Moonspear i'm going out of mind, all day and all night

though her scent wasn't very strong within the heart of the territory, aria spent her days guarding the packs borders. it wasn't that she disliked anyone in the pack, and she actually really enjoyed the company of the alpha's as well as their children (lyra, at least, was a joy). she just didn't feel home, and didn't know where to go to call home. and here, on the borders, she could be the first to intercept floki should he ever return. and if constantine or casmir ever wander past maybe she would catch a whiff of their scent and be able to track them down. it was pointless to be so hopeful, especially since nothing had ever gone her way, but she needed something to hold onto... and the small chance that she may see her closest companions one day was enough.

so, as usual, she traveled along the western border, her ears half-mast and her nose twitching as she grabbed hold of scents. there was a hint of scent inside the territory from earlier in the day, but it was mixed with blood, and aria could only assume the situation was handled.

Hydra herself lurked near the borders, though not too close so as to not risk her parents wrath. She tested, and pushed, boundaries--but she was not disrespectful to her parents wishes, and Hydra supposed that if she saw something she could intercept she would do it. There was no harm in looking and alerting anyone else in the meantime as well, was there? 

But soon, as Hydra lurked and prowled, there came the round outline of the soft Aria, and Hydra decided for herself that so long as she was with an adult she was not doing anything wrong at all. And so she trot right on over to Aria with confidence in her stride and no indication at all that what she was doing might be against her parents wishes. Even Hydra herself couldn't say that it wasn't, now. Aria had been in Moonspear long enough that Hydra doubted they'd complain about her walking the borders with her...

Hydra knew her name. Lyra had spoken of her, and her description had been a good one. That, and Hydra had met her the day she had joined. Other than that Hydra had been with her sisters and parents. Now that Aria was doing something that benefited her, Hydra capitalized on it.

it takes her a moment to realize that her pale coat had been eclipsed by the shadow of a wolf that was one of the ostrega pups. she was focused on patrolling, but when the girl appears she had almost zoned in completely on the strangers scent. her luminous orbs did a double-take at the girl, the fur on her shoulders pricking as though the child had been a serious threat. a soft breath escaped her lips, teeth clicking a few times as she hushed her anxieties, attempting to force her fur to lie flat.

"lyra," she said, mistaking the child for the other-- the one who had shown interest in herself and sought her out-- "you doing some patrolling?" in truth, aria had never considered that the children were not yet allowed out on their own. deirdre had been so independent and free, and lasher had allowed her to do everything a normal packmate could do even at such a young age. she did take over donnelaith before she was even a year old, a child patrolling didn't concern her in the slightest.

Hydra did not so much as blink when called the wrong name. Alya, Lyra, Hydra—they were one in the same, externally. Sometimes internally. Their lives bled into one anothers, though Hydra was least practiced at being the sweet and demure Lyra. But today she simply did not feel like being Lyra—that, and she wanted her father to know that she was practicing... even if it were off limits. Hydra, she corrected, though her tone was understanding. Hydra was quite aware that she had two beings out there who liked exactly like her. How could she be offended? Why should she be? Lyra and Alya were brilliant wolves. 

I am, she responded at last, tail waving, I saw you were too, came to join you. Maybe you could teach me some stuff, Hydra invited casually, one ear cupping toward Aria.

her head turned fully to view the dark ostrega, her pink tongue swiping over her nose as she tried to place a difference between the two. "hydra," she repeated with a gentle dip of her pale crown, "i apologize." it was clear that the child was not offended, but she apologized nonetheless. hydra confirmed she was patrolling, and asked if aria could 'teach her anything'. truthfully, probably not. she was in no place to be a mentor of any sorts and had never taught the art of border watching before-- if you could even call it that. but, she still held that soft spot in her heart for children, and so she agreed.

"maybe," she replied lightly, a bit of a hum in her voice, "what do you want to know?" answering questions was easier than building something from the ground up-- something aria lacked the motivation for. hydra was a child, sure, but she didn't want to mock her intelligence by repeating things that maybe she already knew.

No worries, she reiterated what her body had said, but aloud this time. As for the other womans question, Hydra answered in earnest: Everything you know, her tail waved a little bit. At least, about patrols... and being a guardian, or what it takes to be one, Hydra could not for the life of her remember if the other had come to Moonspear with that trade under her belt, but even if she hadn't it was clear she was working toward it now. Hydra licked her chops. You came from another pack, right? What were the guardians like there?

aria nodded. there was a slight hesitation in her next step, but it flattened against the snowy trail just as the others and she continued on with a smoother gait. "it is not my first trade," she replied honestly, "i am a scout and a caretaker-- guarding the borders is just an important part of territorial upkeep, every member of the pack should partake in rounds." she failed to mention that she only cared so much about the borders for floki and constantine, instead sweeping it aside and taking up a loyal packmate persona-- which was not a lie.

"i come from donnelaith," she then answered slowly. she stared at the ground for a moment longer than she meant to, her ice-white eyes reflecting the pale surface of the trail. she was thinking. constantine was a mercenary, and a good one at that. castiel was a marvelous guardian as well. and, of course, she couldn't forget the beast that dante was, and how their son showed such promise in the mercenary trade. and yes, the pack was not so centered on fighting or patrolling. they had patrols, the borders were marked, but she recalled the time that doe was freely allowed to walk through their territory. "it is a different pack." was all she said.

Hearing it was not Aria's first trade was disappointing, but not to the point of her feeling discouraged. After all, the pale woman was quick to go on and share what she knew on the subject in any case—which was knowledge Hydra might not have otherwise gained. So, everyone must patrol; even those who did not have the trade ought to. Hydra decided she would rope her sisters into more patrols with her. She was confident enough without them, but with them she felt whole. 

When Aria did not explain to her what the guardians of "Donnelaith" (what a mouthful) were like, Hydra tilted her head. Different, Hydra repeated, looking to Aria with a mildly expectant look upon her features: what is that supposed to mean? It didn't sound... good... but then, neither did it sound bad.

"different," aria repeated again, shrugging. "i used to lead it, and i valued our guardians the same as anyone else. my successor was a pacifist though-- someone who values peace-- and didn't really care for mercenaries. when she started training to take over, we didn't do much fighting or sparring or guarding," she explained in a somewhat lengthy detail. they had some border patrols, but from what she could remember their main source of protection was that damn blackrock depths... hmpf.

"we made an alliance with another pack who protected us, so we could focus on healing."

Hydra, as someone who loved and understood the necessity of guarding, sparring, and even fighting, could not help but lift her brows at the others description of Donnelaith. Though she bit back a rude response, if only because of Lyra's devotion to healing. She supposed she'd belong to the group of protectors... they sounded to be affiliated. So you can heal? Hydra inquired, tilting her head. My sister, Lyra, wants to learn to heal, she informed, her tail waving.

aria looked back on her past, though not fondly. the life she lived before the teekon wilds was not ideal, though she did learn much about healing and fighting. she preferred healing back then, though after her encounter with ferahgo she took a liking to the art of defense. she was small though, and even though she knew all of the necessary sparring tactics she was not built for battle. she decided to leave out the backstory.

"a bit-- i know the basics... my care taking usually focuses on pups," she told her. aria could heal a sore throat, sore pawpads, a common cold, even set a broken leg-- but she was no miracle worker. her pale gaze narrowed, staring off for a moment-- though it was unclear at what. "i am a scout, i am better at searching and exploring," she explained, though not much recently. she'd been bound home since her friends left, save for the time she and charon searched for floki. she had no motivation to explore, for she was afraid she'd never find anything else.

As Aria explained her true interests, Hydra licked her chops. Alya is the one who likes scouting. You could teach them both stuff, she offered, though the thought that Aria might not be interested in that at all did not occur to Hydra who believed that none could not want to do something she said. Hydra shifted her weight. I want to be a guardian, and I also want to help out with hunts. Track and stuff. I feel like scouts and trackers... could work together, she was not sure if she was right, though. Still, throwing it out to Aria perhaps it could be denied or confirmed. Healers, too, she thought aloud after a beat. Of course Lyra would be included. Hydra could track healing herbs by scent, Alya could scout them and know them for their location, and Lyra would know just what to do with their findings. It added up.

The two continued to talk throughout the day on matters of being a guardian, like what she thought made a good Guardian... before eventually, Hydra was called by her parents to join them. She left Aria to continue her jaunt.