Moonspear where you once were there is a space, that runs as deep as hell

Tracking thread!

 

Hydra prowled the mountain; there was a light snow falling, and though it had accumulated to much in recent days Hydra traversed across the snow with ease granted to her by experience. The matriarch thought she had caught wind of something here, something much bigger than what they had seen in some time. She was dogged in her pursuit, relentlessly trailing the hints left behind. 

She could work with this; she had worked with this. This was familiar, and a comfort... but she did not yet allow herself to grow too eager. The matriarch had miles to go yet on her scouting expedition before she came across her quarry.

Not yet as skilled as his mother was at traversing their mountain home, Atlas had found his large paws fumbling against the thick layer of snow, as well as the ice that had settled on the slick stones. No matter the struggle that he was faced with, the dark titan had caught wind of Hydra and had trailed after her. She had given advice for how to follow prey - signs to watch for, tricks that could be used - and he used it to keep the dark woman in his path. The boy did not know what called her away, but he aimed to follow after her and find out. 

Leaping over a precarious snowbank, Atlas sunk into the fresh powder on the other side with a quiet grunt. It was there that he caught sight of the dark cloak that was draped along his mother's back. The fiery gold of his gaze came to life. His spirit was refreshed and he had been inspired to give chase to the woman.

One ear turned backward and she was given pause as she heard the sound of snow giving beneath something that must, given the lack of trees nearby, be weight; her mind was quick to discern all that such a sound could be, though none settled upon the idea that it might be one of her own children. Foxkit or coycub, maybe... both easy to hunt and take down, though she had, on her way here, not observed the scent of either. Still, it was not outside the realm of possibility. Better to get rid of them now if it was so, she determined, and cache the corpse before she resumed her previous trailing...

That all was quick to change, however, as a sidelong glance revealed to her that she had been incorrect in her line of thinking. One of her cubs—indistinguishable from this distance, and the wind had not been in her favor in the direction he moved from—was moving toward her... likely on a hunt of their own, though of an entirely different variety.

With a quiet huff, Hydra turned away and continued in the direction she had been traveling in to start... but none of her was disengaged from his pursuit. Her own pace then quickened, though only just. The mother was pleased for his success in tracking her as he had... all the lessons she had given him were not for naught. What she was unaware of then and there was that his chase of her might be to test other skills he had been learning, though if that were so she would find out soon enough.

The pursuit of the dark woman led the boy to her, but she had a great deal of distance ahead of him. Atlas watched with a pensive stare. His gaze appeared like that of two roaring suns that were etched against an inky sky. When Hydra began her movement, the powerful young cub did not hesitate to trail after her. Though his limbs were not nearly as accustomed to the sharp climb of the stony peaks, his spirit was driven by the desire to improve himself and to show his mother that she could trust him to be capable and enduring. Time would turn his frame into a state of powerful, raw energy. When it came time for him to embrace the life that his adult body would grant him, Atlas Ostrega would find a seemingly endless wealth of energy.
 
When the dark figure of Hydra slipped behind the stony stretch of mountain, intent on her hunt, the young boy slowed his pace slightly and took in the surroundings with care. The dark wet of his nose was pointed to the earth, following the fragrance that she offered. Though he was not a master of the hunt, he had grown adamant about his improvement. There was a great deal more that he would need to learn, but Atlas could track well enough to follow a basic scent. And, so he did…
 
A few stops along the way, but the swarthy young man was able to keep a solid pace. The stretch of his limbs was done with the intention of closing the space between them, but she was sure to make this task a challenge for him. It was something he would anticipate in his pursuit.

He followed her, and did well in doing so; she was proud of his progress, and as she slipped just beyond and behind a stony stretch Hydra continued on her way. She did slow again however so that he might catch up; it would be good for them to work together to find what she had been initially pursuing himself and thus teach him even more. Still, she liked to keep his mind engaged. To be a child of Hydra's must be exhausting; she made nothing easy for them, though at the very least she met them where they were. Hydra had come to learn thanks to them where that was. 

Atlas had grown into a strong and promising boy who would soon enough become adolescent; time had flown, she felt, and soon enough they would have brothers and sisters of their own. It was a strange thought, but one she was happy to think of. Each of her children had brought her nothing but joy thus far. They had plenty of time left to disappoint her given her high expectations, but that they had not was something Hydra was glad for. She oft took time to be with them, teach them, guide them... and now, they had earned some time to be independent as well. 

Hydra thought on this as she paused near shrubbery that had furs clutched within finger-like brambles, nosing at it to investigate further. No bloodscent detected, but signs that life had been here were clear enough as she looked ahead and observed vegetation having been plowed through.