Bramblepoint my seat is leather,

if tegan had been the most obnoxious wolf in the world, he would've said 'ow' every time he took a step. 

but he was the second most obnoxious wolf in the world, and his head hurt, so he didn't. instead he just walked with his eyes squinted, and tried not to stare directly into the sky. at least it was winter, so the sky was more cloudy than it was blue. and, it was drizzling. cool. great. 

tegan was concussed. 

he walked into the woods with his ears flat against his head, a bitter taste in his mouth. he'd thrown up about 40 yards behind him, probably a sign that his head was not doing so hot, and then kept moving. he had to get home. he had to warn the redhawks about screech. he had to save ceara, and for once he realized he couldn't do it on his own. but he had proof that she was there-- or was there-- screech said she left? so maybe she went home?

fuck-- ow-- this was not the time to think. this was not the right time to do anything.

but tegan kept trekking.

@Hydra

Bramblepoint was a place Hydra regularly frequented as of late, and today, she moved with her sisters alongside her. They were at the heels of a herd, and harassed them toward Moonspear, when a breeze assailed her. There was something sickengly familiar to the scent, and her sister's sharp gazes landed upon her for her next command. 

Hydra glanced toward the shadows, and that was where they took to—one left, one right—as the Beta took a far more direct approach. The sound of the herd had faded, but their trajectory was still toward their home. Hydra had all but forgotten them as the din of their gallop faded to nothing, and she paused as she noted the clump of vomit. 

Weak, very weak. And soon, dead, once and for all—

It did not take long for the woman in full health to come upon the battered wolf, his back to her where she could not see his face. She saw red, and that alone—not the telltale sign of his Blackthorn heritage in the stripe he carried—and though she longed to throttle the bastard she imagined from behind, she would let him see his death, and call it by her name.

Swiftly, Hydra circled to face the front of him—two eyes stared back, and Hydra's fangs, once revealed in the mute snarl of the grim reaper, were sheathed. What she looked upon was not the face of a stranger. Tegan. And he looked unwell. Hydra thought of Gannet, first, who they had healed... then of Towhee, who she was certain would miss the Blackthorn boy. Her eyes assessed him, caught between her reason for approaching him at all and his wellbeing. 

Well—if he was not well enough to respond, she would know what to do. Titmouse, came her voice. He had survived. Her instinct had been right. He is alive? Hydra would leave nothing to uncertainty; not anymore.

there were suddenly a pair of dazzling blue eyes before him-- except they were less dazzling today and more horrifying. he scrambled backwards, falling onto his rump and letting out a low groan, ducking his head into his chest and squeezing his eyes shut. this shit hurted. he processed her question, took in a gentle breath, and raised his head, eyes still squinted.

"yeah," he returned steadily, clearing his throat. great. not only was he disappointing towhee and co, but also the hot triples. just fuck him, right? "but-- he's alive, and he took.. my aunt," he added, ears splaying, "i think she escaped-- i couldn't find her." he hoped ceara was okay. prayed ceara was okay.

oh shit.

"llew-- something-- he was there. he ran when wolves showed-- i couldn't find him either."

Alive. Alive. 

Hydra mourned, Hydra thrilled—

His life, his death, they were hers. It could be the only reason he lived and breathed still. Raven's cubs survived, though he had assaulted her while they were within her. Galaxy was dead. He had seen it through; she, in turn, would see the very same end for him. Her face would be the last thing he ever saw. The face of Alya. The face of Lyra. 

He took his aunt, she learned. They had all asked for this, she knew. A chance for him to survive. Not my brother. Not my friend. Look what kindness created. A monster. Such things were before Tegan's time, and she felt for him. Hydra felt perhaps she ought to have killed him then, long ago. It would have been easy, and so much could have been avoided...

But the world made witches out of strong women, and burned them. Hydra's heart had always known this. Once, when she was younger, she had cared—now she knew she could withstand the flames, swallow them, spit them back out, destroy. 

So, he had a captive, or once did. And then he brought mention of a man she knew well, and Hydra rumbled deeply. Out, or in? Did he flee the Woods, or run deeper into it? It had been noble, to help Tegan; perhaps he sought the aunt Tegan mentioned. Hydra summoned @Lyra to her side with an ear flick, so that her sister could assess the damage Tegan sustained. He did not look well, not in the least bit, and while Hydra listened, she sorted through what next ought to be done.

oh fuck one of the hot triplets was gonna fuckin touch him. tegan shifted where he sat, ears flicking as he tried to keep himself in one piece and also answer hydra's question.

"out-- i think. it's so dark, he was probably.. at least trying to go out," tegan said, and then shook his head, "i shoulda gone home-- i dunno what i was thinking, i couldn't fuckin take on a whole pack." his brows furrowed, feet shifting again. 

and then, quietly, in an embarrassed mumble, tegan added for lyra's sake, "we hit heads. hard."

Lyra's eyes flashed with rage as she split from her sisters and took to the shadows of the trees at Hydra's command. Alive. How? Hydra had privately expressed her doubts regarding the fate of the cowardly boy, despite Towhee's recount when she had visited them. Tore out his throat and threw him over a cliff. But the familiar scent they now followed through the woods was unmistakeable. He had survived it all, somehow. They should have taken his head instead, all those moons ago.

Who they found eventually, however, was not the one they sought, though for a moment it looked as if Hydra was going to kill the stranger regardless. She halted at the last second, and Lyra watched from the tree line silently, studying the state the wolf was in. No, not any wolf. This was the child who had accompanied Towhee on their trip to Moonspear. He lurched backwards with a groan, his movements groggy and unbalanced. Perhaps it would have been more merciful to put an end to his suffering.

At Hydra's summons, Lyra stepped out obediently, eyes trained upon the grey-clad boy. She felt her muscles tighten as he relayed information; she was angry with him, angry with Llewellyn (why hadn't they informed them beforehand? They could have lent their teeth!), but mostly, she was angry at Titmouse. It seemed kidnapping was another crime to add to his ever-growing list. She wouldn't be surprised if half the Wilds wanted his head by now. Stepped towards Tegan, Lyra tipped her head slightly to study his wounds, though she was most concerned with his apparent head injury.

"The fight — do you remember what happened?" she asked, partly to test his short term memory, though a larger part of her wanted to know exactly what happened. What sort of state he had left his opponent in.

Hydra listened to him as he spoke on. If the golden man had left before things got worse... well, he ought to be here by now, or else, home. She had not seen him return, and so Hydra had her next task and her sisters with her. You should have, she agreed, but you had the right idea. He needs to be dealt with—once and for all. He will only harm more. Even when given the chance to survive, to live as we all thought him dead... it is his nature. She shook her head. 

Lyra asked her question then, and Hydra listened still. It was a good thing to know, and Hydra felt an immense appreciation for Lyra's forethought. Hydra's own mind, in the meanwhile, was in several different places. Surely Redhawk would move alongside she and her sisters to tear Titmouse asunder? But there was the matter of the once-prince. Hydra needed to retrieve him, too, bring him home safely. He was family now, and more than that, his fierce spirit lit a fire within her soul. Perhaps he was the man to build empires with—he seemed more than willing to burn the named enemy to the ground. 

She was cross with him, though, for the very same reason her mirror image was. For now, there was the matter of Tegan. Was he well enough to return home? Did he need escorting? Ought he stay with Moonspear for a brief time, if he was not well enough? Lyra would tell, and she waited for this.

"he needs to be fucked up," tegan muttered in response to hydra. and then with a twisted expression, as he realized what the fuck was goin on, tegan said, "and he joined the fucking blackfeathers." he couldn't believe he hadn't even like-- realized that. okay, maybe he could believe that. but fucking still. 

fuuuuck.

"i-- kinda?" he replied to lyra as she began to examine him, "i just remember... yelling, and then i attacked him and he dodged weird and we just konked noggins. and then he was like-- weird for a second, and then we yelled more and then... i-- ran? he threatened me-- and i realized i was kinda out numbered... and he said he didn't have ceara-- i kept tripping that's what... all these scratches are." he spoke sorta choppily, and a few of his words were slurred. tegan remembered everything, as boring and stupid as the story was. 

but he left out the part about him literally SEEING THE FUTURE AND CHANGING HIS OWN DESTINY. but that shit was whack.

It seemed the Redhawks still had beef with the Blackfeathers, which wasn't surprising. The dark pack had seemed like a scourge upon the Wilds upon her first encounter with one of their members, before Rannoch had shown his true colours. Then the triplets had almost formed a sort of alliance with that same member. Then the Redhawks had become the focus of their wrath for a bit, though really that was only because of a single member's actions. Moonspear — or, rather, the Cerberus — only truly worked with others when it suited them, if there was something to gain from such an alliance.

The boy's slurred rambling was hard to follow, though if that was the result of his concussion or just his nature, Lyra was unsure. Maybe it was both. She remained impassive as he spoke, studying his movements. She noted the pupils of his green eyes were uneven — how odd. At least the scratches on his legs and sides didn't need immediate attention. She gave a glance to Hydra with a slightly raised brow. He ran? Did that mean Titmouse was, for the most part, unharmed? Or did he suffer from a similar head wound as Tegan here? There was also the matter of Llewellyn's fate, but she left figuring that out up to Hydra.

"You remember," she said finally. "That's good." She assumed in the next couple of hours he would be in a severe amount of pain once the adrenaline wore off, if he wasn't already. "I have herbs that can help..." she trailed off before looking again to her sister warily. At Moonspear. They both knew of their father's opinions on Redhawks. The boy needed help, however, and whatever information he had on Titmouse would be invaluable to them once he was more...coherent.

Fucked up, Tegan said. Hydra rejoined him grimly: He has been fucked up. He has had his throat torn into, and has fallen from a cliff, and still lives. Still takes what is not for him, she rumbled, He needs to be killed. For good. We need to be certain this time. No dark abysses to fall into, where we do not know his fate. No places for him to disappear. His violent delights will meet their violent end, her muzzle wrinkled. The gravity of his actions would at long last come crashing down. Never before had she the opportunity to see him again when unleashed. 

He would not rise again if her teeth ever found him. 

Lyra spoke, and Hydra turned considered for a moment. Towhee will not be happy with his being gone for so long... but she would be even less pleased with Tegan dead, wouldn't she? With their father absent on his own brief sojourn, Hydra had not thought of him in this equation. He would be happiest once Titmouse was dealt with once and for all, and this was the way that it would be done. He needs to rest. Give him the herbs he needs, and when he is ready, we will take him home. She nodded. In his woozy condition, Hydra grimaced. He can keep to the base of the territory. I don't think climbing will do you any favors, she remarked, not unkindly.

"wait--" said tegan, who had let hydra go on her monologue only cause it was so many words and he forgot what she'd said to begin with halfway through. stupid tegan stupid. he just didn't process them all that well. ugh. 

"no i gotta go home-- you guys are nice but-- i need to get back, like a week ago," he told them, ears pressing to his skull. it was true, he needed to get back. what would bat think? he realized only now he probably worried the fuck out of his new apprentice, which left him feeling kind of bad. he liked bat, he thought pretty highly of her(don't fuckin tell her that you snitch), and he was pretty eager to get back to her.

besides that, his family was home. and he missed his family. tegan was emotionally exhausted from that whole death episode thing and being away from home was not gonna help. "i gotta tell 'em about fuckin screech," he added for good measure, brows furrowing.

At Hydra's words, Lyra began to wonder if the doomed boy could be killed. He had survived where others would have surely perished...save for divine intervention. She wasn't a religious wolf, but one had to wonder if other forces were at work here.

Or perhaps, the universe was simply waiting for the right time. Waiting for them to finish a job started a long time ago.

Lyra turned to Hydra with a flick of an ear as she debated, but ultimately deciding taking him back to Moonspear would be for the best. Tegan didn't seem to agree, however. She gave an indignant snort at his rambling. "Then by all means, head home," she shrugged in an off-handed way. If the news was oh so urgent and important that it just had to be he who delivered it, then she couldn't be held accountable when he inevitably perished out there. Stupid boy. "I'm sure Towhee and the rest will find your dead body eventually."

Hydra glanced at her sister as she spoke the words, and considered for a moment. But she and hers were not in the business of taking anyone against their will, and clearly, Tegan was most unwilling. With a huff, Hydra said: get the herbs that he needs, and tell me what to do with them. I will escort him home. If he dies from his injuries, so be it—but our enemies will not take advantage of his poor health, at least. Hydra was no medic, and the help she could provide him there was limited. She also would not invite Lyra along with her to Redhawk territory as her sister had other injured wolves to take care of. She looked to Tegan, fully aware that he was there, naturally, and tilted her head. If you do pass, I will tell your family for you, she said, in a manner meant to comfort.

his nose scrunched gently at lyra's comment. how passive aggressive-- well, more aggressive than anything. fuck that just made tegan so much hotter for her.

whatever, besides the point. "i'm a bad bitch," tegan muttered under his breathe, "you can't kill me." but such was a lie. tegan could very easily be killed. seriously, try it, boy would be dead in an instant. 

"it's just a, uhhhh-- head thing-- concussion thing--" he added, like he knew what the fuck he was talking about. kinda. someone else in the pack had had one, and they'd been just fine. he just couldn't remember who it had been who had a concussion. that had nothing to do with his concussion either, tegan was just forgetful. whoopsies. "i would like, appreciate that though, hydra-- and hydra 2.0... i would appreciate that," he added, a sneaky lil smile pressed onto his dumbass features. "i'll be good and live the whole trip, promise." they'd just have to deal with his motion sickness barfing. he'd try not to complain about his splitting headaches. 

oh, and hydra would unfortunately have to deal with his shit ass personality.

She watched, unimpressed, as Tegan assured them he'd be fine, that he would survive the trip even after all his nonsensical rambling. Lyra had to refrain from rolling her eyes and instead glanced to Hydra as a mildly wicked flash flickered across her gaze. If he got too annoying on the trip back, at least Hydra had an easy excuse should Tegan meet an unfortunate end. She did seem intent on returning the boy — alive — however, so with a huff, Lyra went to fetch the herbs needed.

She was quick to return with a bundle of marigolds and, after instructing Hydra on how to use them (and emphasising that he wouldn't really need that much for the pain, honestly), the trio then split, Lyra heading back to Moonspear and Hydra to the Redhawks with the injured Tegan in tow. She would have wished them luck but her sister didn't really need it (this was Hydra after all) and as for Tegan, well, she didn't particularly care either way.