Moonspear oh you get into my head, give me feelings that i won't forget

Hydra loosed a howl, low and deep. Travel in pairs when going beyond Moonspear, the call requested of her pack. A pack meeting was soon to be had, but after speaking with Dacio she needed to further debrief @Dirge and @Arcturus with new information gleaned. Hydra also was driven to find @Dragomir, and so distractedly followed a trail he had left behind. Whether it was recent left behind or old, Hydra did not investigate long enough to find out. She simply thought of him, in knowing of his own experience with a wolf Hydra knew the shade had accompanied once. And that Hydra believed, wholeheartedly, she still did. 

The matriarch did not feel threatened. What she felt was that it was time to do something about this, and do something they all would. Train harder, gather their forces, and just finish them. She had thought her sisters killer bad... and had not imagined there could be any worse. Merrick, Astara, and Caiaphas taught her that there were several sorts of monsters out there. 

They had made a fatal error in coming against her. Hydra was a monster herself, after all. She had found rest and respite in dreaming of their brutal end. And Dragomir, if he desired, would deliver a killing blow of his own. Osiris, she hoped, alongside him against the black-furred cur—their brothers and sister, with them! Hydra could finish off Caiaphas. She and her children, together, doing as was right. As was needed. Swords, shields, axes of this Wilderness. 

The thought brought her some peace. But for all that, they needed to prepare. 

all welcome, tags for reference, she's looking in particular for dragomir atm. backdated loosely after dacio thread.

Dragomir paused on the borders, lifting his head and ears alike to listen to the Alpha's howl. A frown marred his features when her notes died off. What could've prompted that decree? For him, it made almost no difference. He was quite content to stay within the bounds of their claim. Where before he'd had the search for his sister to drive him into the wilderness again and again, right now, he had no reason or desire to leave.

So he lowered his head to the ground again, sniffing along the fringes of the territory for places where their scent markings could use some touching up. No worries about him disobeying that order. He hiked a leg and urinated on the side of a fallen log, unaware that at that very moment, Hydra was seeking him out.

His scent became stronger the closer she became; her strides lengthened to meet him. Once he was within her sights, Hydra's tail swayed left and right. For her own part, there was no awkwardness to be felt from their previous exchange. She had been in her season and she had not noted his own physical reaction as she might have any other time of the year; it was easy to miss much those days, clouded by pure instinct as she and her mate had been.

By now Hydra looked to Dragomir like a son, and her fondness toward him was the same she felt for her own children. The matriarch loosed a chuff, wondering if he might be willing to have her accompany him on his patrol. There had been much she had been thinking of pertaining to him, and perhaps now would be a good time to share it all. The bad, and the good alike.

He was surprised, but not displeased, to eventually hear footfalls behind him, followed by Hydra's deep chuff for attention. He quickly finished up his last urinary marking, scraped his paws against the earth, and turned a quizzical eye and ear toward her. A flurry of awkward nerves abruptly fluttered in his stomach, but they were quick to disappear when he realized she no longer smelled alluring. She smelled like her usual self, stone and snow and pine trees, just like their home.

Were you looking for me? he wondered, stepping to the side to give her room to walk by him. As befit his station, he would follow just behind. He was proud to be one of her highest ranking wolves besides her co-leaders, but that didn't mean he overlooked their relative positions. Even the highest subordinate was still just a subordinate, and he felt no less submissive around Hydra than he had when he first arrived at Moonspear with his father and sister. A little more comfortable to speak his mind given his age and his progress here, but that was all.

It seemed she was able to come across him after all; her tail waved, frankly relieved that he was here rather than out there then and there. Hydra nodded, drawling, I had hoped I might come across you, to verify his suspicion. Yes, she had been looking for him. Content, though, simply to be in his company for a moment, Hydra shook out her furs. Their last encounter was all but forgotten by Hydra, but if it was not the same for him—which, she was not sure—she did not want to make him any more uncomfortable. 

That was sometimes the way of things, though, was it not? Especially when one sought to avoid it. Hydra did her best to navigate the potential minefield, tail swaying. You have been doing well, patrolling and keeping guard. I wanted to inform you of some recent events, Hydra drawled, talks with allies, and... those we tolerate, she quipped, putting it lightly. Osiris was recently attacked. Dacio interferred, and they are both wounded. The scent they brought back with them was at least one of the wolves who, at the time, ran with Blackhead. I do not know her name, only the name of her companion from an old ally... a boy named Merrick. She attacked alone, but I am of the mind that they may have all combined together for Winter... and now, continue to prey on the innocent. Those they think cannot fend for themselves, she drawled. It wounded her that Osiris had been taken advantage of; even for all of his teachings, he had been bested by the ravens deceit. He had been too trusting, too naive;  the raven had ripped that and more away. 

It was wishful thinking to hope that the famine might take them out, she said with a sigh, I focused more on the survival of Moonspear than their demise. But they live still, she shook her head. Hydra should have known. The matriarch was ever a step ahead of most, but this time... this time, Hydra had hoped that something else would take care of it for her. Her head turned to Dragomir. You are young, but you are bright, and an adult. One day, you might come to lead. One day, I would like to see this come to pass, Hydra drawled, So, I would also like to hear you here, and now. What do you think is the right thing to do here? She wondered, curious to hear his own perspective.

Dragomir walked just behind Hydra, both ears fixated on the Alpha female while his eyes continued scanning their surroundings. Every once in a while, he paused to re-mark a weaker part of the borders. He'd heard whispers and rumours of these recent events through the grapevine, but having the attack confirmed caused a heavy weight to settle in his gut. He couldn't say he knew Osiris or Dacio as anything more than passing acquaintances, but they were still pack and it still represented a threat to them all. Made sense why she wanted them to travel in pairs.

As for Merrick, Dragomir knew him as a man, not a boy, by the name Sanguinus. Not that Merrick had ever said as much, but Dragomir thought he recognized his attacker as Aurëwen's companion from when they crossed the mountains, and nothing had ever shaken his belief in that. Not even Vercingetorix's insistence than it couldn't be Sanguinus. So he didn't make the connection between his attacker and Osiris', though he knew plenty of Blackhead herself. My dad said she deliberately attacks babies, he pointed out, suppressing the urge to shudder. Makes sense her friends are the same.

He wasn't prepared for Hydra to ask what he thought they should do about it and even moreso that she thought he would make a good leader someday. She caught him off guard and he had to think about it longer than he liked. Unlike the majority of Moonspear, Dragomir was not a bloodthirsty or vengeful sort of wolf—even his childish wish to see Aurëwen dead so he could forget her abandonment had faded with time. Waging war neither occurred nor appealed to him. He didn't believe that fighting solved anything unless it was absolutely necessary, and leaving the mountain less defended to chase after rogues never would've seemed like a good idea to him, so it didn't cross his mind. Strengthen the mountain, move as pack, he said, and give them no reason to try again. Blackhead was insane, if reports were to be believed, but she and her other friends would have to be supremely stupid to attack a group of three or more wolves on their own.

Hydra nodded, agreeing there wholeheartedly. Blackhead could have taught them this way in their time together at the very least where they adopted her beliefs. I thought so, too, she drawled. Hydra sighed. The wolf that attacked Dacio was all black, and recently injured now too, should you see any lurking too close to here that matches that description. Dacio was able to attack her. But they are good at hiding, and it seems likely that she left; for all of my searching, nothing has come up. She drawled with a lash of her tail. Hydra was a brilliant tracker, but the shade seemed masterful herself at evading. No wonder, if she had been doing it all of her life. She shook her head. It must mean that they were willing to travel to find their quarry, and were fleet-footed enough to do so. Not too terribly large in build then, she imagined, and they knew what they were doing was wrong. Wrong enough to evade once they attacked. 

Hydra, in her youth, had certainly been bloodthirsty. Her ability to hold a grudge, and her desire for retribution, did seem an unshakable thing though. She agrees with him there on his second point too, though. Hydra wanted everyone to become stronger and able to defend themselves. His final point earned a nod, but Hydra thought aloud: that is something I have been thinking on... reason. I do not think they care for it. They roam the wilds, and simply attack those that they must think cannot protect themselves. I do not ask myself if they will attack again; I ask myself when, and who, she hummed with a shake of her head. For all of my desires for everyone to travel in pairs, there are those that simply will not believe in the danger until they face it, and they could get hurt for it. Hydra sighed. She so wished she could be everywhere at once to protect them all; she felt responsible for the hurts her subordinates suffered. For failing to find them, for failing to bring justice to all the young that had been wounded. She wondered what he might think of all of that, as a subordinate and as a wolf who might come to lead. 

I wonder if I am thinking too emotionally about this all, she admitted to him in a breath, after giving him some time to respond. She wanted to acknowledge all that he said, after all. Her changing hormones made her angrier than usual about these events; Hydra would know, soon, that the seed of her mate had taken. I just cannot stand the thought of Spring coming with them out there, she rumbled. Hydra supposed she did not want war so much as she wanted them eliminated cleanly, and efficiently. She did not want more of her own to get hurt, though no matter what way she considered things (short of keeping her subordinates here), it seemed they could get hurt. Not once had they come to Moonspear, though...

She had heard Dragomir, and reasoned with herself that perhaps finding them was not the answer. Why not let them come here, to the Wilderness again? It was a tactical frame of mind... and though the wait might be some time... I think you are right, though. Leaving does seem unwise. If they return... we could deal with them then, she considered. Hydra looked to him and drawled, I had been thinking offensively, too. We have several allies who wish to be rid of the plague that are these wolves. But defense can be the best offense... she could bring them here [to the Wilderness], and here they could all train and prepare. That had already been a part of the plan, but rather than exerting energy to find them... they could wait it out. Wait for them to come. 

The only issue with that was the idea of them hurting more along the way. It was exactly what Hydra did not wish to happen... but perhaps to draw them here, and to get less hurt in the long run... that was the right way of things.

Dragomir thought of all these things differently. Hydra dreamed of retaliation, of putting the perpetrators in their place and flexing the mountain pack's muscles in the process. What better way to ward off outside threats than a unified show of force to make even the boldest of wolves think twice? But Dragomir had learned the hard way that violence begets violence, for if Vercingetorix hadn't sought to put down his attacker, perhaps he would still be alive to be proud of the young man his son was becoming. This would only be reinforced when Dacio succumbed to his injuries.

Violence begets violence, on and on in a cycle, and unless the chain was broken, there were no victors in that war.

There was some of Moonspear in him, however: he was too focused on his own life to care much for the plights of others. Maybe the criminals would find other wolves to prey upon, but as long as they weren't him or his packmates, what did it matter to Dragomir? If they choose not to listen and get hurt because of it, they were asking for it. That might be the only way for them to learn, Dragomir reasoned. If they'd listen in the first place then they'd eliminate the possibility. It was possible, he thought, that Moonspear's imperial shows in their adjacent territories invited such chaos. Wasn't it the way of a rebel to oppose authority at all costs? Then perhaps the attack on Osiris wasn't as random as it seemed, though he would never, ever blame the Ostrega or Dacio for it. Merely mull upon the possibility.

We should just make sure all of our wolves are too much of a match for them, was what he thought. If they go after wolves they think are weak, then we need to make sure everyone here is too strong for them to bother. Then they'll go away. There was, in his opinion, no need to waste energy hunting down wolves when they could use it instead to train their own.

His reasoning made sense to her, and even comforted her to a degree. I think you are right, she drawled, agreeing again. She could only hope her subordinates took her word seriously and would respect it enough to obey it. Hydra liked his thoughts on the matter though, and as he continued on she nodded. Mmm. Yes, I agree. Perhaps it is time to begin training the pack together as a unit. Do you think yourself savvy enough to instruct a lesson on the basics of self-defense? she inquired with genuine interest. Peer to peer, she felt he might hold the interest of their subordinates if he himslf was interested in it. Or, be a demonstrator within it? If he was uncomfortable with leading a lesson entirely, then perhaps he might wish to aid her in it first, which was fine by her. 

But soon enough her pregnancy, and then childbearing, would prohibit her from being as hands-on as she would like to for a time. Dragomir was one of the higher ranked members of the pack, so the responsibility of the event was one she knew someday he would handle independently... though there was still much for him to be taught himself, and Hydra would not have him do anything he was uncomfortable with. Then and there she imagined Arcturus, too, would help brainstorm a lesson for a crash course.

The last thing he expected was to be invited to teach. He'd learned so much since joining Moonspear months ago, but he doubted he knew enough to lead a lesson. Maybe he'd be able to teach her children something, them being younger and nowhere near as versed in the horrors of the world (even Osiris' incident paled in comparison to what he'd experienced with Merrick and Astara), but the adults? There was nothing he could teach them besides how it felt to be so afraid you couldn't breathe.
And that was not something he spoke about.
I don't think I'm ready, he admitted, stirring his tail thoughtfully, but I could help out if Arcturus is teaching. No one's better at defence than him! Dragomir was more of a tactical mind, looking for the ways a situation could be manipulated, like both of them had taught him. Hydra was a raging whirlwind when it came to offensive fighting, second to none in Moonspear on how to attack, but when it came to defence, then he would want Arcturus at his back.

If we could wrap this one up maybe with them discussing lesson plans, that'd be awesome! Trying to finish up all of Drago's threads.

Sounds good! We could go for a few more rounds if you want or fade with your next one <3 Whichever you prefer!

 

Hydra nodded in understanding, and as he went on she looked thoughtful. Alright. That sounds good, she hummed, ear flicking. Arcturus was able in self-defense, having learned much from herself and their parents there too... and, he had proven to be a good teacher as it was to her own cubs and to Dragomir. Hydra looked forward to the thought of Dragomir continuing on with this, teaching the cubs that would surely come this year.

I would like for there to be several lessons, so it is not too overwhelming and skills can be taught and tested, she thought aloud, looking to Dragomir. How does that sound? she asked, open to suggestions there. Hydra had educated him and her own cubs in a series of lessons, but perhaps he might have a more creative option that she had not considered. She was certainly flexible, so long as the pack could learn.

Hydra's plan was solid: multiple smaller lessons to break everything into easily digestible chunks. That was especially important for the younger among them. Dragomir hadn't learned everything he knew in a single day and he couldn't expect anyone else to, either. That sounds good, he echoed.

Do you think it'd be best to do instruction, then demonstration, then let everyone practice? That seemed like the best plan of action. As they walked along the borders, they discussed the best way to start the lesson, ways to keep everyone's attention, ways to invite participants for the demonstrations, and ways to monitor everyone for improvement. By the time they parted ways, Dragomir's head was full of plans for the coming weeks, none of which included witnessing the fracturing of Moonspear's strong leadership.