Moonspear Traditional

Yet another pack joining attempt- if he gets no answer by say Thursday morning, he'll leave :3

After getting his tail handed up him in a fight with Terence (figuratively of course- as Jackalope had little more than a stump for a tail to begin with) he'd taken some time to heal himself up and move on, travelling a bit further south driven by the curiosity that he'd developed following his meeting with the Lost Creek Hollow leader. Apparently there were more Blackthorns who lived further South- so he would go and try to find them, then, just to see if they were related- and if they were worth tolerating. He'd left home to get away from the plethora of relatives he had, but if there were other generations of his siblings living in the area, perhaps they weren't all that bad. 

Once he'd fixed up his injuries, he set about heading South toward a fair mountain range, and found himself somewhat drawn to a high and lonely peak, which happened to be claimed by a pack. Perhaps this was where his relatives were- regardless, he wasn't certain he wanted to live with them just yet....But he had to check this place out, regardless. They'd either be able to offer him a home, some information, or perhaps another fight. He hoped it was one of the two former choices, and not the latter, but life was unpredictable like that, was it not? So he sat quietly at the borders, minding his own business, waiting to be addressed.

Dragomir's skippable to keep things moving once a leader shows up, esp since I'm pretty scarce this week! Just want the merc exp!

Patrolling was just another excuse to keep an eye out for his sister, which only made Dragomir more vigilant and diligent a guardian than he otherwise would've been. Nothing escaped his notice; every scent was sniffed, every track investigated. Every day made him more anxious and afraid for Isilmë; if not for the intense loyalty he felt toward Hydra and especially Arcturus for how they'd believed in him, he might've taken off into the wilderness to search full time for her.

All of that to say, Dragomir noticed Jackalope sitting at the edge of Moonspear's claim from far up on the mountain. He smelled him first, a strange new odour cutting through the monotony of familiar scents, and then he saw him, a mottled grey with a distinguishing black band. Dragomir made a beeline for the man, but not without a deep sigh that it wasn't Isilmë.

Once he was in earshot, he could see the fangs that protruded beyond the stranger's lips, and his stomach flipped sadly at the familiar sight. He'd never seen such a sight except on his wild sister. Pushing her from his mind wasn't enough to curb the slight disappointment in his tone when he postured accordingly and said, this is Moonspear. What do you want?

He tried his best to match Hydra's brusqueness but he wasn't any good at it yet.

*shimmies in2 thread*

 

As of late, when not searching for food or spending time with the cubs Hydra was patrolling. Her search for large game was fruitless thus far, as was her hunt for Isilme and Vela both. Hydra was worried that the chaos and calamity recent events had wrought may have taken both females from them, not wanting to believe—equally for Dragomir and herself (selfish as she was)—that Isilme had taken after her mother. It had occurred to her that this was the case, and yet Hydra did not let herself settle on the thought. For the sake of Dragomir, she dared to hope that she had not abandoned him of her own volition. 

Hydra had not caught wind of the boy, it not having been in her favor, but was not surprised to see him near the borders himself. Young though he was, Dragomir was learning from both herself and Arcturus the ways of a mercenary. More than that, he would never find himself alone on the borders of Moonspear should he need assistance; this was a place heavily protected by their ilk, especially as of late given those that had tested their luck with trespassing. It made for stronger borders and sharper eyes, at least. 

She approached with ample confidence, tail held over her hindquarters and gaze sharp as it shifted from subordinate to stranger. The man at her borders, even sitting, was large; in her peripherals, as the Queen drew to a halt alongside the Wodakru boy, she could see the rosy-nosed Dragomir who had, himself, grown much since he had first arrived here. Though she was average in her own stature, the way in which she carried herself aided her in looking anything but. Having heard Dragomir greet the other in a manner that was quite to the point (to her pleasure), Hydra, as of yet, found no need to speak herself quite yet. He had been polite enough to wait at the borders, which meant he must have wanted something—and Dragomir had done a fine job in asking what he had so that no time was wasted.

*shimmies in also* arcturus is skippable<3

while his presence was unlikely needed, arcturus found himself trailing after hydra anyway. he was pleased to see dragomir taking his teachings seriously— and made mental note to praise the yearling later, once the interloper was dealt with.

it seemed as of late moonspear was a destination mountain to some. they had an unprecedented amount of wolves on their borders; arcturus wondered if part of what drove the loners to their door was the famine that dogged everyone’s heels. if it were up to him no stranger would get their handouts — yet he did not judge jackalope yet, given the male had yet to speak. standing far enough away that he was close but not interfering, arcturus listened with a cocked ear, waiting for the tall loner to state his reasons for darkening their doorstep.

Posting again since Jackalope is now inactive!

The man didn't answer, but luckily Dragomir was spared the awkwardness of this by the prompt arrivals of Hydra and Arcturus, who hung further back. Not for the first time, he was struck with a question of where the other pack members were. He was aware in passing of Hydra's identical sisters, but he'd never accidentally encountered them when searching for the Alpha. The scents of other wolves were heavy on the spire, yet he hadn't run into many of them. Hydra and Arcturus seemed almost to be a two-wolf pack unto themselves, and he was once again glad they'd chosen to take a chance on him and help him grow.

But Jackalope ultimately seemed nothing and, presumably cowed by the number of wolves who came to greet him, turned tail and left. This left Dragomir puzzled. His tail flipped once with uncertainty and his ears planed to the sides as he glanced first at Hydra, then over his shoulder at the Beta. Am I doing something wrong? he wondered, since this was the second time now that a wolf he'd met at the border had turned away the second a leader appeared. Why he assumed it was his fault was obvious enough: Dragomir's self-esteem could use a lot of work still.

Jackalope retreated, and Hydra watched them go with a stony look upon her features. Her eyes did not leave him as Dragomir looked to she and her brother, who had now joined them, even while she listened to him. Her gaze still did not shift to him as she watched the other depart, though at length she gestured for her brother to trail him. I think, she began, looking to him as Arcturus drifted after the lone wolf in her peripherals, up until it was clear that he was well and truly leaving. His arrival, and prompt departure, hardly brought any goodwill toward the newcomer... and so she continued, we each had something to do with it. Perhaps he was sussing out the borders, contemplating trespass. When confronted, he simply left, it was the only thing that she could think of, truly. Better that than a fight, they had smartly concluded. 

Her tail waved as she drawled, You have done nothing wrong in doing your duty. Not all that come to our borders do so with good intent. At the very least, the other had been bright enough not to cross beyond the borders—ideally he would know simply to stay away now. Her gaze turned back to the horizon, observing the form of her brother trotting back to them both.

the male must not have been used to such reception; as soon as the trio came upon him, it seemed the stranger pulled away. arcturus knew what he must do. no interloper was to be casually trusted; this one must be tracked until it was firmly clear he was well beyond the scope of the spear.

arcturus moved after jackalope, an ear turned back to the discussion between hydra and dragomir. he felt sorry the boy felt his presence was not well received, but hydra's words rung true.

not every wolf that graced their borders came with good intentions.

Hmm, Dragomir mused, but for once his self-esteem relented and he accepted that Hydra was probably right. Jackalope might've been looking for a weakness to exploit, and found himself thwarted. He must be an idiot, Dragomir concluded, pursing his lips and turning from the borders as Arcturus ranged after the grey loner. You can smell the borders from miles away. You'd think he'd know there are lots of wolves here.

Or maybe that was just him. Dragomir's sense of smell was easily his most impressive trait. Names and faces slipped from his mind over time, but the scent of a wolf always found its way to his long term memory and remained. Similarly, he could pick up the scent of a pack from far away if the wind was favourable, and Moonspear's boundaries were well tended.

Maybe Jackalope's nose was trash.

Hydra concurred with the cub, nodding to him as he concluded. You would be surprised how many wolves such as he are out there—bolder ones, too, that would do more than just sit idly. I cannot understand those that do so, and we show them no kindness for it. Harsh though it may be, any I am able to catch entirely I seek to be rid of permanently so they cannot do so ever again. She was not a forgiving woman when it came to trespassing onto her territory; she would risk the lives of none of her own to benefit the fool that might seek to return with some vendetta in mind. Fools gave birth to foolish ideas, and later on more fools if fortune truly favored them; Hydra liked to disrupt the cycle in as final a way that she could. It was not something that made her happy to do, but it brought her some peace of mind to think they could do no harm to her family ever again... and with them, the rest of the wilds. None that trespassed had ever done so with good intentions, at least not in her experiences. 

With that in mind, she looked back to Dragomir, eyes idly searching for any thoughts that might present themselves on his features before she went on. If you ever do spot a trespasser, call for the pack; we all look out for one another, and keep one another safe. We must be alerted so that the young, you among them, are not at risk, she drawled, considering, and then she hummed, though you are old enough to participate in making sure they do not return again, all this, delivered with the slow wave of her tail. She did not want it to be a solo endeavor, though. For now, do not engage them alone unless you absolutely must. Desparation brings an entirely new element to any fight, she explained. Desperate for food, for survival—whatever it was, it made little difference in that the key thing, desparation, was present. More than that, though, ...and sometimes a howl is all it takes to make an intruder think twice; they know teeth are coming, and that they are short on time. Too short, hopefully, to find any benefit from their poor choice. Hydra fell silent then, listening for any inquiries he might now have.

arcturus followed the male curiously, while hydra and dragomir faded from view. he heard snippets of their conversation but soon, was lost in the duty of ensuring jackalope was well off the mountain.

the male’s scent was fresh; arcturus followed slowly, coming just close enough so his presence could be detected but his intentions not misconstrued. so that jackalope would know a shadow from the spear had marked his passing, and was now following to ensure his thorough removal from their home.

the male seemed to offer no trouble; once arcturus was certain he was well off the spear’s bounds, he turned for home.

Dragomir ruminated on everything Hydra had to say. He wasn't sure if he could ever try to kill someone who came to the borders unless they threatened a packmate directly, but everything else made sense. Some wolves were just plain stupid. He'd seen that already in his lifetime. If they took their chances with his pack, with ill intent, then surely it was a kindness to send them packing. Next time, they might meet the terminating teeth of one of his fellows instead of him.

I'll call for someone if I see a trespasser, he promised, because at least that part of it, Dragomir could completely get behind. He would never be the wolf whose conscience didn't interfere with his job, but he could be threatening in ways that didn't involve taking someone's life. Howling for back-up in order to intimidate only made sense, even if he was capable of handling a situation himself. What if the howl makes them desperate? What if they attack, hoping to do as much damage as they can before someone else arrives?

That is a qualifier for absolutely must, she informed, for if they are willing to do damage to you, they are willing to do damage to the rest. No doubt then they are certainly here with malevolent intent, she explained. Try your best to not let them get any further, but be mindful to set your defenses and to keep your vitals out of reach, she drawled. Considering, she looked to him, and shared: when I was young, perhaps around your age, there was a she-wolf that trespassed. She attacked me, Hydra revealed candidly, and continued, and she continued to even when I fought back. She is the wolf who had given me this scar, Hydra informed, notched ear flicking. I thought of my family. My sisters. I did not want them to touch her; touch anyone else. Help came soon enough, and she did not stop fighting; we had to kill her. That is usually how it goes, when they refuse to leave—when they fight. I do not know what they wanted, she shook her head, but I was a young girl when I fought her. She could have killed me, could have killed anyone else here too, if she lived. If it was not her that died, it would have been me, she said gravelly. 

Hydra knew of this dog-eat-dog world because she had seen it play out; it was eat, or be eaten... kill, or be killed in matters such as that. Hydra did not need Dragomir to kill, but only to understand the necessity of engagement and doing so with vigor to not let them get further. Hydra could deliver the killing blow cleanly and swiftly enough, she truly did not desire to make a killing machine out of any of her subordinates. She just wanted them to be capable of fighting for their lives and do what they must, when it came down to it; Hydra did not want any of them to know helplessness.

Hydra's tale was harrowing, and called back to the part of him that was still a scared little boy in a cave with two malevolent, taunting shadows. He supposed it wasn't as simple as just killing or not killing. There was a lot to be taken into consideration. Intent was a major one. Dragomir didn't like the idea of trying to kill someone who crossed the borders in the event that it was a mistake, but he'd only been thinking about it narrowly. If it was Sanguinus who came, would he hesitate? Even if it was an accident?

He knew the answer. It made his stomach roil with a mixture of disgust for himself and hatred for the man who'd harmed him. It opened his mind to all of the possibilities, and the likelihood that one day, he might face the same situation that Hydra did when she was young.

His brain threatened to run down a list of wolves in his head, but Dragomir shut it down. He didn't need to dwell on which wolves he would attack to kill and which wolves he would hesitate with, especially because his list included wolves like his mother, who bred in him many conflicting emotions. That sounds scary, he sympathized, hopeful that Hydra would expand on the experience to chase these darker thoughts out of his head. Do you think she was sick or something?

Why else would a wolf sever themselves so cleanly from their will to survive?

Hydra's ear turned toward Dragomir as he spoke. It ought to have been scary; in hindsight, it was. But she had been young and wild, inheriting her mothers ruthlessness and her fathers ability to be quite unforgiving. Then and there she had known fear for but a moment, she imagined. Hydra did not want to picture her children in the same position but should they be? They would know what to do. Dragomir included, now. 

His question caused her to mull in silence for a brief moment as she wondered at that. Perhaps, she expressed, it was so long ago, though I cannot say I remember the scent of it. Truthfully I cannot think of any reason a wolf would trespass but for that, though—it spells, at best, serious injury for the trespasser. At worst, well, death. It simply did not make any sense, which led her to think that the sort who did were senseless and better off dead in any case. Sooner or later, they would find that end; if she could eradicate a threat before it became a greater one, why should she not do so?

The idea that a wolf could simply be that stupid without a legitimate reason was outlandish to Dragomir, so it was difficult for him to imagine anyone risking their life without a cause. Sickness was the most likely answer. He hoped he would never contract something that addled him enough to throw his life to the wolves, literally.

Well, Dragomir said, in conclusion, at least this guy was smarter than that. It seemed their business here was done. He'd learned what he needed to about the fickle nature of some wolves and keeping his guard up whenever he was on the borders. There was much still to learn, but Dragomir thought it could wait for another time. I should probably continue the patrol and make sure he isn't standing somewhere else along them, he suggested, leaving room for Hydra to issue a different command or join if she felt so inclined.

Hydra nodded to Dragomir, agreeing wholeheartedly. When he expressed wishing to continue in his patrol, Hydra knew Arcturus would likely meet him along the way when he turned back. Smart, she commended succicntly, nodding. I will patrol in that direction, she gestured the way opposite of which he would go, though if you need me, call; I will come, she drawled, her tail swaying behind her as she spoke. Best to ensure there were also no other unwelcome parties in any direction. Their claim was by no means a small one, but Hydra was diligent in maintaining it so that there was no question that it belonged to Moonspear. You did well today, Dragomir, she expressed earnestly, pleased that he had been so prompt in meeting a stranger at their door. 

Should no other questions be asked, Hydra would turn to depart the scene to mark and patrol both. The matriarch was pleased for his own diligence, and thought more on this for a while longer as she worked.

last from me!

arcturus lingered at the borders a moment longer -- but the male was long gone. he had an ear turned towards the shadowed bole, listening -- and nary a sound came.

satisfied, arcturus wove his way through the receeding treeline and made his way back to dragomir and hydra. their tracks in the snow were easy to follow -- yet hydra had split away from the path. no doubt their small discussion had come to a natural close: arcturus followed dragomir's, until he was upon the boy mid-patrol.

he said nothing as he slunk alongside his younger counterpart. he would partake in securing the borders until the night grew long and cold -- and then he too, would turn to bed for the night.

I will, he agreed, silently hoping there would be no need to summon Moonspear's queen to him. It was always a pleasure to see her in action and learn from her, but he hoped Jackalope wasn't lurking nearby. All things aside, the notion of having to fight to kill made him feel strange and he wasn't quite ready to put it into practice.

He was glad when Arcturus caught up with him. Just like the Beta, Dragomir didn't say anything, but he was bolstered by the man's presence and his stride grew longer, more confident. If they came across Jackalope now, the loner would be stupid to hang around for more than a few seconds when faced with two pack wolves.