Moonspear birthed from a bloodline

Weather: 13°F, mostly cloudy. Snow (1-2 in.) starting this afternoon. Hat-tip to Stevie for the title, lol.

Up until now, Dune had only come across unclaimed lands. Here, though, he stopped. The thick scent of wolves was ahead of him, and he knew going any further would be a sure way to get himself into imminent danger. So here he stood on the edge of a pack he knew nothing about. It wasn't snowing right this moment, but the wolf knew it would start back up soon enough.

He pondered whether or not this pack was seeking new recruits, and he pondered further whether or not it would suit him. If it didn't, what was the worst that would happen? He could leave, couldn't he? Dune, not wishing to assume that he would magically be found by somebody, let out a long, low howl. It was the same howl he had heard as a child many times. The howl was that of a lonely soul seeking community.

Hydra was near enough to intercept when the call came. She had the attitude of any yearling on her way into 'coming of age' territory[mash]interested if it had four legs and the scent that indicated it was a male. Though her attentions of late seemed solely for Dirge, Hydra had little qualm in investigating other potential suitors. She determined relatively quickly if a wolf was worth her time or not, and most of the time they seemed not to be.

She moved toward him at an easy clip, ears flicking and body language as guarded as it was intrigued. The Beta moved toward him alertly, wanting to first and foremost gather his scents. Her own position was revealed with a lifted plume and her head held high, and there was a light prance in her step that foretold of some flirtatious intent.

YAY

Dune, well-versed in border etiquette, was quick to lower his stance when the black wolf appeared. The last thing he wanted to do was get himself hurt (or worse--killed), and as long as this pack wasn't overly protective or rabid, he felt he had a pretty good chance of coming out of this encounter alive. His eyes remained averted, though he did look in her general direction. He could tell that she was a bit smaller than him, but their coat color could not be more different. Where she was as black as the night sky, he was as white as the snow that piled up around them.

He said nothing when she approached, allowing her to do the talking if she wished. Then again, Dune did not see the need for such frivolous spoken word. If she wished to know his name, she could have it. If she wished to know his skills, what good could it possibly do to tell her? It would become obvious if he joined whether or not he possessed any real skills.

Hydra had yet to speak, and as of yet did not plan to. Given the fact that he had yet to give bodily cues that he was upset with her impending proximity, Hydra did not slow. In fact, she drew to his side with an eager whine and took a few hearty sniffs. As she drew near his rear, she was able to tell he was a single, eligible bachelor to add to the benches. If not for her, then for her sisters. But was he boring?

The Beta circled to his front, this time her gait more of a giddy prance. She snorted playfully, forelegs rigid as her ears flicked on her crown. She was every bit Alya as she slid downward, bright blue eyes upon his person. Her tail swayed before she drew upward again to attempt to hop alongside him, making to nip his flank with a playful grow. 

'Twas the season.

Something quite *primal* flickered in Dune's chest as the black wolf flitted about him in such a manner. He sniffed right back, finding himself instinctually drawn to her in ways that he had not encountered before. She nipped at him, and Dune pulled away quickly, but he did not move from his spot. Instead, there was a fire even in his icy blue eyes when he craned his neck out to sniff her ear, nosing it with delicacy.

What either of them hoped to accomplish here was a mystery to him. Dune was not entirely ignorant of what males and females did together. He had left his birthplace to make room for his parents' next generation, after all. On the other hand, he had never really been in the thick of the situation.

There was little question as to what, exactly, was occurring within Moonspear's borders as of late. Her mother's agitation of late was for more reasons than one, and her daughters had inherited this trait it seemed. She was standoffish one minute, and interested the next—but for now, she was very invested in the pale stranger. 

He was wise to not move; it would have incited her to chase him. Her conflicting emotions culminated at present into some off-brand of affection. As he nosed her ear, she leaned into him, tail waving. She stood there, tall and proud, and moved alongside him to sniff near his whiskers. Hydra then broke away, sniffing the earth idly as she caught the scent of a rabbit. She looked at him and chuffed, inviting him near to sample the scent himself. Hydra's interest in this stranger was one she sought to immediately expand upon.

She bounded away, and though his nerves were at an all-time high, he went with her, nose to the ground where she was sniffing something out. It was prey, no doubt, and Dune wondered if she was actually inviting him to hunt on her land. Perhaps this was their initiation ritual, and he paused, hesitant. He was not ready to commit to something so soon, especially in such a short amount of time.

He was, of course, assuming many things right now, but Dune was used to that. He lacked the finesse others had in spoken word, and based on his interactions with the dark wolf, she had much the same background (another one of those pesky assumptions). Dune let out a whine, cocking his head to one side, questioning her intent.

His inquiry was not missed, and she let out a long sound that sounded like a groan. Come on, was what the insistent low pitch said. She was the Beta, she could do as she pleased—that, and the trail of the critter went well beyond the borders as opposed to within. This was not an invitation to join the pack, but rather her own methodical way of assessing him. She would diligently track, and he would chase and kill, and she would watch with eager eyes. The inky yearling turned back to the trail and began to get a move on, snuffling at the earth, her gait still something of a prance even despite the added predatory edge. Her blood boiled—she wanted to run. Maybe she would participate in the chase. The feeling that was edging in on her was in its early days, and so she still had a tight grip on her own reins. Yet there was something strange in the air, something she wanted to respond to in some way.

She egged him on, and though he was still somewhat uncertain where this would lead, he followed. Hunger drove him to some degree, and the thought of a fresh warm meal was definitely on his mind as he allowed her to lead the way. He still was not quite at ease, even as the trail led away from her home, but he allowed himself to relax enough to focus on the task at hand (paw?). His eyes were locked on the world ahead, keeping a close watch in case their prey were to jump out.

They went along not too far before the long-legged creature sprinted from where it had been hiding, and Dune sprinted after it. The rabbit skidded one way, then the other, and Dune did his best to keep up with the maneuvers. Lucky for him, the creature made a wrong turn, and that gave Dune his chance. He clamped down on the creature, pinning it to the ground as the last few breaths escaped from its lungs. Satisfied, he picked it up, raising his head to search for the dark wolf with his gaze.

Hydra's head lifted as the rabbit appeared, but it was Dune who set off for it. Hydra stayed her hand and remained still, watching the event unfold. He attacked and killed with such prowess that Hydra felt her own temperature rise in the frigid hour. Hot. So hot. Hydra's tail waved and she chuffed toward him, tail wagging. He had won the prize, and she wasn't hungry for rabbit anyhow. 

For the time being, she would let him be. She felt like a livewire must, and though she craved more of him Hydra was able to suppress this desire for the time being. Hydra battled between returning home, continuing to observe this Total Babe, or approaching him and trying to figure out what it was that made him feel like a magnet she was compelled to move closer to. A tentative step seemed to show favor to the last option, and one ear cupped toward him while the other swiveled to the right.

His new acquaintance made it clear that she did not wish to eat the rabbit, which perplexed him to some degree. If she was not hungry, why had she taken him down this path? Was she simply feeling generous? That did not seem likely, considering they did not know one another. Dune, being hungry, was not going to object, so he began to rip apart the rabbit, tearing away at the skin and releasing the fresh tender meat inside.

He kept his attention on her even as he ate, not sure exactly what her intentions were. She took a step forward, and he paused his consumption of the meal. Bits of rabbit meat still clung to his muzzle as he stood there, waiting. Had she changed her mind about wanting to eat?

She could afford to spare the meal. 

But the season made her feel so very out of sorts. First hot, then cold. And suddenly, Hydra wanted the rabbit all to herself—the electric feeling within shifted, wanting to feel something, and this energy felt like perhaps she ought to expel it in some fashion with him, so perhaps her aggressive route was the best course????, best test the theory—

A howl for her dissuaded her from acting, and the now-panting Hydra loosed a departing bark before she turned on her heel and returned to Moonspear, entering its depths.

For a split second, Dune thought she was going to change her mind, but a call went out for her, and she bolted away. Dune felt a sense of disappointment, almost. He had hoped to spend more time with her. He gulped down the rest of the rabbit, crunching the bones as he went, until there was little more than blood-stained snow left. Satisfied, he looked at the mountain one more time, but decided against it. He was not yet ready to commit himself. Dune set his sights elsewhere and began to move, feeling rejuvenated.