Moonspear splitting bridges
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All Welcome 
hoping for a @Drogon, but all welcome :)

Amekaze's pregnancy was coming along well and despite the persisting cold Charon felt confident for the future. It was her earliest litter yet but spring would be upon them soon and by the time the pups moved to the rendezvous site the weather would be great. It would also mean the pups would be adults by the time the next winter hit full stop so it all seemed to work out well. Meanwhile Vela and Jarilo were growing to be so big and it was unimaginable for the father that they were already adults now.

Meanwhile the borders needed to be kept safe and so Charon was spending a lot of time around them. Especially after the betrayal of some of the wolves in his ranks he hoped that he'd find some of the pack wolves there today that he hadn't seen after Rannoch and Liffey had left. Drogon came to mind, for though Charon's last interaction with him hadn't been the most positive — it'd been right after his little princess'd gotten hurt, after all — he had noticed then that Vela cared about him and wanted to get to know the boy better. It felt almost as if the boy avoided him some days, Charon thought, for both Vela and Hydra seemed to know him well while Charon, when he thought about it, didn't seem to know anything about him at all.

Eager to change this situation Charon continued on while he contemplated if he should call for the boy or simply keep along his way and hope he would catch a whiff of Drogon's scent sooner or later.
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the borders are one of the places where drogon can often be found. sometimes, he trains with hydra and vela and other times he takes part-day impromptu trips outside of moonspear to stretch his legs and investigate what's happening outside the spear. it's been a while since he's made those trips though and he knows the underlying reason for it, regardless of what he tells himself. in part, ever since vela's attack he's hesitant to leave the spear ( though he knows she's well protected ) but also because the second he steps over that borderline without a mission he'd be making his way to blackfeather woods to seek out iliksis and have a real fight for trying to kidnap his girl. regardless, the borders are a favorite haunt of the ansbjørn.

drogon lingers upon a sparse section of the border, brushing a broad shoulder against a tall spruce tree, wincing slightly as the rough bark rips out a small tuft of blue-black pelage mixed with few tendrils of the blueish-silver of his mane. he's about to lift his leg to add urine to it for good measure when the sound of approaching footfalls distracts him and he turns inquisitively to see who's approaching. charon's familiar form — vela truly does look like him — comes into view and drogon adjusts his posture into a submissive one. "sir." he greets charon in a quieted, respectful rasp.
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It seemed today was his lucky day because Charon caught a whiff of Drogon's scent. He smiled briefly though the smile had made place for a more neutral expression by the time Drogon came into view. He postured himself submissively and Charon nodded appreciatively at his polite greeting. His own body he carried proudly as always when he roamed the borders, though mostly for the sake of outsiders for it was clear from Drogon's respectful posture that between them there was no need.

"Patrol with me?" he suggested simply and continued his path, assuming Drogon would follow behind. "It seems a good opportunity to get to know each other. I know very little of you." And perhaps it was the same the other way around, although the fact that Drogon knew Hydra and Vela so well showed it likely he knew at least a bit more about Charon than vice versa.
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drogon falls in line behind charon as the alpha makes the suggestion of drogon joining him on his patrol. whether it was an actual suggestion or not didn't much matter; drogon wasn't going to refuse ( besides charon was going to same way he was ). drogon'd made a promise to vela that he'd work on getting to know her dad better and accordingly, let charon know him. there was a part of drogon that thought maybe it was a bad idea. he'd always been rebellious by nature and had an inherent dislike of authority that wasn't his own. he could only hope that the thought of vela and his genuine desire to get to know her family ( the family he doesn't know ) better was enough to hold strong. vela could be his future if he didn't mess it up and she ...they were the one thing he wanted to get right in his life.

"that's fair." drogon comments despite that the ansbjørn suspects his comment wasn't necessary. this was what he wanted and it strikes him as a good thing that charon, too, is taking an interest in getting to know one another better. it's a good starting ground. "what do you want to know?" drogon inquires, ears cupping forth atop his skull as he glimpses away from the neutral territory just outside moonspear's borders to charon's back. drogon's good at eluding questions about himself but he's done things he isn't overly proud of; he's done things that he's proud of and it occurs to him that perhaps he shouldn't be proud of. drogon's past is busy and complex despite that he's not even a yearling yet. it's not exactly anything that one shares unless it's deemed utterly relevant; but charon already knew that he's both once ran with and is a (proud) traitor to blackfeather woods and that's half of his "secrets" right there.
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Dune will probably just hang around with them and listen if that's ok! Feel free to make him go away. :P
Also feel free to skip. I don't wanna hold you guys up. ^__^

He had not been looking for either of them, but when Dune spotted Charon and Drogon up ahead (the latter of which he knew only by sight and name), Dune could not help but be drawn toward them. They were speaking back and forth, and Dune thought it might be useful to listen in and get a better grip on this whole "spoken word" thing he was trying to learn. He greeted both of them without words, falling in behind them and listening while also doing his part to mark the borders.

Dune knew that the recent departure of some of their pack mates had been hard on the Ostrega family. Hopefully, Dune could make them understand that he had no intention of doing the same. Moonspear had been nothing but good to him, and he was happy here. He had not really expected to fit in so well right away, but Dune already felt close to many of his pack mates. Perhaps spending some time with Drogon (even if it was only peripheral) would put him in the same category.
Remedy#8618 · amwelles · amwelles · human
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An ear slid back towards Dune in silent acknowledgement as he seemed to be joining them, though Charon did not pay it much further attention. It irked Charon somewhat that Drogon would ask him what he wanted to know rather than simply start telling about himself, but he reminded himself that the boy was young and he seemed rather introverted from what Charon'd seen of him so far. Perhaps he felt intimidated or shy in the presence of the Alpha, unsure of himself, and so Charon decided to hid the irritation, brush it off and simply move on with the conversation; a thing he had learned only with time throughout his life.

Many questions came to the forefront of his mind as they continued the patrol, but he decided to start with what he already knew. "Were you born in Blackfeather Woods?" he asked, knowing that that was where the boy had come from when he had first joined Moonspear, and he had been rather young. Guessing the answer to be 'yes' Charon continued: "Who are your parents?" He was born near here somewhere, surely, so perhaps they were wolves that he knew of in some way.
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drogon spares the light colored male — dune, he thinks his name is ( for the two had yet to formally meet ) — a glimpse of acknowledgement but ultimately turns his attention back to charon. impressing him ...or at the very least getting in his good graces is drogon's highest priority, especially considering he and the man's youngest daughter are together. it puts a whole lot of pressure on drogon and he bears the uncomfortable weight as best he can. he has broad shoulders and it's not anything he can't withstand. or so he tells himself, anyway. "no," drogon replies to charon's first question. while it can never be forgotten that he was once a blackfeather wolf drogon wishes that he could sweep it under the rug nevertheless. "i was born in a place called enok tundra. when i was about two or three months old i snuck out and got lost in a neighboring territory. a stranger found me and told me he was going to take me home. he lied and i ended up being abandoned in a territory on blackfeather's doorstep. a woman from blackfeather woods, nyx, found me and took me in." he offers the whole story as he remembers it. in vague details that blurs the line between fiction and reality. though most of it is based in the reality of what happened drogon has long since been unable to discern what is true and what is a lie in regards to his past.

"i don't remember their names but i know i look like my mother." it was probably unhelpful information but he retained that much at least ...that, her last name, and that she used to sing to him. the rest of the details long since been erased by the trauma of being kidnapped and left to die.
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Dune listened idly, trailing behind the other two and trying to work on his comprehension and vocabulary along the way. When Charon and Drogon talked, they used so many words (especially Drogon), and Dune wondered how Charon was even able to keep up with that amount of information. Most of it went in one ear and out the other, but Dune did feel like listening in on the conversations would further his education. Living with Moonspear had already taught him a lot in these last few months, and he was picking up a little bit more each day.

Pausing to lift his leg on a fallen tree, Dune let a dribble of urine out before trotting to catch up to the other two and continue his obvious eavesdropping.
Remedy#8618 · amwelles · amwelles · human
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A troublemaker, then, Charon thought idly as Drogon mentioned sneaking out of the territory at two or three months of age. Sounded to him that maybe it would've been better for nature to have taken care of disposing the weaker wolves who did not stay in the safety of the pack's borders. Enok Tundra meant nothing to Charon, but it couldn't be too far from Blackfeather Woods considering he had wandered there. Nyx was a name that didn't mean much to Charon either, though he thought to have heard it here or there before; perhaps from Drogon himself. He didn't even remember what his parents were called, only remembered looking like his mother. Charon did not remember ever meeting anyone that looked like that before, so he doubted that he would ever find them.

"Did you never want to look for them?" he asked, though judging by his tone Charon wasn't overly interested in the answer. "Do you remember your family name?" He did not remember if he had ever been offered it, hadn't really thought the boy had any considering he was away from family for so long. He thought of what Vela had said and how she had spoken of him. Charon did not think the boy was worth taking his daughter from him, though he was hoping that something would happen that would change his mind miraculously in some way. Perhaps it was idle hoping, as things, from experience, rarely happened miraculously.
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"no." drogon replies to charon's first question. looking for his family wasn't anything he'd considered doing; and as far as drogon was aware they hadn't tried to find him. he was doing fine on his own and at this point valued his independence more than he valued a family he hasn't seen in a few months shy of a year. charon didn't seem overly interested and drogon couldn't help the slight rise of annoyance in his chest. he tempers it quickly. if this already wasn't going well allowing himself to show his annoyance certanly wasn't going to help. "ansbjørn." drogon offers it nonchantly, assuming that it, like much of what he's said thus far, wouldn't interest charon in the slightest.

drogon licks his lips, deliberating on the fence between if he should say what he feels bubbling up on his throat, the words burning his tongue or if he should temper it and just accept this for what it was. disapproval.

drogon's never been one to just accept defeat.

"look, sir, I know I'm probably the furthest thing from what you think is the perfect guy for vela. and yeah i'm not perfect," drogon narrowly avoids letting out a snort at the truth of those particular words. "but i care for your daughter. a lot and i'm going to do whatever it takes to prove it to you." because he promised her ...and because, at the end of the day, drogon would like charon's approval too.
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Again, Charon used fewer words than Drogon, allowing Dune to follow at least half of the conversation easily. He followed behind, ears yearning forward as Charon spat out more questions to Drogon. Dune wondered how long the darker wolf had lived here. It could not have been that long if Charon was still asking him questions like these... but perhaps they were more relevant based on what Drogon had just said. Dune did not interject, of course, but his curiosity certainly wasn't going away anytime soon.

Drogon then went on to talk about Vela, a wolf Dune knew by name and sight, but not much more. She did seem to spend much of her time with Drogon, so perhaps this had something to do with that. There was tension in the air, although Dune could not quite make out why. Perhaps Charon did not approve of Drogon, and that was the cause for such an interrogation.

Dune let the two of them walk up ahead, and he stopped to rub himself against a tree. Sure, he was listening, trying to grasp the conversation and learn a bit more spoken word, but he wasn't going to neglect the other reason he was here: to strengthen their scent along the border. He went so far as to plant his front paws on the tree and scratch at it, shredding a bit of bark off and making sure others would know that this land belonged to no-one but them.
Remedy#8618 · amwelles · amwelles · human
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It felt to Charon as if he had to pull every word from Drogon. He wished his companion'd just go on to talk about himself or ask something in return. Anything, but he felt he received nothing but curt answers that gave him very little information about the boy. He felt an explanation of why he hadn't wanted to look for his parents would have been in order; had Charon ever lost any of his children in such a way it would kill him to know that they were elsewhere, happily living on without him, and not caring whether his parents were still looking for him.

Just as Charon was about to ask 'why not' Drogon was first to speak. Charon was surprised, since he hadn't heard anything about love before then. Vela'd been adamant about spending time with Drogon when the pups would arrive rather than helping out, but she hadn't said that she wanted to be with him in that way. She was altogether way too young, in Charon's opinion, to have such thoughts. To prove to Charon that he cared for Vela didn't just mean saving her at the borders or helping her become a warrior... It meant reminding her of the importance of family and spending time with her family, younger siblings included. Charon felt so unsure of what to think, torn between hating Drogon for taking his beloved daughter from him or being angry with Vela for saying her father would not love her anymore once the pups got there, when she herself was spending more and more time with Drogon instead of him each day.

Yet he could see the boy was trying and Charon was no longer the rash boy he used to be. He simply continued the patrol, though forgot to leave his scent anywhere as he was distracted, staying silent for a good minute or so while he tried to process his emotions and find the words to say.

"Just make sure she doesn't forget her family," he said, his voice cold when he spoke and thought back to Vela mentioning being with Drogon rather than her young siblings or even her father. He could see that Drogon cared, but it wasn't him breaking Vela's heart that the father was most afraid of. "And don't forget what Moonspear has done for you. If you ever make her think she doesn't need her family anymore or that she needs to leave us..." Hard eyes sought eye contact with Drogon in warning. Implicitly Charon expected him to keep Vela away from such thoughts in addition to not encouraging them. It frustrated Charon that he could not simply tell Drogon to fuck off, or, well, something, anything but to confess his actual fears and emotions. He hated anyone seeing his soft sides. "Time will tell if I am making a good decision. But I'd still like to know more about you." How else could he ever truly know if Drogon was a good match for Vela? The father didn't want his daughter to be with Drogon, who didn't seem to care about his own parents at all, but he'd also learned enough in this life to know there was little use fighting it outright.
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i'm so sorry about the super long wait on this. :-( if you'd like we can probably wrap it up soon.

the ansbjørn gives a slight, unnoticeable start as the alpha's voice breaks the silence that had stretched between them after drogon finished his monologue. part of drogon wants to mention that it's not in his best interests to attempt to force vela to do anything and that beyond that it sounds incredibly controlling. vela was an adult that was more than capable of making her own decisions and drogon wasn't going to boss her around — not that he thinks she'll listen anyway given how headstrong she is. "it's not my intention to steal her away from you, i promise." drogon responds, addressing charon's request without actually promising that he'll make vela do anything. if charon was truly worried about vela playing favourites then that was something he needed to address with his daughter and not his daughter's boyfriend ( but that was just drogon's opinion on the matter ).

charon's warning ...which flirted with the line of a threat that had the hairs at drogon's nape prickling with the urge to bristle. sure, moonspear had taken him in despite his past with blackfeather but it wasn't as if he'd begged. hydra had recruited him and drogon would be fine on his own; and beyond that he'd never gotten to take his stab of revenge at vaati ...so he isn't exactly sure what charon means by 'what moonspear's done for you' but ( thankfully ) he bites his tongue and takes the warning/threat because there is little else he could do without earning himself a swift boot in the ass. and he doesn't particularly wish to be parted from vela all because he's ...well the way he is.

"i don't know what else there is to say," drogon admits with a roll of his shoulders in a lofty shrug. "i'm a fighter. i'm a survivor. and there isn't anything i wouldn't do for those i care about and those who have my loyalty." drogon really wasn't all that complicated. he lived by his own law and wasn't afraid to do what was necessary even if it was a necessary evil.
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no problem :) feel free to wrap this up unless Drogon has any more to say / ask ^^

Charon did not like how Drogon implied that he thought his little girl was being stolen away. It didn't matter what he really thought or feared, it mattered that it was being said out loud and he did not like that. He simply wanted his little girl to not leave, to not be driven away from those she loved and the mountain she loved and he wanted Drogon to know that he would be held responsible should it happen. But he seemed genuine in his words even though the directness of the words caught Charon off guard and made his fur bristle for the briefest of moments before he reminded himself that Drogon had agreed with him and seemed to mean well enough.

There was another moment of silence after his own moment of directness in the form of the warning before Drogon said that he did not know what else to say about himself. He seemed secretive still to Charon, but maybe he was simply nervous or something of the sort. After a short moment of silence following Drogon's words Charon said: "Come, let's finish our patrol." He continued the patrol, pausing every now and then to rub his fur against a tree or roll on the ground or otherwise spread his scent, but did not speak about anything major again unless Drogon would have any more to say or ask.