Moonspear one angry dwarf and 200 solemn faces

Slavik was wandering through the territory, in a more open area today than the usual wooded places he could be found in. He’d gone a little further towards the center, and found himself on a more mountainous terrain, with less trees and more rock. It was early dawn, the sun had kissed the moon good day and was rising slowly through the sky, waving its cape of color behind. Slavik loves this time of day, when the weather was crisp but humid clear and dewy, it was colder than the noon hours but the sun was beginning to warm the ground. He was mostly extroverted but this was the time of the day when he preferred to be alone, when he could relax and enjoy life as it was to him.

There was a song in the air, birds on their way south for winter had nestled in the trees, and when they woke they let out each of their melodic tunes that drifted in the wind. He picked certain notes out of their babble, and weaved a song of his own which he hummed as he walked, stepping in time with the rhythm he’d created. It was a joyful song that he hummed, his chest full of warmth and his heart of content as he wandered across the Moonspear territory.

Hydra was less chipper than Slavik, though it did not show on her bearing. She was content to let all the present ongoings fall to the wayside in favor of interacting with the male, who she wished to know more about. She had given both him and Speedy time to settle, and now was as good a time as any to get to know him further. They had similar interests, and she imagined they would work well together. 

The Beta approached him, head lifted and tail swaying, with a low chuff. He seemed to be humming something, and Hydra's ears pricked as she heard this. It's tune was uplifting, assisting in bringing a smile to her features. Did you make that up yourself? She wondered, having never heard it before.

Thanks for joining!

Slavik’s low hums stopped abruptly when he heard the chuff, he turned to face the dark furred woman as she neared. Hydra, the Beta, he remembered her well. She looked much more friendly than when they’d first met, though he could only expect as much. When they’d first met, he’d been a stranger at the borders. At least now he’d begun to wear the scent of the Moonspear pack, and she’d likely grown accustomed to his.

He gave her a cheerful smile and shrugged, I guess, it’s just something I like to do for fun. I’ll probably forget it soon but I can always just come up with another, he said, as musicality was just a part of who he was. It held a special place in his heart but also seemed no big deal to him.

It is nice, she responded with a warm smile, and, thoughtful, inquired: do you ever add words to them? That was the way she recognized song, most. It would be interesting to hear a tale told, in such a pleasant tune, or even in any. Hydra had yet to meet a bard in her life, though that was in lieu of what she thought of then. Telling history through song; not all needed to be pleasant. But she could think of some that ought to be. Battles won, and beasts felled during the hunt... those sort of things came to mind, as she heard his songs—

Other, less aggressive wolves might think of other things that gave them joy. 

The Ostrega then shifted to the next topic. So, you mentioned you were a hunter—perhaps we can work together now to find quarry for our next pack hunt, if you were not busy doing anything else? She suggested, ears pricked forward while her head tilted slightly.

Slavik had sometimes put words to his tunes, but they were usually just the words that were happening in his head when he was doing it. Certainly not worthy of sharing, nothing bold or ballad like. Her idea was a nice thought though, perhaps he could try that one day. I’ve never put a story to my songs, just a few words here and there. But if you ever have a tale in mind I’ll try and make a song out of it just for you. Just let me know, he said, his tail sweeping the air contently.

The topic was changed, and the song the birds had given him was quickly lost into the pool of other tunes in the back of his mind. Just a jumble of notes and a steady beat. Hydra’s suggestion was met with an easygoing smile and a nod, Sure, I’m not busy, he said, then shifted his direction to allow her to take the lead for she likely knew of more good hunting areas than he did. He stretched out his body, preparing his limbs and getting warm. He was excited for this, to show his skills as both a tracker and a hunter, and hopefully win some points from Hydra.

Hydra looked thoughtful as she considered stories for him to tell through song. Perhaps of how once there was a Princess who loved the stars, and the stars loved her too—so much so, they took her away, a strangely poetic thought... Hydra knew it was not the stars that had taken Galaxy, but a cruel and terrible wolf. Still, let the songs sing of a kinder fate... one more befitting of her soft and kind nature. That would be a gift Galaxy truly would have appreciated moreso than the blood Hydra felt was owed. 

In fact, Galaxy would not want such a thing at all, she did not think. Galaxy had been soft, though. Too soft. Like Korei Julia, but Hydra romanticized her with more potential—and not enough time to explore it. 

She was glad to hear of his willingness to accompany her, and Hydra's tail waved. What should we track? She invited him to decide, nose then pressing flush against the earth. There were hundreds of scents surrounding them, but she would let him pick a thread for them to follow. True, she knew all of the spots that the hunting was best, but they were not tracking that, were they?

I'd love to continue this thread if you want to?

A princess taken by the stars- it sounded poetic, beautiful, and a little solemn. Slavik pondered it, and he was sure he could think of a tune to go with that. Something lilting but melodic, like the swimming night sky. He offered Hydra a smile and replied, Of course, I'll find something for you.

Slavik had thought to allow Hydra to take the lead, but it seemed she would rather him decide. Awesome. He did as she did, and pressed his nose to the ground, taking in all the scents of the travelers who had worn this path. Lots of wolf scents, and some smaller prey animals too. He zeroed in on one fresher scent, one he recognized to come from a decently sized animal, and something worth tracking. I smell a marmot, it might be out scavenging for winter and if it is it'll be easier to catch and probably pretty fat. Wanna give it a shot? he asked, his tail waving behind him.

Hydra nodded, appreciative that he would do so; she was eager to hear what he would come up with. Her tail waved gently before they began their next task—the hunt. She observed him, nose lifting from the earth slightly as her body shifted to better position herself to see his own progress; he seemed to catch the threads of the same scent she did, and they shared a mutual interest in it.

So it was no question as to how she would respond. She moved toward his side, though again permitted him to take the lead to better assess him, and with a grin Hydra spoke: shall we?

Hydra moved to match up at his side, just as eager to hunt as he. shall we? she said, and he replied only with a toothy grin. A good hunt always excited him, the thrill of chasing and the pride in catching. Plus it always came with a well deserved prize.

Slavik took off tracking the scent, the tracking bit being his specialty. With ease he sniffed out the marmot’s trail, through the Moonspear territory to a more open meadow like area. Just the terrain he was most confident on. The tall browned grass waved at the two hunters, seeming to wish them well in their endeavors. He stalked through the grass after the scent trail, until he could hear the animal shuffling through the undergrowth up ahead. Slavik paused, then turned to Hydra.

He wouldn’t risk being heard, so he gave her a nod gesturing to where they stood, hoping that she would stay and he would move to close the animal in. Then he started to sneak around the radius from where the marmot waited unawares. It was always easier to catch something when coming from more than one angle, it was much easier to confuse the prey. He made sure to stay down and hidden, though thankfully in the brittle brown vegetation he wasn’t as easy to see as he was in the snowier patches. The only unsure moment was when he stepped on a particularly loud patch of dead grass, but the marmot continued on after a quick scan.