Moonspear I will keep you safe

attn: @Osiris

 

The children still could not go too far from the rendezvous, but their range would grow in time. Each day, they also grew; she had discussed with her mate having the cubs accompany them on a short hunt the following evening, to which he agreed. Hydra returned now to the rendezvous, moving to greet her cubs with a low chuff.

At the sound of Hydra's chuff, Osiris excused himself suddenly from the company of his siblings and caretaker so that he could meet his mother. Although it had only hours been a few hours, he had missed her and was excited to see that she had returned. Osiris strode towards Hydra on too-large paws, his gait staggering every so often due to a misplaced foot. 

Upon reaching his mother, Osiris greeted Hydra with an eager kiss to her chin. His affection was brief, but her scent kept him near; he was curious to see where she had gone. Although he could not pinpoint Hydra's exact destination, he could deduce that she had stayed well within her claim. Osiris' head tipped back to look at Hydra, and he fixed her with a curious, albeit submissive, stare. Where have you been? His expression read.

Her eyes fell to the young, tawny boy that approached her; her tail swayed as he greeted her, and his kisses were rewarded with but one in return and several affectionate, gentle nips. She had been near, with her mate—stalking the herd in advance to inspect their quarry. But they would do the very same thing, all together, the following eve so that the cubs would learn each aspect of the hunt. 

His look was not at all missed by his mother, and Hydra's own look was one of ambiguity—but before long, she was prepared to reveal herself to him, and moved in a small semi-circle around him to inspect his furs. A little more unkempt than she would like; she gestured before her with her snout—it was bath-time. 

Grooming was an activity she taught each of her children, though she, for the most part, maintained them at this point in their life. At length she answered his silent question with an invitation of her own, for good measure: if you tell me about your day, I will tell you of mine, with a flick of her ear, waiting for him to sit before her so that she could clean him.

Bath-time—Hydra decided, and Osiris moved to where his mother had motioned. 

Hydra’s offer came when Orisis was in mid-step, and he felt his gait sway as he nearly tripped over his own paws; excitement had consumed his quickly. ”Okay,” Osiris agreed without missing a beat, his words carved by a shy smile. Osiris stepped with more purpose now, his steps carefully-place, as he worked diligently to remove the distance that seperated them. 

Once Orisis sat where he had been instructed, and focused his gaze onto the underside of Hydra’s chin. ”Not much happened,” Orisis admitted; despite the danger, he wanted to range further than he was allowed. ”I did a lot of looking, though—I wanted to see if I could find you.” Purched upon a level platform, Osiris had observed the calamity-struck land from his lofty vantage point. ”I... couldn’t find you, though,” and he frowned, unable to shield his disappointment.

Hydra listened to her son as he informed her of his day, leaning away to look down upon him as he mentioned he had looked for her. You know you are not meant to go far, she reminded, though she suspected he had not. Hydra had not smelled him beyond where he was permitted to go, else she would have been far more firm in her reminder. There are many scents upon Moonspear. It can be hard to track one, but I will teach you, she decided, one ear turning right as the wind provoked the trees nearby to engage one another. 

Her grooming continued, but she paused to add: after all, tracking will be quite important; you will see that tomorrow, when you and your siblings join your father and I on a hunt, and she resumed her work upon a fussy cowlick, knowing well that her news of them joining her on a hunt would excite him, given his love for meat.

”I know,” replied Osiris; he was obedient by nature, and had not strayed. 

Though he had been disappointed moments prior, Hydra’s statement helped him rationalize the absurdity of his discontent, and the coupling of both her logic and offer improved his mood significantly. ”Yes, please,” Osiris said in reply, already keenly aware of the importance of manners—and more so what one received in return for using them properly. ”Can we do some tracking after bath time?” he asked. 

”After all, tracking will be quite important; you will see that tomorrow, when you and your siblings join your father and I on a hunt,” Osiris pulled his head back as he realized what Hydra’s statement entailed; already, his plans of tracking were pushed aside in favor of thoughts of the hunt. Osiris was beside himself with excitement, and only the twinkle in his eyes revealed the rampant giddiness he felt within. ”Are we really?” he asked rethorically. Then, another question: ”What will we be hunting?”

The thought of freshly slain meat caused him to lick his lips, as though he could already taste whatever they were to hunt the next day.

Hydra knew that he did, and for that she was grateful. Each of her children were wonderful, and she felt glad for each of her children who were wise beyond their years. Moonspear had done wonderfully in their rearing, and she knew she and her husband had strong genetics that shaped them, too. The world was falling apart around them, but here they were safe and cared for. Hydra wanted to expose them to the world and its cruel realities, though this was well outside of the norm. They were not yet old enough to range so far in any case, and so she was not worried about stunting their exposure. Hydra would not do that, but would be with them when it came time for this. 

Her tongue worked behind an ear, teeth then preening a knot between skull and where his lobe met it then. He asked if they could practice, and Hydra hummed in rejoinder: yes. His manners made her all the more willing, and he surely knew this. His inquiry was innocent, but it brought about another lesson: yes, Osiris; it is never good to lie, and I will not lie to you. A wolf who can lie, easily or otherwise, is a wolf who cannot ever be trusted entirely. If you can tell one, you can tell a dozen—who is to know what is truth and what is not, then? She asked, quite serious as she looked to him. It would be a lesson she taught all of her cubs; liars was a trait she detested most of all in a wolf, it would seem, right alongside cowardice. Cowards, though, could be more trustworthy than liars. 

His next question was answered when she extended her foreleg; she had taken care to rub herself in the scent of the animal they would be after for the benefit of her children, but also to test them. What do you smell? Hydra asked of him, and then thought to add, other than your family, and other wolf, knowing he would likely go into great detail if she had not.

”Lie?” Osiris echoed with concern. He held the lessons of both of his parent’s with the highest esteem, and although he was perplexed by Hydra’s timing, he took her lesson to heart—Osiris, like Hydra, would learn to loathe liars and cowards. For good measure, as he knew his words had been and would continue to be true, he offered, ”I will never lie to you, either, Mother,” before falling silent to think about what Hydra had asked. 

As he contemplated his answer, Osiris fixed his gaze along the bridge of his Hydra’s snout. ”I’m not sure,” he replied after a prolonged pause with a note of thoughtfulness in his tone. ”Will a liar always lie?” Osiris wondered. ”And will all their words be fake?” It was odd to consider this reality, as Osiris had not  been a liar thus far. 

When Osiris was presented Hydra’s foreleg, he leaned foward as he was invited and sampled the scents that had clung to her fur. There were a lot of different odors to navigate, and Osiris took his time; it seemed as though she smelled of everything, as crazy as it seemed. ”You smell like a lot of things,” Osiris admitted, his nose hovering a furs-length away from his mother’s limb. ”I smell leaves, and dirt, and grass...” he hesitated then, recognizing the smell of blood burined beneath the others, ”And blood... blood that I recognize—” the smell certainly belonged to an herbivore, but which one? ”Something that eats the grass, I know,”

Lie, Hydra echoed. Her heart warmed to his words, and she drawled to him, you had better not, Osiris. Trust is important; to lie is to break trust. If I ask you a question, you answer with fact—not something you made up, or something someone else told you to say, she informed. It would be foolish to trust every wolf; there are others outside of Moonspear who may not be honest with you. That is why she simply share nothing with those not allied with us of worth, my son, she idly informed, pausing before considering and saying... that will be a lesson for another day. Too young for the finer workings of things, but he had his baseline to start with. Strangers were not meant to be trusted. 

Hydra mmm'd at her sons query, wise as it was. Therein lies the problem, Osiris, she expressed, eyes searching his features for sign of understanding: you can never again be certain. Her ears twitched as she frowned at that thought. Fool me once, you will not fool me again. 

She could not help but snicker at the challenge she presented to her son. He had known a myriad of cloven-hooved beasts, but Hydra had supposed he would not be able to identify one scent-strain from the other. It was as she suspected. Indeed, it eats grass, she confirmed and encouraged; there was no shame in his being wrong, if he was to be wrong—only that he did not try, which she could sense he was as his nostrils quivered and flared.

Osiris nodded in agreement with Hydra's lesson, committing the words to both his character and memory. Despite his understanding, there was still a constituent that caused him a great deal of confusion. "Why would somebody lie to me?" Osiris wondered, his expression thoughtful, "Especially when it's bad to do so?" It just didn't make sense to him. 

The confirmation of Osiris' suspicions fueled his curiosity, and he grew silent for an extended moment as he attempted to navigate his options.  "Is it mountain goat?" Osiris drawled as he lifted his head; there was something a little too familiar with what he had smelled—it was his favorite meal, after all.

Hydra could sense her sons confusion. Because not everyone is good, she readily responded. Best he know that sooner rather than later. It was not to jade him, but to offer him a healthily skeptical lense so that he would not be taken advantage of. He likely would need to see for himself to know what, exactly, she meant... but at least he knew this much now. Hydra exhaled a warm breath onto his forehead as Hydra pulled away from him. I will always be honest with you too, Osiris. In her three years of living, Hydra had not uttered a lie. Even now as she spoke it was only truth. 

As he spoke of mountain goat, Hydra shook her head. No—though my path did intersect with that of a goat. What we will hunt requires less climbing and navigating the upper reaches, she explained, that way, you will not be miss a thing and be able to follow us and watch from a distance. They would not be hunting this go around, but watching.

Osiris' confusion prevailed. "But why?" he asked. "I don't understand—why would somebody choose to bad?" Especially when Mother had deemed it as such; Dirge and Hydra's word was law, after all. The gentle caress of his mother's breath alleviated his unease momentarily, and he leaned up and kissed her chin in reply. 

Challenged by the fragrance, Osiris considered the hint that Hydra provided. "Is it a big animal?" he asked. "I thought I smelled a large animal, but I want to make sure that I'm correct." After all, Hydra's pelt was riddled with various smells, and Osiris wanted to make sure that he was singling out the correct one.

Hydra appreciated his inquisitiveness; knowing was important, and she felt in this he may even take after her. Because there is something wrong with them, she explained, something different. There are wolves that lie because they think it is the right thing, but it never is; the truth always has a way of being discovered, she drawled—somehow, Hydra had a way of sniffing it out. Not everyone should be given the answers to the questions they ask, though; strangers, for example, might use the knowledge you give them against you. Her ears pricked as she spoke, looking to his features. It was a lot of information to give someone of his age, and even the new mother understood that much. We will get more into that another time. For now, know that you must always be honest with your family, she hummed. 

Hydra nodded to his inquiry. It is, she confirmed. She had various scents upon her, and therein lie the challenge. She wondered if her son might have a knack for depicting smells as she had—though she did not expect him to be able to follow them quite yet. The scent she wanted him to uncover for himself was the moose she and her mate had come across, but she was pleased to hear him identify other scents he recalled as well.

"Okay," Osiris drawled as he made sense of the information. "I will never lie, Mother, and I will not give strangers anything that they can use against me—no, us." He had to consider Moonspire as a whole; Osiris would do everything in his power to make his family proud. 

In his concentration, Osiris licked his chops —a mannerism that would become more apparent in the coming seasons. "It's not bison," he decided, "And it's not deer..." But what was it? "Is it ... a caribou?" He was hesitant to settle, as his confidence in the decision was minuscule.  The scent was familiar, but he couldn't quite place a paw on the name of the animal.

She was glad to hear his answer, and nodded her head in response; she had faith this would be so, as he was of her blood and would always be told the importance of truth, even beyond simply this. Content, for now, with this, Hydra allowed her focus to fall upon the latest topic at hand. 

His inquiry was answered firstly with the shake of her head. At last, she revealed the scent to him. No, though they are related, and there had been a caribou trail just beyond our claim I had found days ago. You have a sharp nose, my son; in time it will learn to separate oldscent from new. It is moose, she informed with a wave of her tail, nipping the tip of his ear.

"Moose," Osiris repeated, committing the name to his memory. Although he was dissatisfied with the result of the test, he would not linger on any feelings of inadequacy. Lowering his snout for a final time, Osiris examined the prey's musk. 

Curious to know more about the animal, he asked, "What does a moose look like, Mother?"

They are large beasts, larger than even caribou—though not so big in body as a bison. A caribou's antlers look larger than that of a moose, on it, she informed; it was all relative in proportion to their bodies. and the males are larger than their female counterparts, I have come to find. They are brown of fur, and have cloven-footed—like most of our prey. Her tail waved, thinking her description sufficient. You will see it for yourself tomorrow, though perhaps we can track it, some, she offered, rising to all fours and remaining watchful of him.

"But their antlers are still dangerous, right? Even though they're smaller?" Osiris asked in reply, recalling a previous lesson. He then rose onto all fours, following Hydra's lead, as she reminded him of the excitement to come. 

"You mean, we can track it right now?" Osiris said, seeking clarification.

All antlers are dangerous, Hydra forewarned. To be struck by them could mean grave injury, just like being struck by any of their legs. Their kick could kill you, if the blow lands upon your head, she looked to her son so that he would understand the strength of their quarry. Such is true for even deer. It is why alone we are no match against them unless they themselves are gravely injured, and also why we hunt the weakest among their herds. Hydra looked away from him, thoughtful for a moment as she remembered, Moose will shed their antlers in the months to come. Now, they are used for courting, and intimidating the rivals within their species so that the strongest of the bull moose may continue his line. Her ears flicked as she turned to look to her young son. 

He would not be any good at tracking now, she understood, but she could educate him on the bare bones of it. Only its scent, she confirmed, and we will not be going too far to find it. She knew it had passed through the rendezvous at some point for her to have become aware of it at all in the first place; it was further out than that now, but perhaps he might be able to suss out its smell. If not, she would guide him to it so he could get to know the scent of moose better. 

Hydra invited him beside her with the sweep of her muzzle to her side, trotting ahead several feet before turning to look to him.

Osiris understood the gravity of Hydra's warning; the antlers, like the legs, were to be avoided. "I understand, Mother," he answered. Then, another thought occurred to him, "I'd like to find an antler one day." Osiris couldn't help but wonder what they tasted like, but that was another interest to investigate another day. 

Even with Hydra's constraints, Osiris was excited to track alongside her. No words were needed to commence their investigation. Once they had begun to move, they moved in tandem, stopping every so often to examine any evidence that dirtied their path. Although the excursion was quick, and Osiris wished to range further than Hydra willed, he followed her dutifully back to their homestead without complaint—they would hunt together again.