Moonspear tell me who to call

Season: Spring · Time: Early morning (3am—4am) · Weather: Mist 41°F
Not sure if you guys are full re: queue/ppc, but I wanted to give joining Moonspear a shot 3-day skip in place, please allow Sal to post first @Hydra + @Dirge

Teekon Wilds—a scar on his brain since shortly after birth. Swiftcurrent Creek has been left behind in the dust, yet it haunts on occasion. Memories sharp edged and others a blur—sometimes he remembers scent or touch more than he sees. Thus he is naive, not aware that just beyond the unfamiliar range is his birthplace.
A hunger and twitch of impatience leads the youth to the door of Moonspear. He spies the tangled forest at the foot of the enchanting mountain from a distance, underneath the cover of a separate patch across from the Moonspearian reach. Alas, he does not stalk for long. Sliding from the reach of the undergrowth, his nostrils flare—taking in the early morning air. Mist has settled over the patch of land between them, and hiding the moon and thus, Moonspear’s towering peak.
He strolls forth with head low, tail not quite tucked underneath himself, but resting close to his hocks in submission.  Unsurprising, the casual, careful @Salazar approaches moments after. Helios hears the soft thumps of his footfalls—the familiarity of his gait enough of a hint. Ears swerve in his direction, yet golden eyes remain steadfast ahead on the objective. A howl releases from his lips, calling forth the leadership of the empire before them—well outside their castle.  

Whispers on the breeze, a cold damp breath across the back of his neck. Salazar rose panting, restless, hidden from the gilded eyes of the raven-haired youth he had come to regard as part ward, part friend, and part-time traveling companion. Often he wandered far from the boy, but something kept him close this time. Intuition, he decided, catching the fading scent and following it. Something was about to happen. Windy murmurings at his back urged him forward through the mist, lit a fire beneath his paws. Yet he didn't rush, steps slowed by the scent of a pack in the distance. He trailed at a distance, letting the boy stretch his broken wings in solitude. This was a step forward, perhaps even a leap, and Sal had no intention of treading over it.
Yards remained between them when he slowed, and eventually he settled at a comfortable distance. Lingering near, yet pressed into the background; a secondary player in this game. Fiery eyes flicked over his companion, then forward, to the objective. A large pack, he noted with nose tipped upward, and a quick smile stole over his features. His raven was ambitious, reaching for new heights already in the wake of tragedy. Fascinating. He would tag along, then, if only to see what peak the boy might reach in time. He ghosted forward a few steps with the air of a smug cat, holding his silence for now.

Feel free to skip me! Just wanted to have Lyra come and judge them lmao

News of Hydra's condition had brought Lyra's instinctual protectiveness to the forefront of her personality once more. Recent events such as the betrayal of their brothers, the loss of Dacio, and Osiris's attack - despite being moons ago - only adding to it. She patrolled the borders with newfound vigilance, prowling through the shaded woodlands like a panther. Any who dared step even a foot too close to their mountain would find their life forfeit.

Luckily for the two strangers, they knew better than to drift across their borders. Still, the howl that was sent up had Lyra change course and immediately head in their direction, tail arched high over her back in a show of self-assured confidence.

Her features remained impassive as she came upon them, cold gaze regarding the two. The first to capture her attention was the boy drenched in sun and shade both, his form tall and well muscled yet betraying his young age, no older than a yearling. Then, she looked to the other lurking behind, a slim, dark shadow with an odd mask of vibrant orange. Their summons for an audience with Moonspear's leaders was an obvious hint of their intentions, yet she would remain until it was made certain, standing by silently while they awaited her sister and her husband.

Not long after the call, his gaze lighted on the summoning duo. Like Lyra just before him, Dirge watched them for several long beats between the trees, long grasses reaching to tickle his jaw. For once, he didn't spare a thought over the present issues that embroiled them, only wondered what would draw such creatures to them so late in the night.

But the night wouldn't last forever; songbirds trilled gently in the eaves above him as he left his cover. Daybreak would be upon them before too long, and Hydra would stir if the calls had not woke her. He didn't favor her taking to the borders so close to whelping—this would have to be quick.

He took in their individual features as he rose to his full height, his gaze a sharp cut across them as he drew in the scents of the wilderness beyond.

"Now what would bring two travelers to my home at this late hour, I wonder," he offered by way of greeting, ready to appraise them like the fine gems they displayed themselves to be.

pls accept this tired phone post

happily accepts all the posts!! thank you guys for joining

Lambs before the slaughter, the wolves come from out of the shadows. One figure is a dark mist, intimidating upon the borders as she perches—as if daring them to make a wrong move, for her eyes would catch it and it’d be enough to sentence judgement. The other is a mix of autumn leaves and cool greys, composure and confidence bleeding into one.
Helios is under inspection by two sets of eyes—three if you count the persistent pair that roams behind him. He twitches, his own eyes of fire never darting to the eyes present, avoiding contact.
Knowledge, he answers, simple and an uncertainty that lingers a beat later—Helios has never needed to do a sales pitch to prove his worth and why he ought to be welcomed into a pack full of strangers. A place to stay and learn from, to… give back to, and one that would not war within itself. He adds, ears swerving and tail tip flicking slightly in the direction of Salazar.

Skippable after this until directly addressed!

The pack wolves arrived quickly to inspect their odd pair of visitors, a thorny shadow trailed by an earthen sentinel. Salazar met them with a dip of his head, a quick nod to the deference owed without bringing the spotlight away from Helios. His own addition came a few seconds late, floated lazily into the misty morning air. Perhaps you'd like to speak to me when you finish with my friend here; we aren't exactly a package deal. And he was here first. He offered a brief smile, words light, and fell silent again.

It was a scrutinizing gaze that he cast over them, paying close attention to those finer details that had served him so well. To know what made them tick, what defined them as individuals. Perhaps to presume that they were truly friends may have been a step too much with the way the second one spoke up at the heels of the first, and Dirge let his gaze linger on him a moment longer.

It was a curious thing, but perhaps not too suspicious.

How it went from there would only determine that.

Dirge drew his gaze to the first speaker once more—was it irony for him to supply such a caveat about warring within oneself? A lick of amusement puffed in him, a quiet betrayal to neutrality; had he been a more paranoid sort he may have thought he had encountered Arcturus, or even Revui, somewhere out in the wilderness.

“Somewhere more deserving of loyalty than your friend here? I’ve had my share of travels with others; it’s generally bad form to imply abandoning them in new company unless there’s something off about them. So what exactly is your story, then? Start with your name,” he suggested lightly, perhaps almost too conversationally to go with the pointed edge that implied more—don’t waste my time.

Seconds tick in toe, passing by audibly, with each breath taken and exhaled from his golden hued muzzle. He feels itchy, restless, judged. Less a sales pitch to a haunty boss and more a courtroom situation—a crime he hadn’t yet committed sitting on the weights while he is adjacent to it, to see which is more worthy; he or the possible outcome of failure.
Helios does not miss the brief glimmer of amusement that pulled taunt over the agouti judge’s features following his rambles. It is curious then, if these bewitching mountains are not free from the torment that Helios and Salazar left behind.
He’s— Helios clicks his jaw shut. Not a friend. No matter the odd reference to him, by Salazar’s own tongue, that caused the barest of pinpricks to spike his fur. The Tonrar tucks his muzzle, shying his face and eyes away meekly before he clears his throat and tries again;
Helios Tonrar, only surviving child of Kavik Tonrar, Alessia and Rosalie, all who perished. Parents and siblings in a landslide. The one last sibling he clutched to consumed by the untapped rage of a wildfire. Every one he’d been unable to save; a curse he is, for after he’d seen things that he ought to not. He’s slipping from reality. He remembers wandering in circles for days, burnt and charred screaming Zephyr’s name. He does not know if it was real.
I was born in Teekon Wilds, in a pack called Swiftcurrent Creek. The… earth rumbled, and eventually the pack disbanded. I was… separated from my family after that.
He hates having to be so… open about wounds that ought to have scabbed over and scarred. They still feel raw and new.
I ran with a pack he, he shifts his eyes towards Salazar, introduced me to. It was nice, a learning opportunity… until a group of wolves grew mad. Some of them he could have once said he even liked. They weren’t quite friends, certainly not family, yet he found a place within them. Had felt like he could finally heal, until the coup ripped it from underneath his feet all over again.

The first one spoke again—Helios—and Dirge listened to his sad tale. There were names and places tossed in, perhaps things he should have known of but only had the inkling of. Places that were perhaps closer than he realized, when the topic of the rumbling earth was broached and the memories of that time stirred like long settled sentiment on the floor of an otherwise pristine lake. It offered Helios a modicum of truth to his tale, though the scrutiny was far from wavering in Dirge’s gaze.

“And then you were ousted again, I presume, either unwilling or unable to defend your newfound sanctuary. More likely the latter,” he concluded on the Tonrar’s behalf. He was satisfied with the story of how and why and what had brought them there simply enough; if not for the details he could sympathize with, then the uncomfortable tension that arose in Helios alone filled the remainder of what was left unspoken.

“So other than your pursuit of knowledge and a desire for something a bit more, let’s say idyllic, what are you willing to offer us? I can’t necessarily promise that you’ll have your peace here, but the warring hardly comes from within. There is safety in these mountains, but out there,” he gestures beyond them then, “it is quite a different story as of late, and I‌ have young mouths to keep fed and safe from fiends that think little of you or I.”

A pause follows him, and is gone just as it came.

“However if that is something you lack fortitude for, then I implore you to look elsewhere.”

Aye, a boy on the run no better nor worse than when he’d left the realm of the Wilds prior. What he’s sought has slipped through his grasps, jaws could clench as tightly as they could, yet it seeps through the narrowest valleys between his teeth. A tease that continues to this day, and one Helios is losing strength to hunt.
Such is that his jaw clenches, discomfort pooling off the awkward yearling’s aura—the end tacked on as if his story is one to craft and mold. Helios sharpens his golden eyes, yet offers no response but a nod.
I offer another body to hunt and defend. Helios would not shy from the fiends he speaks of; there is no need to when a pack thriving on protecting young can be equal in bloodthirst.

The lad is undeterred; Dirge nods as though it is an affirmation that will do enough. But even he knows that they will see what time renders for them—there have been plenty he knows who have come and gone through their ranks, most of all himself. Still, he liked the cut of determination he sees in that sharp gaze. It was the sort of thing that they needed now more than ever: a willingness to thrive, and the loyalty that went with it. With even Arcturus and Dragomir off to do what they sought fit, he was learning the importance of what it was to gather resources to tack and sew into their family.

"You're obviously capable of such and survived worse from bad, so that'll do," he decides. "I doubt I need to explain to you what comes to those that cannot, nor do I suppose I need to draw a list of expectations when you've obviously been there before." Helios seems a bright boy still becoming a man, one perhaps none too older than his own sons. His satisfaction is full, and his gaze shifted to the other stranger in their midst.

He delivers commentary just as smooth, making his summary in unwritten thought: "Now as for you... you say you aren't a package deal but I'm not convinced. You've heard the rest and know what I'm about to ask—what's your name?"

@Salazar your turn in the courtroom i guess