Moonspear kill them all

Vague in reference to current [potential] rank! Attn: @Speedy ; wanted to get this up but was waiting for the conclusion of the other thread BUT... so loosely backdated to around that time LOL)

In knowing the truth from her father, Hydra followed her nose and sought out the bitch that had misled her family. Whatever the motivation was for that, she did not care. What was done was done, and Speedy would pay for it forever, if she remained. She and her own mate had discussed the matter, albeit briefly, and directly afterward Hydra was on her way to the tawny woman. Her features were expressionless, though there was a dark look in her eyes as she moved.

She had just come back over the borders, mouth full of marigolds and ginger root. She had left the mountain frequently lately, attempting to find some kind of relief in gathering plants, but she had found none. Still, she wanted to keep her plant collection up so that she could help if needed; being hated by the pack wouldn't keep her from doing her job.

She spotted Hydra as she made her way up the mountain, and Speedy froze; her lack of expression and the darkness in her eyes was chilling, and the healer dropped her mouthful at her feet and waited for the beta to approach.

All of this stress and tension of literally everything he could think of wearing on them all had taken its toll. From his parents to his brothers, then his older sister too. He worried about them all, honestly. He lurked darkly after his sister today, often occupying his days lately trailing his mother or one of his sisters--so this was normal enough for him. He was always feeling anxious about what may come next, but he couldn't even entirely understand why.

His ears perked when he finally caught sight of her dark shadows, and then not long after that, it seemed she found who she sought: Speedy. That might not be good, he thought and Jarilo closed in on quick, light steps. Whatever the outcome, he wanted to be here for it.. though for now, remained roughly on the outskirts, watching Hydra closely.

he is entirely skippable at any point but i'll prob post a few more times maybe? o:

Had Hydra thought what was occurring between her parents was a potential legitimate death match, she might have stayed; but she had no way of knowing. She thought it they were settling things in the same way she preferred to: with her teeth. As it was, she did not. When Speedy was in her sights, Hydra approached with a more than confident swagger that bespoke her newfound place amongst the events that had unfolded; she was decidedly Beta no more, but a woman on top of the world... even despite the truth she had learned. 

Though she wished to strike the woman, Hydra did not. There was still ample time for that yet, and she was patient. Her tail lifted over her hindquarters, and the pregnant Ostrega did not stop as she approached, but instead took to circling slowly around Speedy. Jarilo was noted, and acknowledged, with the flick of her notched ear. From the shadows emerged @Lyra whose sharp blue eyes were watchful, for now. 

I know the truth, Hydra drawled slowly, and her eyes fell to Speedy's belly to remove any doubt as to what she meant. So does my mother. You carry my fathers bastards, she was direct, not slowing nor stopping as she moved. He has no love for you, nor the children thay may come of it, but he does want them to live, she hummed, expressionless, though it would not be a life of love or joy they would know. And it as not as though they would know you, either. Not for long. Loveless, motherless—born, really, to die in the end. Just as I told you. One way or the other, Hydra said, bearing her teeth, what I told you will come to pass. Hydra paused alongside Speedy, now, a sharp and severe look on her face. The iron price would be the iron they carried within their bodies, and it would stain the earth and Speedy's mind alike. Young, old, it made no difference to her. 

Hydra's head lifted, and her chin dipped. Her eyes flashed with the truth of it all. 

She decided swiftly, suddenly, she did not want Speedy there at all. Not in any capacity. The bitch had lied, and Hydra herself was not a liar. She was nothing, if not true to her own word. So with a snarl, and a rallying noise to invite her siblings to join in the chase, Hydra lunged for the woman, swinging her hips away and making a bid to shove against her and bite with near to the fullest extent of her power, not much caring if Speedy bled this time. 

There would be no mercy now. Not anymore. Not from her.

A hard swallow moved through her throat, an involuntary reaction to the fear and dread that suddenly coursed through her. She remained still as Hydra came closer, looking away from the beta's murderous expression. If she was on the fence about leaving before, Hydra's words and the violent intent in her posture made the decision for her. Speedy stepped back just as the snarl filled the space between them. The lunge as subsequent bite to her shoulder happened too fast for her to react immediately; teeth sunk deep into her flesh, leaving a gaping wound. 

Adrenaline made blood rush to her head and roar in her ears, and the need to protect the innocent life inside her--life that didn't deserve to pay for her mistakes--made her tear herself away from the beta's teeth. Without wasting anymore time, she turned and bolted for the borders she knew were not too far from where she had been stopped. 

She would run for hours, pushing her muscles far past their limit to get as far away from the mountain as possible. And only when her legs gave out would she stop; she wasn't dying today, and her children would not grow up in a pack that only wanted to make them suffer for something that wasn't their fault.

As he watched Hydra absolutely, it was hard not to be drawn closer towards her, especially not once acknowledged. They were small steps, but he wanted to see more, feel it too--there was an electricity in the air he didn't often taste, one remarkably different from the hunt or the brawl. On edge, alerted.. He was at attention, and his sister's words struck cold with their full realization.

Dread welled, then his understanding deepened right along with it. So it was worse than he had hoped it all to be, and with a touch of newly-shaping confusion, he looked to Speedy, wondering why? Moons back, he never would have expected any of this, not of his father, or the medic. Upturned by this newly clear-cut finding, he was rankled and keying up thanks to his sister's aggression palpable on the thin air. He knew better, and would answer to that first.

Next he wondered if Speedy would say anything for herself, not that he thought it would help her--not much against Hydra. It could only be worse if their mother arrived next.. which he maybe thought he smelled her on his sister, which was probably more ominous than he realized. Not that he had time to dwell; Hydra went for her bloodshed and that was bound to keep this moving, so he was painfully present as that exchange played out. His ears perked up and when Speedy's only response was to flee, he lurched forward. It was to his sister that his eyes darted once more, confirmation, or not. Was she going to give chase, do worse? Was he?

He started to, considering how fast she bolted he couldn't help it. Just in case--or to make sure she really truly followed through, but he definitely did not want to get in Hydra's way. This was her situation, as far as he was concerned. He was just.. here to help.

While Lyra was mostly privy to any and all information that came Hydra's way, she had not yet learned what the discussion between her and their parents was about. Instead she had lurked just out of ear shot of their rendezvous upon a rocky ledge, gnawing on a bone as she waited for her sister's return with news, a plan for whatever would happen next.

Her update came in the form of not words, but a slinking shadow that she spied loping along the path below her perch. She watched Hydra move with murderous intent; there was no question as to where she headed. She had had her suspicions. With a wicked smile, Lyra discarded the bone and moved to follow her sister, curious of the outcome of her meeting — but it would have to wait.

For now was the chance for them sink their teeth into something far more...meatier.

She crept up to the impending confrontation, her form hidden as she observed Hydra approach Speedy with a newfound dominance to her posture. She also noted Jarilo standing off to one side, watching keenly with as much anticipation as she. When her cue came — a single flick of Hydra's notched ear — she revealed herself, spilling out of the shadows like an oil slick to stand by her sister's side. She was watchful, staring at Speedy with an intensity that grew as her mirror image spoke, condemning not only her, but also her young. Ah, it all made sense now.

The unborn children would know a life of no joy, no childhood, no love. Only servitude.

Or perhaps not even that.

There was a sudden change of heart, and Lyra's gaze flicked to Hydra's own as she loosed a snarl and charged at the woman. There was no chance for her to explain, to plead for her life or her pups'; the only thing she could do was run. Run far, far away from this place. Away from a family she should have been smart enough to never betray. For they would never forget.

The three Ostregas threw themselves into fierce pursuit — the sisters more-so than the hesitant Jarilo — as Speedy fled, the metallic scent of her blood in the air filling Lyra with an insatiable lust. True to her name, however, the vile woman was swift and each snap of her jaws earned Lyra nothing but a mouthful of air. It didn't matter, so long as she was gone. Never to return.