. dante always said that that was a good thing, it meant everyone was safe, but he was not sure that that was necessarily the case. then again, he wasn't sure.

he felt the urge to ask her about lyra... just on a whim, but he held the urge back as he waited to see what she would say about her day.

His inquiry was met with an ear twitch. Her gaze returned to him and she spoke lightly: Well, I found a fox deeper in the territory. He lived near a stream—I bet he used the water to hide his scent. I'd never noticed him before, she grimaced at that. Then again, the fox could be a recent addition... with the distraction of the runts, it was possible. Hydra would man the borders even moreso now, though. She understood inherently the importance of what needed to be protected. What about you? Anything interesting happen?

"i'll keep an eye out for anymore," he told her with a gentle tip of his head. he'd encountered plenty of foxes in his lifetime... they were sneaky, nasty creatures. terance was not a fan. his tail waved a few times as she returned the question to him, shaking his head. it'd been quiet where he'd looked, but then again, he'd only been on the outskirts of the territory, hydra said she was closer inland.

finding a lull, he eyed her. "i met someone who you remind me of," he shared, wondering if that was enough of a prompt for her to go off of. still, he added, "nicer than you though," with a playful quirk of his brow.

Hydra breathed a bit easier when he spoke on looking out for them. Her sisters had said as much, too—but to hear it from him, having additional eyes, was an added relief. Thanks, Hydra hummed in response to him, really glad to hear it. At his next words, Hydra peered at him with interest. Oh? And then, after a beat, she told him, Well, I have sisters here, if he'd met one of them on this mountain, he'd have to be simple not to connect the dots... and his next words caused her to grin. Me? Mean? She really did not see herself in such a way, but she'd never had an outsiders perspective on it.

"sisters?" he echoed, blinking a few times, "lyra?" his comment was phrased like a question, a clear indication of who he was talking about now. he hadn't been far when he'd met lyra, so maybe she was here-- it made sense, a whole lot of sense actually. he stood a little taller with this news, excited that he might be able to find one of the only wolves in teekon that he hadn't found a fault with.

"forceful," he offered, a small smirk. self-righteous and bossy, maybe, but forceful seemed a bit nicer than both of those words.

He spoke her sisters name, and Hydra nodded to him. Yes, Lyra, she informed readily enough. He had asked, after all. There is also Alya. We are the same, an ear flick was given as she imparted him with this information, her blue eyes warming as she thought of her most beloved sisters.

As far as his next words, Hydra shrugged. Only when necessary, that much was true. Hydra had killed only those that had trespassed, bar injured prey she could bring to her mother or else eat herself. And she had fought many more for the sake of learning, but her opponents had never been unwilling... in fact, she could only ever remember one moment she herself had been unwilling, but had to out of necessity. Even when she killed it had been necessity—her notched ear twitched at the memory of the yellow-eyed bitch... and the other wolf, the one who had begged, might have killed if they had released her. Who knew what she had trespassed for in the first place? There was an early point the woman could have turned around, gotten home free... but quite literally they had woken the cerberus. That fate was brought upon themselves. 

She steered the conversation back to Lyra. Where did you meet Ly? she was truly curious. Lyra was the least adventurous of them, and was quite shy when alone. Hydra was proud she had met another, and thankful it had been Terance... for he, at least, seemed good... seemed like he did not intend to turn and leave Moonspear as so many others had.

his ears pricked with great interest and relief when hydra confirmed lyra's place within the pack. "that's great," he commented honestly with a wave of his tail. while he wasn't sure that affection was what fueled his excitement, he was surely happy to hear that she would be nearby. "i haven't see her within the borders," he then commented, explaining his ignorance. if he had seen ayla, perhaps he would've put the pieces together faster, but it was only hydra who he'd seen inside the borders-- and quite a bit of her too.

"that glen," he said, tipping his head towards the territory down below the cliffs, "we talked about constellations." he didn't add that she was the first real interaction he'd had with a wolf in over a month, that was oversharing, but he thought it in his head. the next was with a garbage disposal, and then with hydra.

Hydra tried to think back on Lyra telling her about this interaction she had with Terance. They told one another everything, after all... but in the moment, she could recall nothing. Admittedly she was distracted, irate with the cubs within Moonspear and keeping vigilant, even as they moved, on their surroundings. Not to mention Terance himself. She doesn't like to be near the borders so much, but she's definitely within them, though truth be told, any other wolf bar her family could find Lyra when they wanted to. Her twin kept to herself, and her sisters, and only interacted with others on her own terms. If Lyra wanted to find Terance, she would. 

The Glen was not so far off, and as he spoke on what they talked about Hydra felt she might be able to recall some conversation between Lyra and another about constellations... but she did talk to many within Moonspear on the subject, it being an interest of hers. Oh, yeah? Who knows more, you or her? It was always nice to have someone to speak with on a mutually liked subject, but Hydra only asked this because she wondered at her sisters progress (wanting to hear it from another) and also wondered if Terance could be a teacher of sorts to Lyra, too. Her tail waved—the question, for once, wasn't born out of competitive need to be better than the other... rather, to better themselves.

he could see that. he sort of liked the borders, but when he was better acquainted with he pack he would surely move inland more. he probably wouldn't set up a den though, as he'd never truly slept in one-- it wasn't really something he was used to. "maybe i'll see her around then," he added, half-hopefully, half-vague, simply commentary. her next question wasn't a hard question, and he eyed hydra curiously. "i did," he replied, another wave of his tail. he thought it was a weird question to ask, but maybe he had missed a point or something.

The response of most might have been, "you totally will", but Lyra was unpredictable with others. But if Lyra liked him, she would. No question there. It would simply take her more time, Hydra imagined. Lyra was far less forward than she and Alya. As he admitted he was wiser on the subject of stars, Hydra brightened. She likes the stars, and the sky. Maybe you could teach her stuff, she offered, shrugging. He seemed to be at least friendly with her sister, and that was all to Lyra's benefit.

terance stared forward a moment. teaching, he felt that his mother would like him to do that. he preferred protecting to teaching, but maybe he could work it in somehow-- he did teach lyra a few of the star-signs already. his emerald gaze fell back to hydra. "if she'd like. i'm sure i have plenty to learn," he replied, then-- still eyeing her-- added, "and from you too." he had thought his mercenary skills were top-notch. dante had taught him so much about his own strengths, he hadn't ever reallyy focused on what to do when others exploited his weaknesses... and that was all that hydra had done. he still loathed her for making such a fool out of him in front of the man he was trying to impress-- but he supposed the whole point of the spar was to see if he really belonged here.

I bet she would, she offered. Lyra ate up anything and everything she could when it came to the stars. A veritable black-whole. Their very own starsucker. As far as him having stuff to learn, she had been about to respond to that just as swiftly, but when he mentioned that he had things to learn from her Hydra blinked. Me? She did not think herself much of a teacher, but by now Hydra was exceptionally well-practiced. She was well on her way to becoming a Warrior alongside her parents... closer than any other within Moonspear, and likely the best other than Amekaze and Charon to learn from.

I could try, she offered at last, looking... what was that, anxious? I don't think I'd be a very good teacher, she admitted to him in earnest. Though she worked on teaching her sisters all the time, that came naturally. Any other...? Well, he had said it himself—Hydra was a forceful girl. Not the most patient, or kind. We could spar more, she said after a beat, I bet you have plenty to teach me, too. He had taught her already that beating a larger opponent was not impossible... but there were many factors to consider that day. He was tired, likely hungry, from traveling... and was he used to mountains?

he nodded at the comment about lyra-- he hoped so too. someone to geek out with about stars would be kind of cool, and maybe they could become close friends. regardless, terance didn't mind the idea, but he moved on. hydra seemed a bit taken aback, a bit stuck, which earned a smirk from terance and a small quirk of his brow. "that's all i meant," he replied with amusement at her comment about sparring. sparring was the best was to learn, way more hands on. he wasn't sure how much he could teach her either, she seemed to have everything under wraps, but maybe it was possible. "just give me a week or two," he added as an afterthought.

One could never be sure,  but he clarified and she felt relief. That I can do, her tail waved as she said the words, this time more confident. At his request, she nodded her head. Can do. But after week two, look out, she gave him a fiendish grin, her words playful. Where'd you learn to fight? She wondered aloud, ears twitching atop her crown. Hydra wondered how all wolves learned... some were better than others. Hydra went out of her comfort zone, learning by going out into the Wilds to fight... but also by frequently sparring and training with her parents.

terance gave a low chuckle, amused. fine, hydra wasn't as bad as he thought she was, but he still thought she had it out to ruin his chances of getting into the pack that first day-- he wouldn't forget that. "i'll be waiting," he replied, giving her a gentle bump on the shoulder of his own. the next question was easier, it only had one answer. "dante," came his reply, assuming she remembered that dante was his father, "he's sort of old though-- and much larger than the average wolf." his experience had been only with big-- he was big, his sparring partner was big... all of his experience was geared towards one way of fighting, and it was only now that he realized that maybe that wasn't really ideal. "did your father teach you?" he asked her with a quick twitch of his ears.

She grinned as he bumped against her. Dante had taught him how to fight, his father she did recall. She wondered why he called him "Dante" instead of just "my dad". Hydra's tongue flailed when considering calling her father "Charon" or "dad" (bar informing others who her parents were)... it simply felt wrong to call him by his first name. Not disrespectful, per se, but not right... it was interesting to think about, but her focus was on more important things the next minute. Well, old isn't bad... he's probably got loads of experience. Did he tell you about his fights? As far as size went, Hydra was interested in that too. Terance was large, himself. So was her father. His next question was met with a nod. Yeah. My mom, too. They're both warriors, it was definitely a good advantage. They had two different physiques, and though hers matched her mothers she was able to learn how to fight properly against larger wolves such as her father due to his advice and after much practice.

 truth-be-told, terance got more done when people knew that he was the son of dante and osprey. everyone seemed to love osprey, and how could you not? terance decided long ago that his mother could do no harm, and he tried to echo that in his own personality. and though it'd been mentioned that charon and dante didn't get along, dante was a respected man. he led packs, fought in real battles, and demanded attention everywhere he went. to those he knew well, they were his parents of course, but to strangers he just wanted to remind them of who he was.

"yeah!" he replied with a wave of his tail, "oh-- some of 'em were so cool." he thought briefly of a few that he'd been told about-- trying to decide which one he would share if hydra asked. "my mom preferred storytelling and stargazing," he then said with a small smile. he missed story-time.

She couldn't help it—Terance was, in his own way, as engaging as his mother with his brief, short, sweet, and simple lead-in. Can I hear one? her tail waved and she sidled up to him, offering one of her less malicious and more charming, pretty, even, smiles. For a moment, she veritably became Lyra, the darling princess of the trio, not Hydra, the warrior, battle-hardened princess. Hydra shook out her furs then, and looked thoughtful for a moment. Maybe thats how our parents became friends—the stars, she wondered at that. She had been told, once, long ago, that the stars often brought many paths together. Hydra wasn't sure she believed that but now understood it in a more literal context—such as talking about them. That made sense.

terance nodded, but v e r y slowly, because he became suddenly confused. he could've sworn he was talking to hydra, but he must've blinked because he couldn't help but feel like it was lyra who was right beside him. her voice was so much sweeter and her face was so much more-- he didn't know-- wonderful. but he knew that was stupid, and forced himself to not get so wild with his thoughts. "i've only decided now that you three are going to be a real headache to me," he teased, but honestly as his expression still read 'wtf just happened.'

"before i was born, there was this pack north of donnelaith on this island-- filled with pirates," he paused for a moment to gather more of the story and it's most important parts. when osprey told it it always took forever to tell-- not that he minded. he however felt that that ws a lot of time when he could tell it in so fewer, so he did. "two pirates came to steal the alpha's pups, and dante fought with the alpha and killed them both before they had the chance." good, good story-telling terance.

The story he told was perfect to Hydra, who honestly might not be the worlds best listener to long-winded stories. No, it was short and sweet and to the point and Hydra whuffed a sharp Brilliant! at the end, tail waving in a way that suggested applause. You must have gotten your story-telling skills from your mother, this was not said in jest—Hydra herself had never heard a story be told in the way his mother spoke them. She meant every word. Do you have any battle stories? Her ears pricked, quite interested.

osprey would've been proud to hear such a statement-- but quite disappointed in his story itself. she would've given him one of those 'oh! honey that's great...!' type of responses and moved on to maybe critique everything he did wrong. but, regardless, it was kind of nice to hear her say that. "yeah?" he asked with a prick of his ears, a toothy grin giving away his play-it-cool-man attitude on being complimented. "maybe i'll tell you more later," he added vaguely.

her next question he answered with a shrug. "traveling here sarah and i fought against a stranger who tried to steal our doe-- he clipped my shoulder pretty bad and got away with a leg but we made it," he shared, still sounding unimpressed. it wasn't all that crazy or exciting like his dad's battles had been, but he did turn to show her a freshly healed scar along his shoulder. he had to shift it so that she could see it through his thick, dark fur, but it was there-- and pretty nasty at the time. "what about you?" he asked in return.

Maybe? With that response you owe me at least one more. At a later date. I demand it, she furrowed her brows and stomped playfully, but meant not a word of it. He didn't have to tell her anything he did not want to, but she did say in earnest, I would like to hear more. Hearing stories about fighting was cool. Other stories... not so much. 

Hearing about his own adventure was interesting. Sarah, who was his sister as she had found out when he had joined, and he got in a skirmish with a stranger who stole a leg. She looked at his shoulder, impressed herself at the mark... but it sounded like Terance and Sarah got to keep more than enough of the doe for themselves. It was a shame the other got away with a leg, but it made sense they wouldn't chase-to-kill the offender on No Mans Land, as then coyotes, or other opportunistic creatures, would try to get some as well. 

Moonspear's had two trespassers... one was trying to steal from us. I killed them, with the help of my sisters and my mom... that's where this came from, her notched ear flicked. And then another who got real deep into Moonspear one night. I'm not sure how... and why they didn't turn back... but my sisters and I got that one, too. Real quick... I think they were crazy, so the world was better off—one less thief, and one less maniac to threaten the lives of any pack. Hydra didn't think anything of what she had done, as they'd both been necessary. The yellow-eyed one had tried to kill her, too, and had hurt Alya. There was no surviving that.