Moonspear she was long gone, long, long gone

he dashed away from the ridge. regardless of whether or not nieve and rosalyn followed, he wasn't stopping. he was tired of having no family. he wanted his family back. he knew elysium lay inland, and he figured they'd eventually return. so inland he went, desperately searching for the familiar sight of willows.

except. . .when nothing at all looked familiar, and grew more alien with distance, he realized he'd gone the wrong way. a way. certainly not the right way. and now cam was lost, and knew it.

the boy scavenged on dead and dying things, choking down the land-flesh with distaste. to find a good spot for fish. . . he was wistful, thinking of the minnow stream at home. when he did stumble upon small ponds or creeks, he tried his paw, but no luck. he was not skilled enough to feast upon the fruits of his labors. cannot feast without fruit.

hungry, haggard and despondent, he began to stumble up the mountainside, wondering if elysium would be on the other side. the smell of a border didn't dissuade him; if anything, it encouraged cam, for borders meant safety—at least they had back in the sanctuary of his birth.

perhaps they were here. he supposed they could be anywhere.

will take trespassing consequences if necessary!

having first mistaken the black cub for dragomir during one of his many training climbs, arcturus was unhurried in his approach.. that is, until he realized the boy travelled without a limp, was built slighter, and did not at all share many similarities save the color of his pelt.

with a snarl arcturus bound forward, teeth bared and tail raised expecting explanation. cub the boy may be, but he was not one of moonspear’s own, and therefore was spared no kindness. the beta approached now at an aggressive clip, making no motion to slow as he clambered across the stones.

Hydra's gaze happened upon her brother and another; her siblings sprint was all the Queen needed to see to know that this other was trespasser. And in Moonspear, trespassers were dealt with only ever in teeth; the cost was high, and if Hydra could exact it she sought to kill any who did. Age meant nothing, nor did the dire situation of things around them—it made her all the more fierce. This stranger would steal nothing from her family. 

Ground-eating strides brought her closer and closer to the other. If they did not leave, Hydra's teeth would hit every mark that they could upon them until she bled them dry for their error. Explanation? It was too late for that; this was not Elysium, and she would never tolerate this behavior from any.

rolled 85/100 damage in discord

suddenly, violence. cam yelped as the first shadow set upon him and did a semi-circle to flee, but it was too late, and he was much too slow. stymied by the unfamiliar terrain, he felt teeth sink into his flesh and let out a shriek, only for another body to come, another pair of jaws to tear at his still-growing body. panic, and the smell of—

red, on the ground. red like mummy. he was going to go to sleep forever.

nononononONONONONONO! cam babbled tearfully, trying to back up from the onslaught. stop it, STOP IT! he tumbled in reverse, falling, rolling down the sloped ground. on he went for what seemed like an eternity, but was really only a moment before

a sharp agony in his left rear thigh, and the smell and sight of more red.

the boy screamed, frozen in place by the sight of the stick in his leg, its sharpened point pressed through flesh and muscle altogether. that leg would not go, even as he pedaled with the other three. fear had reached its apex within his mind; he saw no way out, and only could tuck his head low and his tail between his suddenly-warm belly as the scent of urine mixed with that of blood.

hardened as arcturus was, he was aware he was brandishing his fangs against a youth -- a yearling that may not know better. all the same, he steeled himself to his job of protecting his homeland, for it was what was right.. even if it did not feel so.

he had little time to balk before a black comet intersected him. the fury of his sister was a magnificent sight, one that even drew arcturus to a slower gait as he watched first in awe, and then in horror, as their victim was struck, rolling --

and pierced;

a horror threw its shade across his heart; arcturus looked away too slow, and despite his closed eyes he saw the spurting blush of crimson, the smattering of it sharp against pristine snow.. he slowed as he followed cam's screams down the descent, a blanched expression of distress coalescing his muzzle as he looked from the spear-stricken boy to his leader, and then to the blood that pooled malevolently along the boy's feet.

Hydra needed to do very little here. Her opponent was young, younger than she even anticipated—but would it have changed anything? Likely not. Hydra watched as the wolf began to tumble, only for their fall to be stopped prematurely, the boy speared by Moonspear itself. Hydra felt nothing, her own heart steel as she considered all thing. She was numb to his screaming; she thought of her sons, her daughter—and she saw him, running toward them. Hurting them. He young, they, younger; no doubt he did not want to run into the likes of them.

Trespassers were to be killed. One exception always meant more. Her brother had slowed as she had, though now had met her; Hydra saw the horror written across his face, and her cold eyes were sharp upon him. Do you forget that the children we keep here are hunted? She rumbled, ears rotating atop her head. Most everyone weeps so in the face of death. Trespassers will never be shown mercy, Arcturus, she reminded, but looked to the boy that had curled into himself. 

This once, she found it in herself to find some place for the word. Some small shred of it. I shall make it swift, she drawled, voice softer though no less firm. For if she were to pass the sentence, she would swing the sword. He had been tortured enough through his own fall, she supposed—to prolong things now would be unnecessarily cruel. And so Hydra continued on ahead, looking all the world like the Reaper that she was. 

There was no pleasure in her role this day; she was only glad to protect Moonspear and the children of this potential plague. One life ended to save many more, Hydra believed—but her ears cupped forward, willing to not let his final words fall onto deaf ears.

one stopped, but the other kept going. cam found her gaze and cowered further; the look in her eyes was of a nature he had never seen. crying, moaning, his leg on fire. . .

p-please, he stammered, glancing between the dark pair. i just wanna go home. i wanna go to lees—elysium. if they even knew where that was. what it was. i dunno what to do. i need help.

he wriggled slowly sideways, still looking at the woman, gaunt face pleading. 

red.

mummy. 

sleep. forever. 

maybe it was okay. but for now, he was frightened beyond measure.

his sister’s eyes were sharp upon him; for all their fathomless blues, arcturus felt them scalding. he’s just a child — arcturus found himself countering, bewildered by his own defense of the inexplicable. the boy had already suffered — perhaps more than fangs could readily dole — and arcturus found himself pitying the child more than hating him.

the boy could not have been more than six months by arcturus’ count. young, yet.. old enough to know better.

arcturus’ gaze swung from squalling cub to the merciless advancement of his sister. he would not pass sentence, nor swing the sword — not on a starving child. if it was a child of their allies, killing him would be a grave mistake. arcturus could not help in that moment but to see the follies both paths laid in plain sight. yet hydra was resolutely justified in execution, which arcturus recognized.

he set his jaw to a grim frown and thought of the lives they protected within the spear.. he knew within his heart the child had forfeited his life the moment he trespassed upon moonspear’s claim. still, it did not make reality any softer, nor easier to stomach.

advancing behind moonspear’s most eminent reaper, arcturus found himself hoping cam could run — fast.

Hydra countered, far from indifferent; her voice carried no hate nor pity either, only a cold, feral logic: Children grow to become adults. Adults that mistake a kindness for weakness. If we permit one wolf this transgression, when does it end? It never would; and all would know it. All would know it was forgivable and acceptable. It was neither of those things, and that would never be the lesson Hydra instructed. And looking back to him, Hydra saw he was old enough to know better; whoever had raised him had taught him this was right. 

But tearing him to pieces? That was not on her list of things to do. 

Mercy. 

She knew mercy. 

Elysium, she repeated, voice softer (yet no less cool) as she looked at the wounded wolf. She had never heard of it; the word sounded fanatical. Lees, he had said, likely a derivative name of it of some sort. Let him hear the word and feel peace, despite his error. Young, stupid—some blind follower to some one that had forced his hand. Who had it been? Caiaphas? Merrick? 

Starvation? 

Whatever its name, she would remove its power over him once and for all. 

I dunno what to do. I need help. Oh, yes—young. He did not look it, but there were indicators he was not yet full grown... just as there were indicators he might never be. He sounded it. Wrong place, wrong time—Hydra frowned as the blood continued to spread outward. He would not survive this; he would not survive her. Poor boy. 

She would help him.

Hydra's ears pricked. She had let others live and come to regret it, and she was so tired of regret; was there a way to live without it? To rid the taste of it from her mouth? The weight of it from her shoulders? Heavy was the head with a crown, but one less life—would it not lighten the burden? He was starving, and now he was lanced to the Spear and bleeding; she tired of wasting resources on those not worth it! Those that had been permitted here only to leave. Or to die. 

He looked so tired. Rest, now, thought Hydra as she lunged for him, jaws parting to catch hold of his throat and to take the life from him. It would be quick; if she caught hold of him, it would be over before it began. 

Hydra's savage mercy.

in an instant, instinct kicked in.

whatever it was that allowed cam to find himself and roll away, he was grateful for it. the woman's words had not registered, but her teeth did, piercing the nape of his neck and taking flesh—but not his life.

he lurched to his paws and began to hobble, eyes dull and darting. this was no good place, no friend of elysium. every step was agony, but he must—he must!—carry on. 

red. death. mummy. he would not succumb to her fate. 

cam extended his gait into an ungainly gallop, headed toward the border and what was beyond. he left behind only a trail of blood; he would never come here again.

pursuing the hapless boy, arcturus had no retort for hydra’s words. an adult he would have savaged without thought or compunction — yet seeing cam, and knowing his age mirrored the whelps arcturus had watched grow himself — it awoke something unbidden in the beta. not a sense of duty, but perhaps a sense of faltering compassion that withered the moment hydra’s teeth sunk into pelt.

she was right, he knew it — yet still it did not make this unsavory act enjoyable. arcturus kicked belatedly into gear, chasing after the boy who had stopped screaming and elected to run. a smart decision, the beta thought — let us see if he makes it off the mountain. that more than anything would be the boy’s gauntlet in the days following — it was one thing to survive the bite of the spear, it was another entirely to withstand the bitter fangs of winter.

arcturus drove after, his momentary pause causing great distance to place itself between him and the boy. he resolved to strike the boy down if he showed signs of slowing — but he did not close in.

She was surprised to feel fangs meet something other than throat. There was no joy in her to perform this; this was the fault of the silly boy, all of this, and her instinct rearing to protect. But he fled; Hydra watched briefly, noting the weakness he suffered and the new hitch in his gait. 

Hydra knew she could kill him, but it was not as though this was a wolf she had desired to execute in cold blood. The minute he was free of the Spear would be the same minute he was free from her, unless he showed his face again to do undue harm. Hydra followed after her brother, her own stride lengthening to bridge the yawning gap between them...

But their delay saw to his temporary survival. And Hydra could not feel the pang of regret here, not for a moment of this day; if he survived beyond this, she hoped that he had learned something here and that it kept with him for the rest of his days: to never trespass again. 

Hydra looked to her brother. This is why I teach my children to mind the borders, as I have, she drawled, They have been raised to understand. Mother and father and I have taught you the same. He ignored our markings; his actions were deliberate. If he did not see his actions as a mistake then, he does now; perhaps that will save him, next time, Hydra drawled, looking back to the borders. But now we have wolves that hunt for Dragomir. If word got out that we took pity on any, it could be used against us in ways that they could get away with infiltrating our defenses. And my children could be caught in the crossfire. She would not let that happen. No fang would touch the hide of Dragomir or her children while they lingered within the Spear. They would protect this place tooth and claw.

just a kid, arcturus reminded himself as he watched cam scramble away, possessed by the good instinct to flee. arcturus felt his stomach buck as he watched the boy go, bleeding and leaving scarlet dewdrops in his wake.

the mountaineer halted, one ear turned towards hydra as she spoke of logic, reasoning, and the importance of upholding their creed. to keep moonspear safe. arcturus knew all of this, but somehow the theory was more palatable than the practice. in no mood to be lectured, arcturus nodded dimly and then made a stiff bow towards his sister. i’m going below to see where he came from, and secure the borders further. he was sorry to leave so abruptly, yet the idea of killing a kid would not leave his head and he needed time alone.

Hydra cared not how tough the pill was to swallow. She had learned the wolf who had attacked Dragomir was young himself; she would take no risks. Those foolish enough to ignore borders were no doubt capable of accosting others; how could they not know what they were getting themselves into? Hydra had never heard of a pack who did nothing at all when others passed their borders, and would scoff at the notion of such a place existing. It was invitation for trouble, that. 

And the Queen would never send such an invitation out. 

She only watched him as he departed before she herself went to do the same in the opposite direction. What had transpired was far from forgotten, and before long Hydra adjusted her path to find her children. Hydra had another lesson to teach.