Moonspear God can't hear you, they will fight you

attn: @Speedy

 

Her father had returned, and with him would surely come the bitch in heat that had put it upon herself to create such a heinous rift within their family. It was unforgivable, every bit of it. And it was time to behold and endure the consequence. She would face them for a lifetime, and know no reprieve. Her keen nose twitched, and she imagined she caught wind of the agouti bitch; Hydra looked every bit of the weapon she was as she moved in that very direction. Her plume was thrust over her hinquarters in a full display of her superiority and authority, and though her features were impassive, every step she took indicated that today, violence was not the question but the answer—it was only a matter of when.

He was still unclear about some things; but as Hydra prowled the mountainside with aggression as her fuel, Revui was not far behind. He idolized his sister. Perhaps more-so than his own father at this point, or at least on-par with one another. She had been there during some very important moments in his training. Now, he trailed after her pantherine form as she bludgeoned across the paths, eager to show his prowess and support her with his own teeth if the need came - and the beast beneath the surface desperately wished for the moment to shed some blood.

She had intentionally avoided everyone after parting ways with Charon, feeling like any sight of her might make things worse. But, despite Charon's promise that 'they would make it work,' she had a feeling it would not be so easy or clear-cut. So, when she spotted the beta marching towards her, her need for violence clear in her expression, she was in no way surprised. She had imagined many different scenarios upon returning home, and she very much expected that she wouldn't go unpunished for her mistake. Part of her welcomed it; guilt was already eating holes inside her, and suffering whatever Hydra had planned for her seemed more than fair. She was guilty, after all--far more guilty than the menacing beta even knew, and so she stopped and watched the pair come closer, ears falling as she awaited her fate. Her gaze rested briefly on Revui, and her guilt intensified. She wanted so badly to explain things to him but wasn't sure he would listen or even care. He probably hated her just as much as the rest of his family. But, his hate was warranted, as was everyone else's, and she supposed that was why he was here now at Hydra's side. Hurt momentarily filled her expression, and then she lowered her gaze, her only hope now that this would be over quickly.

@Dirge was nearby, too; ah, there he was, on her other side. He was there for the very same reason as Revui; he had her back, if need-be. She did not expect to need them in this. But their presence spoke volumes of their support; she was thankful.

As Hydra came upon the other in their sad and sorry state, she was nearly mollified to find peace and bring words before violence. But as the tawny woman looked upon her brother with hurt, Hydra, protective and outraged, roared and careened into Speedy, who succumbed without resistance to her momentum—

How dare she look upon him in such a way, when her actions could only ever hurt him? Her teeth pressed against flesh, though did not seek to break skin or cause blood to shed; her power here was knowing that she could, and just as surely as she knew it, Speedy did too. Her movements were relentless and frenzied, yet even despite this she moved expertly enough to ensure her then-subordinate was not maimed or wounded beyond repair. 

Her guilty behavior was enough to confirm what she had not said. Hydra knew (or believed she did, anyway) the truth of their union, and when Hydra had expended only a small measure of her aggression (though the affair would be terribly painful to endure, even if no skin may have broke to her teeth) Hydra paused long enough to hover over her, to take a good look at the woman beneath her. 

Beneath her. Omega, Hydra spat, tail flagged over her hindquarters. Should you come to find you are with child, know that they will never be safe here. Should you want to remain here without them, fine, send them where you will. Should you want to raise them, I invite you to—far from me and mine. Hydra bore her teeth at Speedy, and stepped aside. Hydra had ranked her as such with intent; she was sure Revui had his own harbored aggressions, and if he wished to, he could worry them out on her. 

Hydra was not needlessly cruel, but she was cruel, and there was necessity here. There was a lesson to be learned, and she would teach it with merciless precision. She looked upon Speedy, nothing in her own gaze but for disgust.

The exact nature of her crime had been explained to him. He felt vindicated enough to feel his own rage, his own hurt. He rallied beside his sister and supported her with the arrogance and near-sightedness that his existence beget; Revui was a beast of the mountain and nothing more, a prince, and whatever his sister decreed was law to him - just as his parent's words were law, pitting him against any adversaries. It was different to see an enemy in place of the woman he cared for, but he knew his purpose and his duty was narrow in its scope. Hydra burst across the hillside after the stoic figure of Speedy, and Revui fell in to a practiced lope beside her.

She tackled the girl down, catching her tawny scruff in her teeth and pinning her with more force than words — then she spoke, and Revui stalked after the pair of them while he half-heartedly listened. He did not know if he truly believed the harm that Speedy had done. He knew to trust his sister's instincts, but her own instincts were playing against her. All he could do was listen as Hydra decided the fate of the girl and her unborn.

Then she withdrew, and Revui felt the beating of his war-drum heart running fast in his ears. He bore down upon the girl's feeble position with a snarl — but at the last moment, came up short, bristling, pacing between her and the shadow. He knew what was expected of him and what he ought to do in this moment, but -- he cared for Speedy, whatever had happened between her and his father. He couldn't shut that off as readily as he thought. So, he stood between them as a shield, glaring at the girl until she could stand and be on her way. Perhaps when she left he would feel the tugging animal thrill of the hunt... But for now, he was silent and full of indecisive energy.

as usual arcturus came late upon the scene, mostly because you all do exciting things while his writer is away. he had no time to gauge what was happening with any sort of rationality. all he could see was hydra with murder written across her body, and the dark form of his brother pulling tow behind her, his face and energy as threatening as a shark beneath the water.

arcturus was helpless as he watched speedy flung to the ground. more than that, he was silent as his sister administered abuse to her — and he did not even flinch as revui swung towards her, charging like a bull only
to swerve at the last second. in this moment arcturus was the helpless passerby witnessing a crash: there, but powerless to stop it.

a part of him wanted to believe in speedy’s innocence. they were friends, and she was a part of this mountain. yet a part of him also understood hydra’s cruel practicality — if charon and speedy had betrayed Amekaze the way hydra had described, then they both deserved whatever fangs found them. arcturus would not stop the wheels of justice, particularly when it came to the fate of his family — but he would not be the fangs that exacted retribution in this case, either.

a part of him felt this was all wrong. hydra’s paranoia, wrong. charon’s bullish attitude, wrong. amekaze’s unwillingness to breed, wrong... and speedy’s flitting to charon’s side like she had that day, wrong..

uncomfortable, but enduring whatever grim fate he had to witness, arcturus sternly watched the group — a dark shadow present, but offering no aide to either party.

Before she could really even register what was happening, a force pinned her to the ground, knocking the breath from her lungs. For a few painful seconds, her chest wouldn't expand to draw in air; she tried over and over, but her silent command to her lungs went unheard. She registered the teeth in her neck just as she was finally able to draw in a ragged breath. Hydra held her skin so tightly between her jaws that Speedy knew there would be sore, painful bruises there the next day. Even if she had wanted to push back, she wouldn't have been able to; she was small--not built for fighting, nor would she want to cause harm to another. She only wanted to heal and help her packmates, but now she had messed everything up. Finally, she was paying the price for her youthful naïvety, and for the first time since she ventured from her home, she actually regretted her decision to leave. 

She didn't get up when the Hydra released her scruff,  prepared to listen to whatever she had to say. But, she assumed too much from her guilty behavior and willingness to yield. Although Hydra's assumption was correct, Speedy had ensured Charon that she would keep what actually happened a secret, at least until it would be impossible to do so--if it even came to that. She hesitated to say anything at first, still reeling from being slammed to the ground and wondering how much more damage it would do to keep lying to everyone. How would the beta react if she found out later that Speedy had lied to her face? She was torn, completely at a loss for what to say. On one hand, she could continue to lie and face an even harsher punishment than this. On the other hand, she could tell the truth now and then what? Charon would be angry with her and she would be inviting more conflict to the mountain and between him and his family. It was an impossible situation caused by a moment of weakness she wished she could take back.

She winced as Revui lunged for her, already knowing what his bite felt like and anticipating the pain, but it didn't come; she looked up to him pacing and glaring. Being the subject of his anger was just as painful as his teeth in her skin would have been. 

She sat up, but remained hunched, her gaze finding Arcturus in the background before resting back on the ground. There won't be any children because nothing happened, she said quietly, deciding in that moment that she would continue with the plan. She would figure everything else out later; for now, she just wanted to calm things down some, and this seemed like the best way to do it. My guilt is for making the decision to leave in the first place and creating this mess. She didn't lift her gaze once as she spoke, hoping her continued capitulation would appease her three angry packmates.

Hydra blinked as the woman spoke, and she shifted her weight. I do want to believe you, she decided at length, having yet no reason to mistrust the agouti woman in full. In the spirit of being a bigger person, Hydra sucked in a breath and decided: I suppose Omega may be too harsh, then, if you are being honest... hmm, she contemplated this. Speedy had disrespected her in ignoring her own command that day, and this in itself deserved immediate action and retribution by her teeth. She had ignored her mothers call. Next to her mother, it was Hydra who could (and would) command Speedy in her season.

Alright, Speedy. I give to you the benefit of the doubt this day. We will speak no more on this matter, unless you wish it... Though, if you are lying, it will become clear soon enough. And then, you will have no place here, either. For pack was nothing without trust and respect, and Hydra herself would never trust, or respect, a liar. You are not an Omega, but for your absence there is a price. You have paid for your disobedience to my mother and I. As for your absence... You will answer to my brothers, who were also afflicted by this whole affair, and, my mate. Each who were effected that day by her blatant disregard for the authority of Hydra herself, and her mother. 

Keen as the rest of her family to let these bygones be at last, she smiled. Justice as it needed to be metted here and now was exacted, and she felt worlds better for releasing her pent up ire upon the wolf who earned it most. Shifting her weight, Hydra gazed to her flanks. Her fur had begun to thin near her belly, and even her scent seemed to shift a measure; four weeks ago, she had conceived. Or perhaps more, now. Not too sure of the meaning behind this, Hydra decided to prove her readiness to let go and believe. 

What could it hurt? Hydra did not wish to think their father would do such a thing, and not speak of it when she pressed him. But this particular truth would be revealed in its due time, and Hydra was aware of that, too. 

But this was no longer about Speedy. Yawning to display her present harmlessness, Hydra took a tentative step nearer, plume twitching behind her. Can you tell if I am yet with child? She dared to ask then, wondering if the others medicinal abilities extended to this front.

As Revui stood there watching, Hydra released the girl and he felt himself breathe deeply of a breath he did not mean to hold tight in his lungs. He watched Speedy for a moment or two - studying her, waiting to see the blood he thought his thug of a sister might have torn from her flesh. There was none. The boy was reminded of how awful he felt after his own misaligned aggression the day he had bitten her and he frowned, feeling the same conficting emotions rise up within him now as the two women spoke. If Hydra was satisfied that meant an end to this war-on-Speedy; he was glad as well as hopeful that the mountain would grow strong again. With nothing to add, he faded in to the background and paced nearby, ready to spring if there came any issue.

arcturus remained stonily out of the meat of the situation, preferring to watch from the fringe like some disapproving spectator watching a criminal on display. his features lacked much emotion, but anyone who dared meet his gaze would find distress simmered in the golden pools of his eyes.

hydra relented, and he considered speedy lucky. he wished to believe speedy, and naively, since it was what he wanted to believe, arcturus trusted it must be true. speedy wouldn’t do that to them, she was better than some common lovesick cur — and besides, his dad would never shack up with anyone but amekaze, because that was his mate and he loved her and to mate with anyone else was to betray the entire family.

he had seen enough. revui had made his leave, no doubt also conflicted. arcturus gave his sister a brief dip of his head (extending speedy nothing) and slowly followed after revui.

And speaking of reunions, this was another one that he had watched from a distance. While Hydra had certainly lived up to the pit viper attitude he adorned her with, it had been something of a show. His presence there had just been that; Dirge had little desire to exact or inflict pain. Truth be told, he liked Speedy for a number of reasons and liked less what was occuring. But he was hardly in a position to dissuade it himself, and if it had made him even the slightest bit uncomfortable he had hid it away. It was simply the way things worked here; he would tolerate it until he either could not any longer, or until he had enough sway to influence change.

But nothing particularly major came out of it. Posturing, threats, the usual. The same spiel he remembered Moonspear for when the stakes were far more dire, or the results of a threat seen through. Points made and accepted, unquestionably carried out when the line was crossed or the time was right. The storm here was come and gone for now, the subject changed—oh.

He hadn't anticipated Hydra to change gears like that, to simply mute emotion at the flip of a switch. The topic matter baited him—he was curious, yes, but not that curious as to what would come. The timing of Revui and Arcturus leaving seemed as good as any excuse to leave and so he brought up their rear if only to go and lurk elsewhere. Hydra wanted her answers quickly and Dirge, well, other than balking at it simply resigned his own concerns to letting time spell it out for him.

more or less a cameo since i was tagged and want it in my threadlog for reference

Her lie was bought, and she thought she would be relieved by that, but she only felt worse. She could have potentially messed things up further with her choice, but she prayed that nothing would come of her giant mistake and they could put this all behind them. Eventually, the guilt from lying would subside, right? 

She nodded in agreement with Hydra's demands; Speedy would have agreed to just about anything right then, wanting just as badly to pay for her mistakes. 

The tension in the air lessened some, but what the beta asked next had her lifting her surprised gaze. She recovered quickly, clearing her throat a little. Well, it's hard to tell this early just by looking, she started quietly, her voice growing steadier with every word as the healer in her took over. You should start having some of the early symptoms any day now, she continued. Nausea is the most common, but some women also feel more tired and hungry than usual. I have something I can bring you for nausea if you want. Her face had relaxed some, but her expression still held a wariness to it as she watched Revui, Arcturus, and Dirge each take their leave.

Hydra grinned at her words. She had not yet attributed her nausea to her pregnancy, though had not even considered that she rarely felt ill to begin with. Hmm. I do feel hungry, she said, the grin remaining. Hydra shook her head to the others inquiry; truth be told, Hydra was still wary of her. Though she had elected to believe her here and now, she was still cautious; she did not want to be given anything that might terminate the pregnancy. I can stand it, whatever may come. I look forward to it, truthfully, she looked to her belly, eyes softening, to knowing for certain they are there, however they might first reveal themselves.

She nodded. Okay. If you change your mind, let me know. Speedy was happy to help,  but she wouldn't force it; being nauseous wouldn't hurt anything as long she was still able to eat. 

She followed the beta's gaze to her belly. Despair and envy filled her chest in equal measures. She knew that she could be pregnant as well and even though she had always wanted to be a mother some day, this was not the way she had wanted it to happen. She couldn't be excited about the potential life inside her because it would mean serious consequences for her, and it would cause a lot of problems for Charon.

She pushed away her worries for now, knowing they would fill her mind later when she was alone. I'm sure you'll know soon, the healer offered with a small, reassuring smile.