Moonspear but after everything i still believe in true love

for @Charon and @Amekaze (:

honestly, it was some miracle that terance had managed to make it to the caldera. his mothers instructions had helped, but he was truly surprised that his nose had done such a great job of guiding him... plus the help of a few strangers. moonspear was easier. osprey had made it clear that it was straight up through something called bramblepoint, which was actually very helpful. sure enough, the mountain was visible as soon as he'd left the foliage, and he was feeling more hopeful about this place.

the mountain was gorgeous! and terance was truly in awe. he couldn't wait to stargaze from some of the tallest peaks-- maybe he could even touch some of them...! but he shouldn't get ahead of himself, for all he knew, charon was dead in a ditch somewhere as well, and that would just suck.

he repeated his howl for leadership just as he'd done in the caldera-- though now that he thought about it, leadership hadn't even come! finley and elwood had instead sent a tiny, bitchy, rock-grinder to come chase him off, he hoped that wouldn't happen again. he waited, submissive, ready to greet charon and be able to settle down.

consent to invade, given!!!!

 

Although her parents had been called indirectly, Hydra was near to the wolf that had sounded off for them. So she marched in that direction, behaving every bit the guardian, but when she noted their posture her own relaxed a measure. Though she carried herself proudly, the youth did not appear stand-offish. Hydra employed the devices her parents used to those that rang their proverbial doorbell, echoing her own mothers words, though tweaking them as it fit: why have you called? in a manner that invited response.

it was the girl. he was shocked to see her, and almost excited. she was good company, and was soft-spoken. but she didn't appear to recognize him, and he almost began to think that he had imagined the whole scenario. she spoke, and though she had the same voice, it was not nearly as sweet as the shadow's had been. he stared silently for a few moments longer, hoping that maybe she'd say something that would signal her remembering him, before she spoke anyway. maybe he'd been mistaken, maybe his loneliness had just sprouted a wolf that just so happened to resemble this one.

"i am looking for charon. my mother and him were close, and i hoped to join moonspear's ranks," he shared, in a clear voice and a still respectful posture. he was still confused as to why she wasn't acting like she knew him, but by now he was convinced that it was he who was in the wrong here.

His pointed look was not unfamiliar to Hydra. Not due to her knowing him, but due to her seeing it many a time before from others who had met her sisters and not her. Which one was this, she wondered? But he answered her question, and she responds swiftly: who was she? knowing this would work in his favor, and wanting to be thorough in her report to her father. And then, and who are you? What are your skills? the latter question she knew to be particularly important, now–though she wondered if they had any common interests.

"osprey redleaf-disarinno," he replied, almost as swiftly, "my father was dante." surely those names would register with this girl. all osprey had done was talk about charon and peregrine and their family, it made sense that these wolves would know all about them-- it hadn't occured to him that he wouldn't be known. "i am terance," he then added with a swift wave of his tail, "mercenary and astrologist in training." hopefully the mercenary was clear enough, he was big and bulky and had a husky voice that was good for threatening, though he wasn't sure if she'd care that he was good at naming stars.

If those names had any effect on her, Hydra did well in not showing it. Osprey rang a bell, though perhaps not for the reason it should. Hydra also did not yet introduce herself in turn–which she did intentionally, under the belief that he had met her sister already and wishing to confound him further. His trades were what interested her most; she did, in fact, appreciate stars (more for naturalist reasons), as her father did... and more than that, he was (or was training to be) a mercenary. The leaders will be here soon, knowing her parents they'd be here any minute now... Care to spar while we wait? she hummed with a head tilt and a (friendly enough) flash of her teeth.

*excited squee*

yes/no on the spar is up to you guys, if you're doing the spar feel free to skip me during :)

Osprey wasn't a wolf that crossed his mind very often since he had emerged himself into the world of puppies. Memories of her were fleeting and caught on him sometimes during daydreaming and patrols, when he was alone, but he hadn't told his family extensive stories of her — perhaps because she somehow felt like a part of him that was his; a figure who had played an important role in his upbringing and growing up. The promise he had made for her children was pretty much forgotten, because at the time he had already thought it would never be necessary to hold to it. Osprey'd live forever, after all.

When he arrived at the borders following the call of a loner, he noticed that Hydra was already present. He hadn't been up to par with all the work himself lately, in large part because of taking care of Amekaze's birthing den as well as making sure there was enough food cached after the harsh winters they'd faced so that she would always have enough food to come by when she could not hunt and he might be guarding the den, too. It was only a matter of weeks now before they would be born, and Charon was happy to see that at least some of his children were growing up fine and picking up the necessary work in these busy times.

When he arrived Hydra suggested a spar, and he nodded at the pair of them in silent approval. It was up to them whether they would spar or if they rather move the joining process along and inform him of what'd been discussed so far.

"sure," he said, with a glint in his eyes. he was going to mention his father, but he figured it was useless to brag, so he just aimed all of his competitive nature toward physical actions. terance didn't like to be all bark and no bite. but then someone else showed up. he looked up, and immediately bowed his head. he didn't recognize the man completely, but he looked familiar enough for terance to remember him, and he didn't want to look disrespectful. but he seemed to be okay with a spar, the nod look reassuring, so he fell into a stiffened stance and waited.

terance was clearly a defensive player. he was still young and agile, but his bulky self was built to withstand blows and stay standing up-- and he was good at that too. so he waited, assuming the dark shadow would make the first move.

They did nto have to wait very long. Her father arrived, hearing and approving of her idea to spar—Terance stood there, gamely, too. It was this which caused her to suddenly lurch forward, acting as though she intended to land a blow upon his shoulder, before she continued with her forward movement rather than stopped at his shoulder to attempt to nip at his rear hock to instigate him into moving. Hydra recalled this tip from her mother, and would always utilize it. She wanted to control this, if she could—to become better at it, also. Immediately afterward Hydra darted out of the immediate trajectory of his own fangs retaliation, circling him loosely as a shark would, her eyes seeking any weakness to him.

she moved fast, but terance was prepared... not prepared enough, it seemed, for he hadn't anticipated a girl younger than he was to have had any serious battle tactics. so, when she lunged, he dodged like he thought she was going for his shoulder-- he thought the action was skin-deep. but he was wrong. he moved out of the way and gave her perfect aim for her real target. he moved a bit awkwardly when he saw that, and she ended up getting a nice nip on his rump-- which cause a bit of agitated heat to rise to his face.

no matter! terance ignored his teeny urges to go pout about such an embarrassing (for him) interaction and gave a snap of his jaws towards her. the shadow was fast, and dodged his nip only to circle him once again. the boulder was a frustrated-- knowing good and well that sarah had never bested him twice in a row like this. this girl was not sarah though, and he was learning that quickly.

though defense was his strong suit, he was not about to waste an opportunity to impress charon, who his mother had spoken so proudly of in the past. he stayed on his toes, spinning slowly and keeping his gaze on the blue-eyed wolf. she would not best him again, he decided, and when he felt a safe amount of time had past, he lunged. he was aiming not to nip or bite, but to tackle. he knew that he was bigger, and had a better chance of knocking her off her feet than landing a nip to the shoulder.

Hydra knew what he knew as well. It was why her eyes were upon him, noting every nuanced movement his muscles might give to betray the inevitable next move. Hydra kept him moving by remaining moving herself, and when he lunged for her Hydra capitalized on her own fleet-footedness to escape the maneuver she knew he could best her at. He was built to tackle, to knock others off their feet. Hydra could not allow that to happen, here; she had practiced too hard, and had been taught well how to avoid big wolves. Attacking them was not her forte; she never wanted to get too close to give them the chance to overwhelm her. But Hydra remembered the word of Coq as she circled him three, four times over before moving near to lash a foreleg out at one of his own limbs to attempt to sweep him off his feet. This attack was more straightforward than the last, wanting him to second guess what she might do, misstep perhaps... she battled with his body and his mind. Her own weight could not knock him down, but the rest of her would work at it in the meantime.

might've read your post wrong, derp, let me know if i mucked up !

her experience was frustrating. terance was an experienced fighter, but only with his father and sister. he'd only engaged in one or two fights were outsiders before, and he'd had help from sarah or dante every time. so, he did not fight like a big, clumsy-footed dummy, but he did not fight with as much insight as she did. she could judge all of his movements, and that was annoying, terance decided, for she never did what he thought she was going to.

he was not as good at reading his opponents, but he was good at making decisions. he did not misstep, necessarily, but he'd judged where she would go and aimed that way-- and she was not there. so he ran straight on through, not making any contact and merely spinning to see where she was now. the little shadow was lythe and smart, and in this moment he loathed her for outsmarting him so many times.

he would not be bested again, and though he was not sure this was a fight he was win, he did not plan on being made a fool for a fourth time in a row. he'd play his strengths, and would wait for the fight to come to him. he braced himself and stood with his head low and eyes glued to her. he was ready.

Hydra was doing remarkably well for herself against the larger opponent. She did not account of his lack of experience, but the experience she gained with him here and now was invaluable. He was a large wolf, like Coq—but Hydra knew she had to be more daring to get in blows that mattered. When he stilled himself, Hydra did not—she continued her circle around him but only moved until she was at his rear, lurching forward to attempt to get a loose grip upon his shoulder. Hydra knew she could not knock him over with her own weight alone, but what she also knew was that she needed to keep him moving to get him beneath her at all. Normally she would rush away, but she heeded Coq's words—she did not imagine there was a better way to resume this wolves footwork, otherwise.

the shadow dove, just as he thought she would. she grazed his shoulder, as he knew he was not fast enough to avoid her entirely, but he got a quick, light grip on her ear in retaliation. unbeknownst to him, however, the little wolf was a goddamn beast. his face was close enough to hers now, and the tiny shadow took this time to snap wildly at him. taken aback by the sudden wildness, terance released his grip and stumbled backwards, tripping clumsily (damn it terance !) on his own feet and tumbling into the grassy earth. he was not quick enough to get up, however.

It was her excitement that caused her ears to thrust forward an aggressive beat, but he took advantage of that single moment she did not heed her defenses (something, truly, she could afford to work on). It infuriated her—she remembered what the wolf she had killed had done to her sisters ear, and though this grip was light and would leave no marks at all a deep and unsettling rage flooded through her. He was near enough to her face that Hydra saw an opportunity to go for his muzzle, or his cheek—she had no desire to maim, but she wanted to release, to move away, to cause him to... 

It went according to plan. Perfectly, other than the fact that he had his grip upon her ear but seconds ago. Hydra seized the opportunity as he fell, not relenting for even a moment as she moved to straddle him with only her forelegs, keeping her stomach out of reach of his rear legs which might think to kick at her. Hydra moved forward with an unsettling quickness for one so young (a girl her age ought not to have killed a grown wolf already, perhaps) to grab hold of his throat in case he thought to try anything of that sort, tail lifted above her hindquarters to punctuate her victory. And then she moved beside her father, her blue eyes flashing as they took stock of the big wolf. Good spar, she said in earnest, tongue lolling and tail waving.

unfortunately for terance, everything did not go according to plan. he was clumsy and distracted, and this girl bested him time after time. it wasn't entirely his fault, he was tired and hungry and frustration never helped him think, but he blamed himself entirely for being so darn useless in a fight. if this was for real, a tiny shadow would've just killed him-- he might as well have just spat onto his father's face. he wiggled to gain footing again, but found the teeth of the shadow around his throat, and fell still. dante had done that a few times, and always told him just to go still. it meant defeat, loss, failure. a mumble echoed from his throat as the little shadow left, and slowly, he rolled to his stomach and eyed her.

unlike lyra, the soft-spoken shadow, this shadow he did not like.

but he kept his thoughts to himself, this was no place to be so hateful. so terance gave a light bow of his head and a few taps of his tail to show good sportsmanship. "nice job," he replied, somewhat honestly. was he impressed she beat him? yes. was he happy about it? not in the slightest. he'd just lost, and was pretty pissed about it, but was now more worried than ever that @Charon would turn him away. peregrine and charon were his only two connections, and without sarah he had nowhere left to go.

He was a good sport, which had been what Hydra wanted to see. How did he react to loss? Gracefully. And so she spoke what she had been told: His name is Terance. He is an aspiring astrologist and mercenary... and he has told me he is the son of Osprey, and Dante. She did not fill in the blanks there. If that woman was really a friend of her fathers, he would not need her to tell him so. Not only that but if he had lied, that certainly would not work in his favor. Her eyes peered to her father to see his reaction.

Charon watched the fight unfold, his fatherly heart pounding with pride at every move his daughter made. She had been training hard to get here, and now her hard work was definitely paying off. As the opponent crashed to the earth he could not help but call out, "Good job, Hydra!" And then looked at the stranger boy. He felt torn between scrutiny — he'd lost the fight, was young, and Ame would have her pups soon which made him feel protective — and desparation — they did need wolves to take care of business while he was caring for Ame and Ame was caring for the pups.

But all of those doubts were swiped off the table by Hydra's next comment. "Osprey's?" he said, his eyes widening in surprise. Then he remembered the promise that he had made to her. "You are welcome here," he said, but then he could not help but ask; "How is she..?" He remembered the last time he had seen her, he remembered what she had told him... But he still refused to believe it.

hydra? he heard charon's call to the shadow and was immediately confused. maybe this was the same wolf, though he could have sworn her name was lyra... no, her name was lyra, this was just a giant, weird, coincidence. he studied hydra for a few moments more, still confused, before focusing on charon again. slowly, he raised back up to his feet, keeping his posture respectful as dante had taught him. thankfully, charon did not hesitate to remember his promise, and he let out a soft sigh.

"my parents are well," he said with a soft smile, "osprey just gave birth to another litter." he missed those puppies, they were so small and soft and warm... they could do no harm. he missed watching them with wraen and sarah, most of all.

Hydra heard the pride in her fathers voice at her victory, and it made her stand all the taller. Still she was stoic, not being an obnoxious winner. The name Osprey did indeed ring a bell for her father, and was also just the key Terance had needed. Her tail waved at that, glad he had both been honest and that he was welcomed here. Another sparring partner, she hoped. If he truly wanted to become a mercenary, why not? She remained by her fathers side still, wondering more about this Osprey character Terance spoke of.

Relief overcame him when he heard that she had another litter. She'd not been well when they last spoke, and he had told her that she shouldn't say such silly things and that she would live. Turned out he had been right in the end, and he was glad for it. "I'm glad to hear that," he said with a smile. "How many were there? What are their names?" Charon was still not happy that Osprey had ended up with Dante, someone that he didn't like — but to have one of their children living here gave some sort of satisfaction and he was not only Dante's child, but also Osprey's, and that was worth a lot to him. "Where do your parents live now?" he then asked, wondering if it was near enough; though, considering he was here and not still living with them, he doubted it was anywhere within a few days' travel.

terance gave a small smile, excited to be chatting about his tiny siblings. "(SHARING OF INFO VAGUELY BC I DON'T ACTUALLY KNOW THIS INFO YET)" he replied with a wave of his tail. wraen was the closest, she always took the best care of them-- at least, in the week that he was there with them, and probably now.

his expression stilled, his shoulders rolling in a gentle shrug. "at least a months travel. we didn't settle anywhere until osprey had the pups, but sarah and i set out about two months ago," he explained, then pursed his lips. he'd mentioned sarah-- he hadn't meant to do that. "we were separated and i detoured a while to look for her," he added with a slight dip of his head.

skip w/permission

Charon nodded when he received the answer he'd been afraid of; too far for any quick visit. He decided to just drop it for now and it was easily done when Terance mentioned his sister Sarah. "Let's hope she'll find her way back here too, then," Charon said as he mentioned getting separated from her. She would be equally welcome — not only because he had promised, but also because any living reminder of Osprey was... nice.

"You must be tired from all the travels. Come, we'll show you some of the most important bits and then you can have a rest." Charon turned around and looked back to silently invite Terance along into the lands.

his head dipped. he was tired... and hungry, and now a little moody. he pushed the moody aside and focused on the more life-threatening of the three. "yes, sir," he responded and gave a quick glance to the little shadow before following after charon in order to see the 'most important bits'. he didn't know what that meant, but he guessed that he'd find out.

i'll fade here! :)

Charon lead the way deeper into Moonspear territory, looking over his shoulder once or twice to make sure that Terance was still following. It was surreal and bizarre to think that this was one of Osprey's children — one of the kids that'd been pouncing frogs as tiny pups not that long ago, it felt...

He lead the way into the territory to show Terance some of the more important spots such as the caches and drinking spots.