Moonspear after hours

attn @Dacio tho !!

 

Hydra kept to the borders, marking and patrolling them with a sharp eye on the horizon. The scents of other she-wolves passing through in the beyond were a great source of her frustrations as of late, though she did well in not revealing as much. Any that came around within their season were promptly chased away with a fervor that, if refused, would spell certain death. She was the breeding female, here, and no other [yet, as her sister still had not yet asked her... nor Kukutux and Jarilo, if they came to such a decision]—so any others that arrived with the presumption that they might be granted such an opportunity would be met with her fanged and vicious refusal. 

Fortunately, today, no she-wolves lurked. Hydra's diligence and attention was undivided upon the borders, and her sister, @Lyra, took great pleasure in assisting. At present, Hydra began to scent-roll before rising to a stand and continuing forward.

The golden yearling had turned her own winding-down patrol into being halfway on the lookout for her brother, but instead, she started to come across the queen and her sister before she got good trail on him. That realization had her pick up her pace. Opalia jogged lightly on, ears perked up tall and eyes bright, though the closer she came, the more respectable she presented.

Lately, she had learned a lot. It was a subtle process, and she had done nicely to fall into place among a serious guard, and an expansive claim. Even the heights bothered her a little less nowadays, though they were not exactly her most frequent reaches. So long as she could see the sea on the horizon, she was usually quelled enough to work nicely. Plus, not being the bulk of the guard, the hunters, and the everything all at once had afforded her far more luxury--and benefit--than any of her recent ventures since Drageda. She headed into spring well on the upswing already. Hei, Hydra.. she greeted as she closed in towards her, softly dipping her chin to her alpha and waiting to be received before she could say more. However, without needing to ask, it didn't smell like she had come across her brother recently either..

>_>;;;

dating this before dacio/osiris get in!

 

Alya and Hydra both looked over their shoulders simultaneously as her name was called. Recognizing the unique features of Opalia, Hydra mutely, and indiscernably, gestured for Alya to go on ahead—she would catch up with her later. Alya nodded to Opalia before going on her way, and Hydra turned to meet her halfway. Opalia, Hydra greeted, maneuvering herself then to step alongside her subordinate. 

Her blue eyes regarded the once-Roangedan; no new injuries upon her it seemed, which Hydra was glad to see. Hydra hoped that now that the food had returned there might simply be peace, but she knew better than to cling to the idea of that. There was always something it seemed... and these days, it was simply the season. How are you? She hummed. Hydra realized she had not yet had much interaction with the she-wolf, but would amend that now that they were settled enough, it looked.

works for meee

The sister had moved off on her way, which Opalia watched quietly and hoped that indeed, the assumption that this was Hydra of them was correct. Her nose worked intently to try to piece it together, but she forgot how deep their similarities could run; at least it did not appear that she had made any mistakes in her greeting.

That said, she felt the leader's look-over assess her and following with a question like that, the young warrior nodded respectfully. I'm doing fine, she answered honestly because despite a brother she hadn't seen in a little too long for her taste, Moonspear treated her well. How goes your watch? she asked, of course, hazarding the guess that it was at least some part of her purpose out here--enough for the queen to have some comment about it, good, bad, or otherwise.

Hydra looked out into the Netherwoods at Opalia's inquiry before it returned to her. Quiet, for once, the Ostrega drawled. The time a woman came into season was a loud one indeed, though Hydra had dealt with it here effectively enough. Usually it was the men that came courting women; for whatever reason, the opposite was true this year. It was frustrating to Hydra who had more than enough to keep herself occupied with here. It seemed that other she-wolves leading were content to let their own children starve in the name of free love. 

Not Hydra. She had made herself perfectly clear, highlighting her expectancies openly. 

The she-wolf continued on her jaunt, now accompanied by the freckled sister to Dacio, and rubbed against a tree, leaving her scent and several bits of fur behind. Satisfying an itch to her shoulder in the process, Hydra's gaze once more found Opalia. Before Praimfaya returned to your... conclave, was it?... she had offered to teach me some of your language. Are you fluent in it as well? Hydra asked with apt interest, wondering if she might have learn from Opalia, too, should she be willing to teach so that the time might pass. Hydra did not mind quiet, and even preferred it, but enjoyed keeping her mind sharp in the pursuit of new knowledge.

She couldn't help but follow Hydra's gaze into the lands stretching in the lowlands. Quiet is good, she replied softly, dipping her muzzle in a slow nod, for although she did not fully grasp the entire depths of the queen's recent annoyances with the local roving women, she could still grasp the sentiment all the same. She also didn't fully realize how intimately it was affecting her brother, either. Not yet. I haven't seen a lot happening there, either, she added, for her own note--her patrols lately were nondescript. But that didn't mean she would let her guards down, either.

But, she trekked along intently. Conclave.. yeah, in a way, she replied (maybe a little distantly), since it was still difficult for her personally to claim the ones Praimfaya held her ties too. Opalia's loyalty to those beyonds was always hazy at best. She did not know them, not truly. Drageda-born, and long removed from many of her fellows besides the twist on it they maintained here in the Teekon, she did feel at a strange position with that bit's finest detailing. I am fluent, yes, she nodded, a touch pleased to find the queen's unexpected interest in their language. All of us born on the Cliffs learned it early.. and others in the different Gedas do as well, she said, though she did not know the exact cultural root point of it all--only able to guess that it might be deep, and considerably older than her.

It is, she breathed, her voice not absent of her relief in this. She listened while Opalia spoke, interested in her knowledge of the language. And so as Opalia confirmed her suspicions, Hydra's tail waved. Perhaps you could teach me too, then, in her absence, she offered, pausing to investigate a snowdrift that smelled of prey. As it turned out the scent was older than anticipated, and she withdrew to continue their walk. 

Learning something new was a good distraction, she felt, to her own irritation. Beyond hunting and training through spars and runs, putting her mind to work was something the matriarch enjoyed. It would also, she figured, bring her closer to the subordinates she had not been able to—thus far—spend time with as she would have liked while they acclimated. There was no time like the present, she figured.

Her ears perked, quick to the opportunity and very willing to help fill in the absence Praimfaya would hopefully only temporarily leave them with. Surely, it would only serve to benefit all of them should the queen of this spear know their language as well, and if the gold-furred gona could continue the teachings, why not? Sha--of course, she agreed, pairing with a soft tail wave. At least, she could find no cons here, and was willing to help share knowledge like this--something of her people's that even if they were scattered across the lands that they could still nurture wherever they ended up.

I bet Praimfaya has probably given you a few basics already, then? she asked, sure their wanheda had seen the chance much as Opalia did now. I learned a lot just listening to my dad use it, then speaking it myself with my brother.. Plus, it does have a lot that sounds very similar to the common tongue, the yearling mentioned. Even as a young girl, around parents who switched between it and common, she and Dacio had taken to learning it well. And some are very obvious--take, skai. It's just what you think, she said, pointing up above to the skies before she continued alongside Hydra.

Hydra nodded to Opalia's question; she had. Hydra was in the beginning of her linguistics learning in this dialect, though could speak Japanese well. Amekaze's favorites had been taught, and of them, there were evidently only two. Herself; Jarilo. It helped, though, that Hydra absorbed everything her mother had ever said. It would be the same in any language; she would always want to understand. Hydra was a woman quite interested in the things she did not know, and that helped just as much. She was the sort of wolf who wanted to know everything. So she had first learned similarly to Opalia, except that it had been her mother she had listened to. And she echoed her, and soon enough, conversations could be had. 

Sky, she answered as Opalia looked to the sky. Glad to hear she was correct in it, Hydra's tail waved. And she knew now what sha meant, too. Perhaps you and I could start trying to have conversations in your dialect. But what would you say, in that, are important things to know? The basics had been a little more than the bare minimum to start with, and she would learn more from there. But she wondered what Opalia found to be essential.

Although the pale yearling was truthfully new at helping to teach someone like this, she was all too happy for a mind-busying distraction. She nodded quite thoroughly, for Hydra was correct, and learning through conversation was sure to be effective. Now, she did need a beat to think on how best to present this information now that she was feeling more aware of it. What were some of the first phrases she had picked up, and how did she present it best to translate when it was only her and a few others who spoke it already? Young Opalia had been lucky to learn from so many.. Of course. I do think just hearing and practicing it is the best way to catch on, she agreed as their watch continued.

Hei is hello of course, leidon is goodbye, from later--see you later. Beja is please, mochof says thanks. the yearling went on to say as she walked along beside the queen. Ste yuj was a something I heard my dad say a lot to the other gona--our guard. Mercenaries. To stay strong. It was an early memory she realized, though certainly not a bad one--and words that had surely passed between her and her brother (which.. where was he?) hundreds of times, an encouragement between warriors and good tidings at once. There was so much she could say!

As it went on between them both, she was happy to cherry pick a few other important bits and necessary transitional phrases to help build the structure of the language before she guided into a more conversational way, hopefully seguing into more for their next encounters to come. Step by step, and feeling hopeful about it all, she was able to find a comfortable little niche in this--even if it was just something to help with while their Praimfaya was gone; Opalia liked the preservation of her culture's pieces, and the advantage it might give them with Hydra, someone who clearly commanded her stretch of the wilds.