Moonspear for every sense, a sensation

Her nose did not deceive her, and neither was she blind or stupid enough to trust anyone right now. Tension already drove them wild, sending them off the mountain even when it was only Hydra's season on the breeze (which while it still made her anxious, it at least seemed her daughter could be sensible enough about it to not cause major issue so far), and now it was somehow finding ways to get worse. It truly was one thing after another lately.

Razor-backed and as she went stalking at the claim's lowest reaches--off towards where half the goddamn pack had taken off to chasing the season's scent--she took a long thoughtful pee on the forested borders and weighed her options now that she had new ones. In truth, had half a notion in mind to keep them all away if they were going to do anything to get on her nerves, which by default she assumed someone would, inevitably, but it was teetering a fine line still. Amekaze just didn't have a good feeling about any of it, so just being curious enough to see what response (or telling lack of) it may get, she swung back her head and sang out for her family and packmates alike.

What the hell are you all doing? her note mainly suggested, dashed with a hint of an increasingly ominous undertone of get your asses back home now before I come out there and beat every single one though.

That said, she slipped on, ebbing closer to the loudest trails down and out of the Moonspear's physical reach. A deepening resolve urged along quite healthily by annoyance kept her heading awfully spearheaded, however.

Where to even begin?

if no one wants to deal with her this can definitely be a read only since that other thread is busy and i didn't want to clog it up [eyes]

The scents were everywhere, almost inescapably, overwhelmingly so. The sickly sweet pheromones emitted by the females of the pack didn't seem to ebb as spring entered its final month, instead only strengthening, pulling the males in whichever direction they fled to. Lyra had watched idly from a rocky perch as her sister stalked past her, clearly on the hunt after one of the other women, Speedy. She had seen the fellow healer earlier take off towards the Glen, though her interest had only been fleeting.

It was only when she heard Amekaze's exasperated (and subtly threatening) howl ricochet off the mountains that Lyra finally summoned up enough curiousity to go investigate. The call had come from just at the borders, and so with a hurried clip to her stride, the triplet headed that way.

Just like her mother, Lyra hadn't been touched by an insatiable urge to hump everything in sight, and while she still couldn't shake some of the restlessness and frustration that came with the season, she felt like there was something missing. Something more that was meant to happen. While she quietly congratulated herself, feeling superior to those who were solely dominated by their loins, she also couldn't help but wonder. Hydra seemed to be going through it...was Alya as well? Was this because they had mates? Or was she broken in some way?

The Ostrega shoved the thoughts aside as she came upon Ame, the spires upon her back sharp and telling of her current mood. She had been prickly and nigh unapproachable throughout the past few weeks, and it seemed today was no different. Still, Lyra felt she would be spared the Alpha's wrath seeing as, well, she was here and not there with the others; she had done no wrong this day. Falling into step yet still keeping at a distance, the girl followed after her mother, keeping to the shadows and playing her part of an idle, silent observer.

As her summons faded off into the mountain air, she breathed deep--long and slow that gave her the time to consider, and remind herself of herself first and foremost. Although she was still weighing her options, there was a growing swing in one key direction with certainty starting to follow after it with every second. When irritation already sang in her blood, none of it was so easy to just ignore, and turn blindly away from. She simply did not trust any of it.

But, she couldn't say she truly expected an answer any time soon from their lot abroad, and knew they should hear. They would know, and in turn, she awaited them when it was time. Knowing Hydra was among them helped, somewhat, and perhaps that was the only thing keeping her rooted to the mountain still; her daughter would know the injustice at hand, for it was a slight in her direction just as it was Ame's, too--just differently, but in this one as well, she placed her will on Hydra's shoulders--at least until they could steer it back to home, or not. Ame could, and would, judge accordingly.

Until then, she didn't miss a shadow lurking closer steadily by the step, one coming from deeper on the mountain, not beyond. Even in all her slow-burning ire and tension rippling through her every step, she found herself glad for this, and neither did she immediately anticipate more assaults to her nerves. Not like Charon's blind greed, or Zafina's willful disregard. At least Lyra had come to her, checking in at least, and wasn't stirring the season's pot either. It made her all the more lovely of a presence now. Good to know someone else still has some sense about them here, she said over her shoulder as she curled a lip into an ugly sneer, not at Lyra's company, but her contempt leaking through for what she suspected beyond--and the big storm to come.

She moved with @Dirge, and for the most part they traveled in silence. Her anger was clear, and there was little (short of killing another) that would temper her; Dirge seemed to understand this, and even he seemed to echo her sentiments (though she likely projected her point of view upon him, as she often did). When they arrived to Amekaze, her foul mood was abundantly clear, and her tail lashed as she moved toward Lyra. There was a fondness in her gaze reserved for her mother and her sister, but her anger seemed to dominate her senses. 

Speedy and father will not be joining us. He has taken it upon himself to protect her. From me. From you. From other men. It seemed something of a claim, but as alpha male he had the right to protect her from other men—not her, though. There was no other reason not to have her return to the mountain alongside her. 

She is in heat. I told him, them, if anything comes of it, there would be blood. Hydra did not doubt her mother echoed her there, too. Lyra, as well. He would not permit me to escort her home. Hydra could have used force, and perhaps she ought to have tried; she felt her hesitation to do so may have been a costly thing. She would seek to kill that which sabotaged the safety of her own childrens future here, though, and would amend that error swiftly. She did not think her father would betray her mother in that way, but her gaze searched any betrayal on Amekaze's features that would suggest otherwise.

And as he had predicted, by the time they made their way up and along the mountain, his temper had cooled. But the thoughts that lingered at the back of his mind were there, wondering over the idle pluck-plucking of wound strings and whether or not they were tied to the same tapestry laid bare in equally idle recesses of his mind. It did not entirely make him question his own union with the fleet-footed Hydra at the helm of their trek, but he wondered where exactly it would guide them. She seemed hellbent on covering ground to somewhere in particular while he trailed a distance, ruminating.

Soon they were no longer alone and the pieces snapped together; the summoning call, the mother hen beckoning her chicks to come back and roost. Or perhaps it may have been more adequate to imply that Amekaze stood with an expression not unlike that of an executioner. He had not known her to have a variety of faces to wear, but displeasure was noticeable enough, and new. He heard the lilt of Hydra's voice, the brevity of her remarks, and it was without much thought that he found himself cashing in on the opportunity to follow her mark with his gaze to linger on his partner briefly.

"He didn't seem too keen on any help at all. Much more interested in being dismissive in our attempts," he intoned, almost conspiratorial. His frustrations were not entirely his own, however, and he elaborated as he went along. "Revui and Arcturus did not seem very pleased either. I'm not sure where they've skirted off to, if they came back this way at all." He didn't recall that they had, but Revui had been clearly upset, to put things nicely. He couldn't quite pin down Arcturus yet, other than the bond he had with his brother, and presumed one simply followed the other. It did not seem so out of the norm, not like this situation and all the nuances it brought to light.

"And to be fair, I'm not so sure Speedy wanted to go anywhere with anyone," he added, gaze swinging to Amekaze curiously, and concerned. "She said she was trying to get away, to avoid trouble, but I don't think her plan was all that thought out. Revui tried to stay close to her and she was uncomfortable, to say the least." He liked her as well as he did any other though their acquaintance was just that, but that part of her story had seemed genuine.

She swept up her ears taller when she noticed Hydra and Dirge's appearances on the scene, and though her greetings stayed muted, she was relieved to see them come too. Their words were her best look in to what was happening out there, one very in line with what her nose told her already but not serving to really paint the situation in a better light at all. Her shifts were subtle, but her expression went stormy. Stormier than before, somehow, as it started to all take shape. Charon's direct involvement in it did not make her comfortable and in a matter such as this one, she agreed with Hydra well before her counterpart.

Here, they had less to guard against. It remained to be seen if Charon would steer them back here sooner rather than later, but somehow, Amekaze doubted it. It was not the other breeding-aged males that were the issue here, she suspected--Dirge had Hydra (which why compare), Jarilo she had good rein on; it was Charon's greed, pure and simple, with him thinking that this was some true best course. Hydra was right to issue the warning she did and the dark mother would ensure they followed through if her mate did not act in their family's best interests. Although in all of her simmering anger towards him lately, it was far too easy to assume the worst.

Her sigh melted into a growl. They are idiots. She would be safest here, and better yet, away from him. Ame's words sliced and as she said this, she peered longest at her daughter with no objection towards the warning she gave. The speckled alpha made it hard to trust him lately and he had slighted her in their last time together.. with him so determined to seek more, and now beginning to really be of detriment to her it seemed--it all did nothing for her sympathy towards him and his wants. Revui and Arcturus--I have not smelled them back yet, Dirge's mention had made her say with a slow shake to her head and new worry stirring for them now, plus an ire at their father for his mishandling. Which.. I would feel better knowing they were back. All of them, honestly, even if Charon makes me want to skin him lately, she said. Any idea where he and Speedy went after..? she asked, not launching her hopes since it sounded almost like he had shooed them all off, probably with more harshness than needed when his innocence was questionable at best.

Anything new she heard from here forward could just be nails in his coffin, she feared. 

hope it's okay i posted--i'm going to be scarce this week and away the weekend so i wanted something in here while i had a moment in case my week gets more hectic x:

Hydra learned quickly enough that she ought to have used force to return Speedy here; if her mother had misgivings and did not trust it, who knew better than her as to what might transpire? Hydra's ears pricked forward, and in the pause in between she licked her chops. From there, the mistrust blossomed into something more insiduous. Was her own father a threat to the future of her children? Did he put this woman above what he had already cultivated?

She had her answer. He was not here, but gone, with Speedy. With who he had now chosen.

The Beta was quiet for a long moment, even as the discussion continued around her. Though she heard them, she was contemplative as she looked to her mother. One wrong was forgivable, but one wrong that could even potentially displace her children was not. Hydra felt confident that the efforts between her and her mate would be fruitful, and she stood taller when silence fell upon them. Her mother had consented for her to have the children she would, and they were not bastards.

He will want to protect her still, if it is even a possibility, Hydra began slowly. He had wanted to protect her to begin with, after all... but she could understand to a degree then, though now not at all as her mothers misgivings were presented. If that comes to pass, Hydra did not remove her gaze from her mother, she will not be welcome here at all, and I will rip his crown from his head. His rule would not jeapordize the future of her progeny. He had taken it upon himself to leave them all, and to do what he would do—for what? If something had transpired in their joint absence, well, it would show her how little he cared for her. Never before had she doubted her place in her fathers life, and she did not like it. Best to remove the thorn that caused such discomfort, if it dared dig itself deeper. Whoever does not like it can leave, she hummed, but I will not be disrespected so by my own father, nevermind her, she snorted, muzzle wrinkling. Her heat riled her, and who knew if such thoughts would linger when it went?

As for where they went... she would be easy to find, in her state. Just as easy as she herself had been. She had to take responsibility, and would, now; she would right these wrongs.

Hydra's intent cut cleanly through the tense air and for all things considered, Dirge agreed with her. He didn't think it was right at all that they had been turned away, let alone expected to tolerate Charon's continued absence from the mountain. All the actions hardly seemed befitting of someone holding the title, but he suspected they all had different marks for what was acceptable and not. These were not opinions he found himself voicing, knowing full and well that what would be, would be, and that eventually transgressions perceived truthful or not would be brought to light. He would do nothing to quell fires here.

"The lads will come back," he said, speaking of Revui and Arcturus. "Angry as they are right now, I'd imagine they've gone to blow off some steam and compose themselves. They'll keep each other out of trouble." He doubted they would rampage the countryside and find women to have their way with just as much as he doubted they would go sink their teeth into some hapless wayfarer's flesh. If anything, the latter seemed more up Hydra's alley.

But in regards to finding Speedy, his features resembled more of a grimace for a fleeting moment. "They couldn't have gone far, I'd imagine, but the difficulty would still be in getting them to return on terms other than his," he stated, gaze going to Hydra as he went on. "Charon had no issues in posturing to make you leave. I thought for a moment he'd set teeth to you when you tried to rein Speedy in. My presence there seemed of no consequence beyond an afterthought." Concern laced his words, half in truth and half there for a reason. He hadn't forgotten it, thought sure there would have been a fight if not for the intervening call that had brought them there.

Of course, whether or not it would have come down to that, he didn't know. He knew there were some things that family simply presumed about family, but he lacked that reflex and for good reason—he knew all too well that if it was often those closest that posed the most danger.

He sighed.

"Far be it from me to speak out of place, but I don't know what sense he finds in his plans. They're petulant, simply put, and so was he. Doesn't seem particularly fitting of his station for him to treat any of you so lowly. Or is this familiar?" Perhaps this was the common fare of every late spring, for tempers to swell just as much as desire. This he genuinely did not know, as he had long been gone and swallowed whole by the wilderness that hemmed them in. If it were nothing new then perhaps he ought not be surprised or tempting to coax such ill-humored flames, and if it were, then it spoke volumes. But there was far more to it that he only had inklings of.

oof this is wordy my bad

In this situation, it came easier to trust the boys than their father--so on that, she did have to agree with Dirge. I hope they do, she replied, knowing how trouble could easily come their way if they were careless. They would return, eventually, though. She wanted it sooner rather than later, but she wasn't about to hunt them down first. She only hoped Charon had not wronged them too badly that she would be needing to manage the fallout of it on his behalf.

And as for the rest, the more she heard about the encounter the less she liked--on a continuing spectrum, too. From the posturing to the near-violence, and to set Hydra on edge like this too did give her a lot to think on. Her reflexes were coming much the same and innately, it bothered her that he would turn on his offspring like that in so many ways, all over a female in heat who was simply safest here, with them and not him. She knew he was desperate, he had been annoying her with it for some time now, but this was a new extreme that they all had to deal with.

Whatever sense he finds is his alone, she rumbled.. continuing to agree with Dirge there whether she wanted to or not. No matter which way she looked at it, Charon had wronged them already. It was not his place to treat them so badly. Mishandling her before all of this at their last encounter had been bad enough, and now to take it out on her family was another foul strike against her.

But was this familiar? Almost. Maybe familiar was not the right word. This was not the wolf she had grown to care so deeply about, but he had been awfully clear that he was running headlong into something outrageous lately, reminding her distantly of his vague involvement in Althaia's debacle years ago before any of their offspring had been born. None of this particularly surprised her--though she had wanted so very desperately to believe better, and simply trust that her mate operated with their bond's best interest at heart--it was just not easy to.

She gave another deep sigh, hating that she had to explain this but if anyone else ought to hear it, Hydra was first. Ame had stewed on this encounter plenty, so could keep it concise. He has been on the warpath since I have not gone into heat yet. He acted out to me already last I saw him just before Hydra's, and stormed off when I made my case that my blood matters to me here--not before calling me the one hysteric, bitter, you name it. Ame let that pause hang, supposing it was good enough. Why it mattered? Listen. It does not surprise me. Something is wrong, and while I want to trust him, his greedy tantrums lately make it difficult. There will not be an illicit litter brought upon us like this, true.. she said to concur with Hydra. She had sanctioned theirs as quietly as she possibly could. They knew this, and Hydra saw the deeper meanings here. If Charon couldn't get it together, he had her coming for him and as hurt as she was by him right now, she couldn't guarantee him that she would do anything to stop it. Ame had enabled her daughter's strength for a long time, and this was no different; he was going to be in for something worse if his actions steered her his way.

I do not want to waste the energy finding them, so let them come crawling back when it suits them. How long it takes will be awfully telling.. but know how I feel about this. Her tail lashed ominously as she began to head off for the time. Speedy was safest here, and Charon was the worst wolf for the task he had personally assigned himself to alone. If he strayed, he was bound suffer more than he knew if she had anything to do with it.

um yeah same here apparently |8